Health Professions’ Workforce Data Collection at the Time of Licensure
As passed by the 2009 Legislature, Enrolled HB-2009-C includes language that directs the Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research to collaborate with seven health profession licensing boards (for physicians, physician assistants, nurses, nursing assistants, occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, dentists, dental hygienists, physical therapists, physical therapist assistants, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and dietitians) representing key shortage occupations to collect health care workforce data via the licensing and renewal processes.
The workforce data to be collected includes information on demographics, education, employment setting, practice location(s), anticipated changes in the practice and languages spoken for clinical purposes. This was, in part, a result of the Oregon efforts by the Oregon Healthcare Workforce Institute in 2008 that brought together Executive Directors from the health profession licensing boards, health workforce and research experts, and other stakeholders, including OMA, to develop a work plan to routinely collect accurate, consistent, uniform health care workforce data via the licensing process.
Specific points of the law include the following:
- Provision of the data is required as a condition of issuance or renewal of a license.
- Licensing Boards and the Oregon Health Policy Board are authorized to set fees to be paid by licensees to cover the cost of obtaining and reporting health care workforce information.
- Licensing Boards are authorized to keep confidential a licensee’s personally identifiable workforce data collected under this effort. This does not apply to the release of information to law enforcement for investigative purposes or information released to OHPR for state health planning purposes.
- Boards are allowed to take steps prior to the January 1, 2010 effective in order to begin the data collection efforts.
Representatives from OMA participated in the Rules Advisory Committee in fall 2009 to review the changes to the draft rules as well as changes to the Statement of Need and Fiscal Impact.
Because the Oregon Medical Board was already going through the process of completing its license renewals online using a newly implemented system last fall, they were able to include questions about workforce participation.
This resulted in the first set of reports for Oregon Health Professionals from the Office of Oregon Health Policy and Research. For the complete report click here.
OHWI and OHPR are working with the boards to standardize questions for the next round of collections.