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DC Health licensing upgrades planned; Council asked to reassess lapsing special-fund proposals
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Summary
DC Health told the Committee on Health it plans phased licensing-system upgrades, has implemented a nurse endorsement pathway for multistate licenses, and is working with MPD to enable Rapback continuous monitoring for criminal-background checks at renewals.
At the June 16 Committee on Health oversight hearing, deputies from DC Health's licensing and professional boards briefed the committee on planned software upgrades, endorsement pathways and an ongoing review of special-purpose revenue funds that support licensing operations.
Licensing system updates: Senior deputy Sam Hurley and Board staff explained DC Health is evaluating vendor products used by other states rather than building a full in-house replacement. The agency expects to select and contract with a vendor and begin phased transitions in FY26, with profession-by-profession rollouts.
Endorsement pathway and compact activity: The agency said it has implemented an online endorsement pathway for nurses who hold multistate (compact) licenses; roughly 300 applicants have been approved via that route to obtain DC licenses. DC Health staff also noted a reciprocity agreement is in place for physician assistants with Maryland and Virginia and said they are exploring reciprocal approaches for other professions (veterinary medicine, for example).
Criminal-background checks and Rapback: DC Health described a proposed Health Occupation Criminal Background Check subtitle that would allow the mayor to use continuous monitoring (MPD Rapback) for renewals so applicants would not need repeated fingerprint checks. Staff said Rapback would notify DC Health only if issues arise and could speed renewals and reduce applicant delays; the committee discussed fee structures and whether Rapback would change applicants' costs.
Funds and lapsing proposals: Committee members raised concerns about proposed Budget Support Act (BSA) language that would convert several once-nonlapsing licensing funds (for example, the Board of Medicine and Board of Pharmacy funds) into lapsing funds swept to the general fund at fiscal year end. DC Health staff said licensing work is staff-intensive and that board funds currently support inspectors, licensing staff and IT; agency fiscal staff indicated those funds have historically been swept but that fund balances fluctuate month-to-month.
Complaint submission and online access: The agency confirmed it has an online license lookup and has moved to a fillable complaint form for health professionals; an applicant-facing online complaint submission process is planned with a vendor (Okta) integration.
Ending: Council members asked the agency to provide a historical fund-balance series for the affected licensing funds, to estimate operating impacts if the funds become lapsing, and to identify whether the proposed Rapback program will alter applicant fees.
