HR0016 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0016 LRB094 04991 RAS 35023 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has established as its mission to serve, safeguard, and promote the public welfare by ensuring that licensure qualifications and standards for professional practice are properly evaluated, accurately applied, and vigorously enforced; and

WHEREAS, Among the professions regulated by the Department are physicians licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987; and

WHEREAS, A 1997 program audit of "Physicians Regulated Under the Medical Practice Act" conducted by the Office of the Auditor General found that the Department of Professional Regulation lacked adequate management controls in its investigatory, disciplinary, and probationary processes; The audit contained 16 recommendations for improving the Department's performance; and

WHEREAS, The public needs assurance that the Department is effectively regulating and disciplining physicians who do not comply with the provisions of the Medical Practice Act of 1987 and that the public is appropriately and timely informed of these regulatory and disciplinary actions; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the Auditor General to conduct a program audit of the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation's disciplining of physicians who violate provisions of the Medical Practice Act of 1987; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the audit shall include, but shall not be limited to, the following determinations: (i) the Department's compliance with State law regarding the disciplining of physicians; (ii) the Department's procedures for determining the need for, and nature of, any recommended disciplinary actions; (iii) the Department's process for ensuring that its recommended disciplinary actions are implemented and that any specified corrective steps are instituted; and (iv) the Department's process for communicating results of disciplinary action to the public; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, other State agencies and employees, and any other entity or person that may have information relevant to this audit to cooperate fully and promptly with the Auditor General's Office in the conduct of this audit; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge the Auditor General to commence this audit as soon as possible and report the results upon completion in accordance with the provisions of Section 3-14 of the Illinois State Auditing Act.