Announcements

Opioid Addiction Crisis Declared a Public Health Emergency in Virginia

On November 21, 2016 Governor McAuliffe issued a News Release stating that State Health Commissioner Marissa Levine has declared Virginia’s opioid abuse crisis a Public Health Emergency in the Commonwealth.

Visit the Virginia Department of Health for more information.
Download Commissioner Levine’s message to healthcare practitioners on dispensing Naloxone.

2017 Spring Break Zika Awareness Toolkit

Primarily a mosquito borne disease, the Zika virus is most impactful in warmer seasons when illness can be transmitted by insects carrying the virus from one person to another. Maintaining a keen awareness for the transmission and treatment of Zika virus infection is an imperative for healthcare practitioners.

Along with their Zika Virus information page, the Virginia Department of Health (VDH) now offers a Spring Break Toolkit featuring printable infographics and online resources to help Virginians spread Zika awareness on social media.

Invitation for Public Comment on the Review of the Feasibility of Licensure of Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants

The Virginia Board of Health Professions Regulatory Research Committee held a public hearing to receive comment on the feasibility of Virginia’s regulation of Certified Anesthesiologist Assistants. The meeting was held on June 27, 2017 at the Department of Health Professions. Please click here to view the Certified Anesthesiologist Assistant Draft Study Report. Please click here to view the Transcript.

Federal Rules in Place Regarding Dialysis Patient Care Technicians

In order to meet US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requirements for reimbursement for End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) services federal regulations effective April 15, 2010 require facilities' technicians who have been employed since October 14, 2008 to be certified within 18 months of their date of hire.

Virginia's statutes and regulations require certification within 24 months regardless of the payment system for End Stage Renal Disease services. The CMS rules requiring certification within 18 months apply to federal reimbursement.

Click here to read an explanatory letter from October 2009 from CMS to State Survey Agency Directors. In the Commonwealth this is the function of the Virginia Department of Health.

Dialysis patient care technician info

Attention: dialysis patient care technician trainees, supervising registered nurses, and other interested parties, information on provisional practice for persons receiving training to become dialysis patient care technicians is available on the Board of Health Professions' webpage on the Laws and Regulations page.