Welcome from the Deputy Director
Kathleen J. Billingsley, R.N.
Center for Health Care Quality
Welcome to the California Department of Public Health Center for Health Care Quality (CHCQ), the Department with the responsibility for regulatory oversight of health facilities, health professionals, and laboratories to secure safe, effective, and quality health care for all Californians. Through the Center’s Licensing and Certification (L&C) program and Laboratory Field Services (LFS) Program the Center for Health Care Quality plays a critical role in the protection of patient safety. CHCQ does this by evaluating applicant health facilities, agencies, and professionals for compliance with state laws and regulations in order to license or certify them. CHCQ also investigates complaints, certifies health facilities’ and agencies’ compliance with federal laws and regulations, and oversees the education, training, and criminal record clearance of nursing home administrators, certified nurse assistants, home health aides, and hemodialysis technicians.
In April of 2008, the Center launched the Health Facilities Consumer Information System (HFCIS). Health care consumers and their families can now review facilities’ profile and compliance history, ownership information, Medicare/Medical acceptance information, and complaint investigation results for long-term care facilities and hospitals throughout California. In addition, consumers can find and review enforcement actions, including monetary penalties, and deficiency notices that the CHCQ has issued against facilities. Consumers can also file complaints against facilities online using the HFCIS secure on-line complaint form. Visit the HFCIS webpage for additional information: http://hfcis.cdph.ca.gov.
The Centers Licensing and Certification (L&C) program licenses and certifies thirty different types of facilities and agencies that provide health care. L&C is focused on quality health care and committed to the safe and effective delivery of quality care. In addition, L&C licenses and monitors facilities and agencies such as hospitals, psychiatric facilities, skilled nursing facilities, homes for the developmentally disabled, clinics, home health and hospice.
L&C’s Field Operations Branch employs over 600 dedicated individuals in 19 district offices who work at facilities around the state enforcing state and federal laws and regulations. A team of highly skilled and qualified Medical Consultants, Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Consultants, and Registered Nurses regularly conduct facility surveys, certification reviews, and complaint investigations.
L&C's Professional Certification Branch (PCB) plays a crucial role in patient safety by ensuring that thousands of initial and renewal applicants for positions as nurse assistants, home health aides have a criminal record clearance and are adequately trained and educated every year. The PCB conducts investigations of all allegations of abuse, neglect and misappropriation against CNA’s, HHA’s, and CHT’s and takes appropriate disciplinary actions. The Branch annually licenses hundreds of new Nursing Home Administrators after ensuring they meet state standards. Additionally, the Branch has responsibility for regularly reviewing and approving professional continuing education courses and training programs.
The Center’s Laboratory Field Services (LFS) program secures quality standards in clinical laboratories, public health laboratories, blood banks, and tissue banks both in California, as well as those outside the state that provide services to Californians. Through its training programs, certification examinations, and continuing educational opportunities, LFS licenses 30 different categories of laboratory personnel, including laboratory scientists, phlebotomists, genetic scientists, and clinical chemists. LFS also serves under contract with the federal agency, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), as State Agent for administration of federal laboratory law (CLIA) in California. With legislative authority to establish laboratory facility and personnel standards, LFS is the primary link between Californians and prompt, accurate, reliable clinical laboratory testing.
As Deputy Director for the Center of Health Care Quality, I invite you to explore our website and learn more about how we are working to make California’s health care system among the best in the world.
Kathleen J. Billingsley, R.N.
Deputy Director
Center for Health Care Quality
Research helpful links to Nursing Home and Hospital comparison sites, Nursing Home and Health Care Advocate sites, and Provider Association sites at http://hfcis.cdph.ca.gov/info.aspx.