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Dave Magby
Health Systems Quality Assurance Investigation and Inspection Office

Dave Magby never has a "typical" work day as Deputy Director of the Health Systems Quality Assurance Investigation and Inspection Office. He's part of the team that investigates complaints against both health care facilities and practitioners.

The Department of Health licenses over 350,000 professionals and 7,000 health facilities. This includes workers in 70 health professions, from acupuncturists to x-ray technicians.

With 38 total years of experience as a professional investigator, Dave has been at the department since 1991. The best part of his job, Dave says, is knowing that it makes a difference in providing safer health care to the people of Washington State.

The office collaborates with criminal justice agencies, state and local law enforcement, and federal entities in investigating complaints. His staff also conduct routine surveys of licensed facilities, such as hospitals, prisons, state ferries and more. Dave and his staff act as "objective fact finders" who review complaints and look for evidence. Any evidence they gather is presented to disciplinary authorities that decide on appropriate action to take against providers who violate the law.

Discipline may include fines, counseling, retraining, practice limitations or suspension of practice. Some of the "most egregious" cases—such as someone practicing surgery without a license—result in criminal prosecution, he says.

In all, the agency reviews nearly 8,000 complaints and inspects thousands of health care facilities each year.

"I fully believe we make a difference by providing a [higher] level of security to patients," Dave said.

For more information on the complaint process, including how to file one, visit:
http://www.doh.wa.gov/hsqa/HealthProfComp.htm