Auditors fault Arizona Board of Nursing for backlog of unresolved complaints; board seeks 28 investigators
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Summary
An Auditor General review found the State Board of Nursing failed to resolve more than half of recent complaints within 180 days and faced a backlog of over 2,100 open complaints; the board asked the committee for 28 additional investigator positions funded from license fees and the committee voted to continue the board for four years.
Jeff Gove of the Arizona Auditor General’s office told the committee the State Board of Nursing issued licenses on time but repeatedly failed to investigate and resolve complaints within required time frames. The audit found the board did not resolve approximately 56% of 540 complaints within 180 days during the review period and reported a backlog of about 2,177 open complaints as of January 2025, with many cases open for years.
The auditor highlighted risks to patient safety when high‑risk allegations — including negligence that contributed to a patient death in one reviewed case — take many months to resolve. Auditors attributed delays to limitations in tracking and monitoring investigation progress, lack of supervisory oversight of investigators, and prioritization of licensing‑related investigations over investigations of practicing licensees.
Joy Bridal, identified in committee remarks as the Board of Nursing’s executive director, said the profession has grown rapidly and the board’s investigative capacity has not kept pace: she described that the board currently has about 27 investigative staff and asked the committee to support 28 additional positions, estimated at about $2 million and to be funded from the board’s licensing fund balance. Bridal said the board has formed a strike team and dedicated staff to triage lower‑level matters and high‑priority cases while also piloting technology tools to triage cases more quickly.
Kathy Busby of the Arizona Nurses Association and Teresa Sanzio, an attorney who represents nurses, addressed the committee in neutral testimony. Sanzio urged three specific changes to reduce investigation time frames: provide full complaint documentation to respondents at intake, narrow the routinely broad investigative scope (for example, limiting requests for five years of irrelevant employment history), and adopt early triage and dismissal rules to resolve low‑risk cases within 60 days.
Committee members asked whether the board had discussed the funding request with legislative staff and whether the proposed statutory fixes in House Bill 2408 include appropriation language or other implementation language; Bridal said she had been working with OSPB and legislative staff to prepare fiscal information but had not yet confirmed an appropriation. Members also probed complexities in tracking cases paused for criminal proceedings and in forensic review of large, complex matters.
A committee member moved that the panel recommend continuing the State Board of Nursing for four years until 07/01/2030 and to pursue statutory changes for improved efficiency and oversight. The committee approved the recommendation by roll call; the chair announced the vote as 14 ayes, 0 noes, and 5 not voting.
