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Annual Report 2015 - 2016
APPENDIX: INFORMATION TABLE
Lucy C. Gee, MS, Division Director
This fiscal year we remained focused on our strategic
priority of regulatory efficiency and our successes
are a direct result of innovative thinking and
rigorous collaboration with our internal and external
stakeholders and partners. We streamlined processes
to provide the quality service our licensees and health
care consumers deserve and expect.
Last October, MQA launched its new and improved
Online Services Portal to better meet the needs of
over one million licensed health care professionals
and applicants in Florida. The new user-driven layout
provides access to many updated features, providing
licensees and applicants with increased functionality
to manage and maintain their personal user accounts.
We will also continue our Are You Renewal Ready?
and medical education campaign, which prepares
licensees to use an online tracking system to track
continuing education credits for license renewal.
MQA also offers several licensure support services
to qualified military families. One of many services
offered is the Florida Veterans Application for
Licensure Online Response (VALOR) system, which
provides an expedited licensing process for honorably
discharged veterans with an active license in another
state. Military veterans who apply through the VALOR
system are granted a waiver for most licensing fees.
Since the beginning of the 2014 fiscal year, veterans
who used the VALOR system saved more than
$80,000 in licensure fees, and we are committed
to increasing this number in the coming years. This
year, the legislature also passed House Bill 941,
which extends the eligibility of the VALOR program to
spouses of active duty service members practicing in
most MQA regulated health care professions.
Ensuring the safety of the public remains a top
priority and through the dedication of staff, MQA has
seen significant improvements in several key areas.
The number of unlicensed activity investigations
completed increased nearly 60 percent from 901
(2014-2015 fiscal year) to 1,430 (2015-2016 fiscal
year). The number of days to resolve these complaints
decreased by 26 percent during the same period.
In addition, MQA is committed to helping licensees
get to work at a lower cost, faster. This fiscal year,
MQA saw improvements in these areas as the average
days to issue an initial license for a qualified applicant
decreased by eight percent, while the average days to
renew a license for a qualified applicant decreased by
48 percent. In addition, the average number of days
to complete an opening pharmacy inspection has
improved by 30 percent.
Over the next several years, MQA is in a unique
position to improve upon these successes and help
the Department achieve its mission of protecting,
promoting and improving the health of all people
in Florida through integrated state, county and
community efforts.
As the Director for the Division of Medical Quality
Assurance (MQA), I am pleased to present our
Annual
Report and Long-range Plan Fiscal Year 2015-2016
.
This report provides us with the opportunity to update our
22 health care provider boards, six councils, stakeholders
and health care consumers on the important work being
done in health care regulation.
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