Report 2010-103R Recommendations and Responses in 2012-041
Report 2010-103R: Department of Public Health: It Faces Significant Fiscal Challenges and Lacks Transparency in Its Administration of the Every Woman Counts Program
| Department | Number of Years Reported As Not Fully Implemented | Total Recommendations to Department | Not Implemented After One Year | Not Implemented as of Most Recent Response |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Department of Public Health | 2 | 6 | 2 | 2 |
Recommendation To: Health Care Services, Department of
To the extent that Public Health continues to fund its various contracts, it should establish clearer expectations with its contractors concerning how much money is to be spent directly on the different aspects of the EWC program and should monitor spending to confirm that these expectations are being met.
Response
EWC believes its current practice is adequate for monitoring contract activities and spending. Contractor activities are tied to the salaries of staff performing the duties plus associated operating costs. For contract regional coordinators, "provider network duties" and "provider site reviews" are performed by nurse clinical coordinators. Tailored health education is performed by health educators. These classifications are funded in the personnel line-item and can be seen in budget and invoice detail. Clinical coordinators are assigned specific numbers of site reviews to conduct each fiscal year in accordance with the funded FTE (30 site visits per 1 FTE). Similarly, health educators are assigned specific numbers of women to reach through tailored health education each fiscal year. Progress for each deliverable is reported biannually. Contractors provide documentation for all activities and expenses invoiced during annual site reviews. EWC staff continuously track, monitor and verify that all SOW deliverables have been completed each FY and that invoices can be adjusted if the contractors fail to perform part or all of a specific deliverable.
- California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Will Not Implement
- Response Date: October 2012
Recommendation To: Health Care Services, Department of
To ensure better public transparency and accountability for how the EWC program is administered, Public Health should comply with state law to develop regulations, based on input from the public and interested parties, that will direct how Public Health administers the EWC program. At a minimum, such regulations should define the eligibility criteria for women seeking access to EWC screening services.
Response
At this time, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), EWC program is intently collaborating with the DHCS Office of Regulations and Office of Legal Services to develop regulation package DHCS-12-006E (Please note: Effective July 1, 2012 EWC formally transitioned to DHCS). EWC is determining what specific substantive rules are necessary to ensure public health, safety and general welfare of California's women. Program is following a specific DHCS step-by-step Emergency Regulation process. In addition, EWC is researching and evaluating program authority, standards, and other reference documentation necessary for promulgating regulations. A target date to implement EWC Emergency Regulations is scheduled for June of 2013. Currently, draft regulation articles are not available for public comment, and a date has not yet been determined.
- California State Auditor's Assessment of Status: Not Fully Implemented
- Completion Date: June 2013
- Response Date: October 2012