54.1-2510 - Powers and duties of Board of Health Professions.
§ 54.1-2510. Powers and duties of Board of Health Professions.
The Board of Health Professions shall have the following powers and duties:
1. To evaluate the need for coordination among the health regulatory boardsand their staffs and report its findings and recommendations to the Directorand the boards;
2. To evaluate all health care professions and occupations in theCommonwealth, including those regulated and those not regulated by otherprovisions of this title, to consider whether each such profession oroccupation should be regulated and the degree of regulation to be imposed.Whenever the Board determines that the public interest requires that a healthcare profession or occupation which is not regulated by law should beregulated, the Board shall recommend to the General Assembly a regulatorysystem to establish the appropriate degree of regulation;
3. To review and comment on the budget for the Department;
4. To provide a means of citizen access to the Department;
5. To provide a means of publicizing the policies and programs of theDepartment in order to educate the public and elicit public support forDepartment activities;
6. To monitor the policies and activities of the Department, serve as a forumfor resolving conflicts among the health regulatory boards and between thehealth regulatory boards and the Department and have access to departmentalinformation;
7. To advise the Governor, the General Assembly and the Director on mattersrelating to the regulation or deregulation of health care professions andoccupations;
8. To make bylaws for the government of the Board of Health Professions andthe proper fulfillment of its duties under this chapter;
9. To promote the development of standards to evaluate the competency of theprofessions and occupations represented on the Board;
10. To review and comment, as it deems appropriate, on all regulationspromulgated or proposed for issuance by the health regulatory boards underthe auspices of the Department. At least one member of the relevant boardshall be invited to be present during any comments by the Board on proposedboard regulations;
11. To review periodically the investigatory, disciplinary and enforcementprocesses of the Department and the individual boards to ensure theprotection of the public and the fair and equitable treatment of healthprofessionals;
12. To examine scope of practice conflicts involving regulated andunregulated professions and advise the health regulatory boards and theGeneral Assembly of the nature and degree of such conflicts;
13. To receive, review, and forward to the appropriate health regulatoryboard any departmental investigative reports relating to complaints ofviolations by practitioners of Chapter 24.1 (§ 54.1-2410 et seq.) of thissubtitle;
14. To determine compliance with and violations of and grant exceptions tothe prohibitions set forth in Chapter 24.1 of this subtitle; and
15. To take appropriate actions against entities, other than practitioners,for violations of Chapter 24.1 of this subtitle.
(1977, c. 579, § 54-955.1; 1980, c. 678; 1984, cc. 447, 720, 734; 1986, c.564; 1988, c. 765; 1993, c. 869.)