Virginia Administrative Code
Title 18 - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL LICENSING
Agency 76 - DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS

AGENCY SUMMARY

The Department of Health Professions is authorized to provide investigative, inspection and administrative services for and promote policy coordination among Virginia's 14 health profession regulatory boards. See the separate listings for these boards in this title under Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology, Counseling, Dentistry, Funeral Directors and Embalmers, Long-Term Care Administrators, Medicine, Nursing, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Psychology, Social Work, Veterinary Medicine, and the Board of Health Professions. These boards regulate more than 350,000 health professionals in over 80 health occupational groupings and more than 4,000 facilities (funeral establishments, pharmacy-related businesses, and veterinary facilities).

The director of the department is authorized to supervise and manage the department; perform or consolidate administrative services for the boards; receive all complaints made against regulated health care professionals; develop administrative policies and procedures governing the receipt and recording of complaints; monitor the status of actions regarding complaints; provide investigative services; collect and account for all fees to be paid into each board; and promulgate and revise regulations necessary for the administration of the department and such regulations as are necessary for the implementation of the Health Practitioners' Monitoring Program. Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 25.1. The director also promulgates regulations necessary for the implementation of the Prescription Monitoring Program. Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 25.2.

Each health profession regulatory board is authorized to (i) establish the qualifications for registration, certification or licensure which are necessary to ensure competence and integrity to engage in the regulated profession; (ii) examine or cause to be examined applicants for certification or licensure; (iii) register, certify or license qualified applicants as practitioners; (iv) establish schedules for renewals; (v) levy and collect fees; (vi) promulgate regulations to effectively administer the regulatory system administered by the board; (vii) revoke, suspend, restrict, or refuse to issue or renew a registration, certificate or license; (viii) appoint designees from their membership or immediate staff to coordinate with the Monitoring Program Committee; (ix) take appropriate disciplinary action for violations of applicable law and regulations; (x) appoint a special conference committee to consider disciplinary action; (xi) convene, at its discretion, a panel to conduct formal proceedings with regard to a practitioner; and (xii) issue inactive licenses or certificates according to regulations it adopts; (xiii) meet by telephone conference call to consider settlement proposal or modifications to board orders; (xiv) request and accept confidential consent agreements; and (xv) direct a practitioner to submit to a mental or physical examination. Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 24.

For reports required to be made to the board by hospitals, other health care institutions, and practitioners of the healing arts respecting drug addiction, alcoholism, psychiatric illness, incompetence, or improper conduct of board licensees, see Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 24, Article 1. Any health regulatory board may suspend the license, certificate or registration of any person holding a license, certificate or registration issued by it without a hearing simultaneously with the institution of proceedings for a hearing if the relevant board finds that there is a substantial danger to the public health or safety which warrants this action. Code of Virginia, Title 54.1, Chapter 24.

The department operates under the supervision of the Secretary of Health and Human Resources. Regulations are available at the department's offices at 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23233. Internet address: http://www.dhp.virginia.gov/

Rev. 8/2012