The Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services struggles to contain a licensing backlog, with some applicants waiting as long as six months to receive licenses, according to WDJT – Milwaukee on April 12. The agency plans to launch an online application form in the future, but for now handles thousands of applications manually; as of today, the department handles approximately 13,280 license applications and renewals each month. Marc Herstand from the Wisconsin Chapter for the National Association of Social Workers says, “I have never, ever, ever seen it this bad as the backlog has been over the last year,” Herstand said. “It is a terrible crisis we have.”
Massachusetts’s Board of Registration in Medicine now requires physicians to undergo implicit bias training—effective June 1. Under the policy, applicants receiving a new physician license and licensees renewing a physician license must meet a requirement of two credits in implicit bias in healthcare. The training addresses attitudes about gender, race, ethnicity, as well as culture. A November news release from the Board of Registration in Medicine said the board “recognizes the importance of eliminating racial and ethnic inequities that lead to health disparities in Massachusetts.” Implicit bias, according to the April 25 article in Becker’s Hospital Review, refers to an individual’s beliefs and attitudes that influence how they treat others, based on prejudices or stereotypes.
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board issued new licensing requirements on April 21 for privately held companies, effective immediately. The new rules state that only individuals and entities with a 5% or greater direct or indirect ownership interest in a “privately held slot machine, management company, operator, manufacturer, supplier or manufacturer designee licensee” need to apply for and obtain principal licenses from the board. The prior rule required those with a 1% or greater direct or indirect interest in a privately held company to apply for a license, according to JD Supra.
A cybersecurity report from 2021 revealed that 68.2% of surveyed government organizations experienced one or more cyber-attacks within the last year; the report surveyed 1,200 public and private IT security professionals in 17 countries. Another survey of 353 IT professionals at government agencies and educational institutions discovered half suffered from cyber-attacks. Beyond the number of attacks, research also illuminates how much damage the attacks cause. According to GovTech on April 18, following a ransomware attack, public-sector agencies recover on average about 60% of their data.
Iowa licensing board loses legal fight over subpoenaed patient records
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