Annual Report and Long-Range Plan | Fiscal Year 2022-23 4 INTRODUCTION Message from the State Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo, MD, PhD State Surgeon General As Florida’s State Surgeon General, it gives me great pleasure to present this annual report on behalf of the Division of Medical Quality Assurance (MQA), which captures its purpose, achievements, and impact on the landscape of health care regulation in Florida during FY 2022-23. Every day, the health care practitioners and facilities we regulate, and the consumers who receive their services, rely on us to fulfill the purpose of our regulations. These regulations help uphold the safety and quality expected by each Floridian and visitor when receiving health care services. The success of these regulations relies on awareness, education, and compliance by the practitioners, facilities, and consumers and supporting resources to implement enforcement and programmatic activities. I am proud that MQA is one of many divisions at the Department of Health (Department) contributing to the mission to protect, promote, and improve the health of all Floridians. MQA works hard to sustain and improve a regulatory structure that supports the state’s priorities related to global competitiveness and economic growth. This year, MQA issued over 128,000 initial licenses, upgraded more than 26,000 licenses, and renewed over 610,000 licenses. These efforts are supported by dedicated employees who collaborate with 22 regulatory boards and four councils to effectively regulate 364 health care professions and adapt strategies to help the state respond to emergencies like hurricanes. In the wake of Hurricane Ian in October 2022, MQA effectively deployed 10 percent of its workforce, promptly delivered urgent notifications about emergency directives affecting professions, responded in partnership with Volunteer Florida to promote an online portal for licensed practitioners to volunteer in impacted areas, and redirected resources to maintain critical licensure processes for priority professions. MQA’s Board of Nursing was one unit that demonstrated this agility and focus on expediting licensure, as its initial applications for licensure were processed in under 24 hours. In addition to managing its daily operations, I am proud of MQA for its enforcement and programmatic activities. My visit to one of MQA’s 11 investigative field offices showed me the importance of statewide investigative work taking place with law enforcement partners. Health care facility inspectors, investigators, program liaisons, compliance managers, and attorneys work together with the boards, councils, and Office of the General Counsel to produce an effective enforcement and compliance model for Florida’s practitioners and facilities that are often looked to by other states when enacting legislation affecting health care professions. This year, MQA completed 5,249 investigations and issued 561 cease-and-desist orders, fulfilling its commitment to the safety of health care consumers in Florida. These regulations help uphold the safety and quality expected by each Floridian and visitor when receiving health care services. We have much to celebrate as we reflect on the impact our work has had in FY 2022-23. Whether educating the public about the dangers of unlicensed medical practice, offering licensure support services for veterans, or encouraging safer prescribing of controlled substances, it is clear that MQA takes seriously its commitment to protecting the public.
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