Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Intervention Program Requirements topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board executive officer reports review, recommends ending routine EO reviews of intervention cases; suspends certain work/medication requirements pending safety
Summary
The IEC heard an executive officer update reporting a reduction in cases requiring review, the suspension of blanket requirements that participants return to direct patient care or pass narcotics absent patient-safety evidence, and a proposal to shift routine reviews back to the program manager; no public comments were received.
Loretta Melvior Laurie, the board—s executive officer, told the Intervention Evaluation Committee (IEC 7) that the board moved to suspend imposing requirements that intervention-program participants be required to return to direct patient care or to pass narcotics unless there is "additional evidence of patient safety issues." She said the review followed multiple public complaints and a board motion; 22 case reviews were presented to staff after that motion and cases lacking supporting evidence were returned to IECs for reconsideration.
The update described a multi-month "deep dive" into the intervention program prompted by complaints that some participants were being required to perform direct patient care or to pass controlled-medication checks even when their employment histories did not include those duties, or when medical conditions or disabilities made such work impracticable. "The goal was not to overturn the recommendations from the IEC members. The goal was to ensure that they were supported in evidence so that they would be defensible," Laurie said.
Laurie reported a drop in the number of reviews sent to the executive officer since that board motion: 22 reviews were considered in one November cycle, and more recently only one review was referred to her. She said staff found "less people staying greater than three years without evidence to support it, less people being asked to do direct patient care without evidence to support it, and less people being required to pass narcotics as evidence for returning to safe practice" during the most recent review period. She also said the board will ask the full board in November to stop routing routine case reviews to the executive officer; instead the program manager, Jess Breed, would resume primary responsibility with executive-branch spot checks.
Committee members present indicated they had previously agreed internally that requiring participants to return to direct patient care or to pass narcotics should not be mandatory unless supported by evidence. No formal policy vote was taken at this IEC meeting; Laurie framed the item as an informational update and as preparation for the full board item planned in November.
The committee was also told staff and an external contractor have been updating outreach materials; the report said 345 outreach pieces were emailed in the most recent quarter.
What happens next: Laurie said she will finish outreach to all IECs, then present the recommended change in review responsibility to the full board at its November meeting. The IEC did not take a formal vote on the policy change at this meeting.
