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MQA Q4 2014 - 2015 4
Thirty-six facilities throughout eight Florida counties received on-site visits April 27-
30, 2015, as promotion of the Department’s Are You Renewal Ready? campaign
continues. Facility outreach encompassed nine hospitals, 18 nursing homes and nine
assisted living facilities. Points of contact included facility administrators, directors
of nursing and directors of human resources. Discussion focused on how to use
the FLHealthSource.gov website, emphasis on completion of continuing education/
continuing medical education (CE/CME) hours prior to license renewal, a highlight on
upcoming Are You Renewal Ready? webinar dates and other useful tips
and guidelines.
Brandi May, Administrative Assistant II with the Bureau of Health Care Practitioner
Regulation, received recognition from several staff members including executive
director Sue Foster. Brandi displays the department’s accountability value by being a
team player and going the extra mile. Brandi rescheduled her leave during a critically
busy time and provided staff and supervisors with the extra support that was needed.
Sue said she is very appreciate “especially knowing that we can depend on (Brandi)
during critically busy times in the office.”
MQA regulatory specialists Traci Zeh, Shinita Miller, Marquita Walker and Jocelyn
Hart recognize the importance of licensing physical therapists as quickly as possible
to “Keep Florida Working” and strive to expedite the licensure process. Over the last
two years, they have worked diligently to reduce the average number of days to issue
a license by 17.89 days. This represents a 14% reduction despite a 6.5% increase in
applications over the past 12 months. The annual mean wage in Florida for a physical
therapist is $84,030 and $60,290 for physical therapist assistants, so the ability to
begin work as quickly as possible has a positive and long-lasting impact to the
state’s economy.
Karen Lambert, Alicia Cartwright and Nick Van Der Linden, with MQA’s Strategic
Planning Services, attended the annual Florida Pharmacy Association meeting to host
a 5K Fun Run and inform practitioners about reporting continuing education. The
team had a great reception and those who signed up for the 5K received Healthiest
Weight promotional material and a free t-shirt. The team managed to register 86
people for the race, many of whom said they enjoyed it and that they will do it again
next year.
We use teamwork to achieve common goals and solve problems.
We perform with integrity.
COLLABORATION
ACCOUNTABILITY