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For immediate release: October 2, 2006 (06-155)
Contacts:
Jeff Smith, Communications Office
360-236-4072
Donn Moyer, Communications Office
360-236-4076
New sexual misconduct rules designed to improve patient safety
OLYMPIA ¾ New rules that clearly define sexual misconduct by health care providers will improve patient safety in our state. The rules for 27 different health care professions went into effect on Saturday (September 30). The rules developed by the Washington State Department of Health are designed to better educate health care providers about what is considered sexual misconduct under state law. They also inform health care consumers what they should expect from their providers.
The sexual misconduct rules were adopted in response to Governor Chris Gregoire’s Executive Order 06-03 (http://www.governor.wa.gov/execorders/eo_06-03.pdf), which calls for a comprehensive definition of sexual misconduct for all Washington state health professions.
"This is about fulfilling a promise to patients," said Governor Gregoire. "All patients deserve safe, quality health care and when they visit their doctor or any health care provider, they can and should expect to receive the highest quality care."
While some health care professions overseen by the Department of Health have had rules prohibiting sexual misconduct, the new rules define sexual misconduct for all 27 professions regulated by the secretary of health. Some professions may adopt even tougher standards.
"Patient safety is our highest priority, and no one should ever be abused in a health care setting," said Secretary of Health Mary Selecky. "The new rules set very clear sexual misconduct boundaries. That way we can move quickly to take action when providers cross the line."
The remaining health care professions are regulated by independent boards and commissions appointed by the governor. Some have adopted similar rules on sexual misconduct, including the medical and nursing commissions. The rest have started working on rules and plan to have them in place by January 2007.
Information about health care providers is available on the Department of Health Web site. It can be found under "Provider Credential Search" on the left hand side of the home page (www.doh.wa.gov). The site includes information about a health care provider’s license status, the expiration and renewal date of their credential, disciplinary actions and copies of legal documents issued after July 1998. This information is also available by calling 360-236-4700. Any consumer who thinks a health care provider acted unprofessionally is also encouraged to call and report the complaint.
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12/18/2006 11:08 AM
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