We Are Medical Quality Assurance
The mission of the Division of Medical Quality Assurance
(MQA) is to "Promote, protect and improve the health of all people in Florida."
The division develops policies which allow the department to
effectively and efficiently regulate medical professionals in order to
achieve the department's goal of protecting the health and safety of all
citizens and visitors to the state who access health care services.
Director's Office Responsibilities:
The Director's office manages a division of nearly
600 staff
responsible for regulatory activities of various health care
practitioners. The division is comprised of three (3)
bureaus and several units:
Enforcement: The Consumer Services Unit provides analysis of complaints and reports involving potential misconduct of a
licensee. The Investigative Services Unit initiates investigations when appropriate. After
an investigation has been completed, the boards and/or
councils are responsible for determining probable cause in the
disciplinary actions involving the misconduct of a licensee.
Upon action by the board and/or council regarding the finding of the
investigation, the Prosecution Services Unit proceeds with the required
filing for administrative action.
MQA serves as a liaison between the
public and the professional boards and councils, as well as between the
licensees and their respective boards and councils. Each profession, except those regulated directly by the department,
is represented by a board or council comprised of individuals licensed
in that profession and consumers.
Lucy Gee
Division Director
4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin #C00
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3250
(850) 488-0595
Diane Orcutt
Deputy Director
4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin #C00
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3250
(850) 488-0595
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Health Care Practitioner Regulation (HCPR):
The mission of the HCPR is to protect health care consumers by establishing and enforcing health
care standards, licensing qualified health care practitioners and
facilities, and disseminating health care information to the public.
The HCPR is responsible for
the policy making and programmatic activities related to licensure of health
care practitioners.
The department's Impaired Practitioners Program is administered by
the Professionals Resource Network (PRN) and the Intervention Project for
Nurses (IPN). Those professionals licensed within MQA who may be impaired or who may present a danger to the
public are evaluated by PRN or IPN under the Impaired Practitioners Program.
HCPR is comprised of a bureau chief and eight offices under the
supervision of Board Directors. Each board office licenses designated
health care professionals. Each profession is governed by a statutorily
appointed board or council. The board or council is comprised of
individuals licensed in that profession and consumers appointed by the Governor or
Department Secretary. The Directors serve in an administrative liaison
capacity to the designated boards who review licensure cases related to
disciplinary action against health care practitioners and determine
probable cause in disciplinary actions. The board offices evaluate
applications for licensure and examination, conduct board meetings,
administer policy, issue final orders in imposing discipline, review and
approve continuing education providers, and audit licensure compliance
for continuing education.
Cassandra Pasley, J.D.
Bureau Chief
4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin #C00
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3250
(850) 488-0595
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Management Services (BMS):
The mission of BMS is to provide
reliable and accurate information, support, and services to health care
consumers, practitioners, facilities, and regulatory bodies.
BMS has four units that provide administrative support to the
board offices. The functions of the units include:
- Internal Services Unit: Coordinates the arrangements for board
meetings, process travel reimbursements for board members, prepare board
newsletters, procure and process payment for goods and services, and
coordinate microfilming for the Division.
- Client Services Unit: Processes final orders, reports disciplinary actions to data
banks/national organizations, tracks respondent's actions to comply with
board orders, responds to non-media public information requests, and
provides written license certification.
- Communication Services Unit: Answers all incoming calls, responds to
requests for information or routes calls to other staff; mails application
packets, laws, and rules.
- Central Records Unit/Deputy Clerk's Office: File/index Department
Orders (final orders, emergency suspension orders, administrative
complaints, notice of appeals, etc.) as they relate to Health Care
Professions, process public records requests from the general public and
other state regulatory agencies as they relate to administrative
actions, serve as official custodian for disciplinary files and prepare
records on appeal.
Lorene Wilson, Chief
4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin #C01
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3251
(850) 488-0595
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Operations (BOO):
The mission of the BOO is to protect the health of
all persons in Florida by testing to ensure competency, issuing
licenses, and informing the public about health care practitioner
credentials.
BOO is responsible for licensure and examination
functions of health care practitioner regulation; unlicensed activity;
practitioner profiles on allopathic physicians, osteopathic physicians,
podiatric physicians, and chiropractic physicians; coordination of
program evaluation of licensure programs; credentialing of physicians
osteopathic physicians, podiatric physicians, and chiropractic
physicians; staffing of the impaired practitioners committee; and
revenue functions of the Division of Medical Quality Assurance.
(Note: Under Florida law, e-mail addresses are public records. If you do not want your e-mail
address released in response to a public records request, do not send electronic mail to this entity. Instead,
contact this office by phone or in writing.)
BOO contains four units:
- Testing Services Unit: Plans, coordinates
and directs testing services as they relate to
practitioner licensure.
- Licensure Services Unit: Plans, coordinates and directs licensure
services including all activities related to the issuance
of practitioner licenses.
- Systems Support Services: Supports
MQA's licensing database and online system application services.
- Profiling Unit: Manages the development and publication of
practitioner profiles in coordination with HCPR and the
Department of Health's Division of Information Resource
Management.
- Data Management Unit manages will create a
Quality Assurance System by having all reports go through a
standardization review, as well as:
- help establish data collection standards and definitions
- provide accurate and timely data
- provide consistent, reliable data
- establish an evaluative system for report generation to meet
requests and needs of our stakeholders, e.g., develop standard reports
that customers can access through our website
maintain a system for periodic review through policy development and
performance measurement
- create a glossary of terms, including naming conventions,
boundaries, and specifications
Lola Pouncey, Chief
4052 Bald Cypress Way Bin #C10
Tallahassee, FL 32399-3260
(850) 488-0595
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