Consultant Services

We know licensure boards and the environments in which they function. We know the many operational activities they carry out to protect the public. We know the resource and other constraints they confront. We know the skepticism they often face from licensees and the general public. We know the disruptions and added distrust that emerge when media reports reveal how board shortcomings failed to protect the public.

And we know that we can help boards to improve their performance and to shore up public confidence. We know the intricacies of professional regulation and we know how to carry out rapid feedback evaluations that can be of practical use to decision-makers.

What Do We Offer?

We provide quick turnaround reviews, identify best practices worthy of emulation, develop practical solutions geared to real-world environments, and present crisp, action-oriented reports and/or briefings. Among the questions we can help boards address are these:

• How can alternative-to-discipline programs for impaired practitioners be made more accountable for performance?
• How can board websites be made more informative and helpful to the public?
• How can efficiencies be incorporated into licensure and discipline processes?
• How can training programs for board members be enhanced?
• How can boards tie in more effectively with the movement to reduce medical errors?

How Do We Work?

We emphasize close collaboration with you, the client. We start by working with you to narrow down our scope of services to the discrete issues and approaches warranting attention. Once we agree on the reviews focus and methods, we assemble a small team that conducts interviews, reviews and develops data, and presents findings and recommendations. Throughout the process, we consult with you and offer feedback on an as-needed basis. Our aim is to provide you with information, ideas, and recommendations that you can readily adapt.

Who Are We?

CAC is a nonprofit organization focused on the improved accountability and performance of health professional oversight boards. Since its establishment in 1987, it has produced scores of reports aimed at enhancing the public protection mission of the boards; conducted annual meetings intended to sharpen the skills and insight of public members on the boards; convened policy-focused conferences on key issues of concern to boards (most recently on competency assessment); served as a resource for board members, executives, and staff seeking guidance on policy and operational matters; and, not least of all, fostered greater attention to proactive error prevention and quality improvement initiatives through its Practitioner Remediation and Enhancement Partnership (PREP). For more information on PREP see www.4patientsafety.net.

CACs Consultant Services Division, established in 2008, draws on this background to provide services specifically for heath care licensure boards. The three principals are David Swankin, Rebecca LeBuhn, and Mark Yessian. For more than a quarter of a century, each has had considerable exposure to boards, from the ground up. Swankin, co-founder, president, and CEO of CAC has been on the forefront of licensure and discipline issues as a speaker, trainer, writer, and advisor. LeBuhn, co-founder and CAC chair, has been an integral part of all CAC operations and has served as a public member on boards herself. Yessian, CAC board member and recently retired from the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has led numerous high profile studies of boards.

Our consulting services, however, draw on far more than the three individuals noted above. One of our unique advantages is that we can draw on a vast network of individuals with whom we have associated with over the years and who can be deployed on individual studies. A first step once we have delineated the scope of services with a client is to assemble a study team well suited for that particular engagement. This approach enables us to tailor the expertise needed for each project.

Why Retain CAC Consulting Services?

Boards can turn to many consultant organizations to help them with management and operational issues. Three factors help to distinguish us:

1. Our expertise in the substance of professional regulation;
2. Our capacity to conduct rapid feedback, high-quality assessments;
3. Our track record and reputation for ensuring that licensure boards are publicly accountable.

When you contract with us to examine some aspect of your boards operation, you can have confidence that you will gain timely, useful, and credible insights that can enhance your public protection mission.

For inquiries, contact David Swankin.