VCAL Symposium a Success

VCAL Focus (7-15-02)

Over 70 participants attended VCALs 2002 Symposium, Regulations & Operations...tying it all together, on June 27th in Richmond.  Staff of the Department of Social Services (DSS), Carolynne Stevens, Deborah Lloyd and Lynne Williams, presented an overview of regulations and enforcement and described factors shaping the Division of Licensing Programs present and future.  DSS considers a variety of components in determining enforcement, including the type of population served; care/acuity levels of residents; managements diligence and effectiveness in operating the facility; workers training, skills, performance and interactions; the facility's compliance history and trends; and the nature and risk level of violations. 

Ms. Stevens indicated that DSS is strengthening their practices in monitoring, risk assessment and adverse enforcement by refining tools, providing more systematic training and case reviews and building a knowledge base through DOLPHIN, a new licensing information system.  In response to providers questions about the DSS performance based licensing system, presenters described the outcome-based system that structures issuance decisions for types of licenses:  conditional, provisional and 1, 2,and 3-year licenses.  The purpose of the system is to provide a consistent decision structure for assessing facility performance while preserving leeway for professional judgment in reaching licensure and monitoring decisions.  The Risk Assessment Matrix was also discussed as a tool that provides a framework to evaluate potential harm and enforcement options.   A complete copy of the Departments PowerPoint slides is now available on the VHCA/VCAL website at www.vhca.org under VCALs Members Only Industry /Association News.

Following the morning session, Robert VanDyks dynamic presentation tied the day together with his hands on approach to operations.  One attendeecommented that Van Dyk was one of the best Ive heard in my 30 years of health care.  Thank you!