Report 2014-111 Recommendation 5 Responses

Report 2014-111: California Department of Public Health: It Has Not Effectively Managed Investigations of Complaints Related to Long-Term Health Care Facilities (Release Date: October 2014)

Recommendation #5 To: Public Health, Department of

To ensure that district offices address ERIs consistently and to ensure that they investigate ERIs in the most efficient manner, Public Health should assess whether each district office is appropriately prioritizing ERIs. Specifically, it should determine, on a district-by-district basis, whether district offices' assigning ERIs a priority level that requires an on-site visit is justified. This assessment should also determine whether each district office is prioritizing ERIs appropriately when determining that on-site investigations are not necessary.

1-Year Agency Response

CDPH continues to review complaints and ERIs for appropriate prioritization level and timely onsite visits through by a quarterly lookback review of a sample of complaints and ERIs. We began this review with Los Angeles County and expanded it to all district offices beginning with the first quarter of FY 2015/16.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented


6-Month Agency Response

CDPH continues to review complaints and ERI for appropriate prioritization level and timely onsite visit. This review is currently conducted for LA County District offices. After April 2015, the review will expand to the other district offices ensuring all district offices are reviewed each quarter.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending


60-Day Agency Response

CDPH has developed criteria for reviewing complaint and ERI prioritization and quality of investigations. Beginning May 2014, CDPH has used these criteria to conduct monthly reviews of a sample of complaint and ERI investigations in LA County. CDPH prepares a quarterly report of these reviews. These reviews will continue in LA County until April 2015. By April 2015, CDPH will add criteria for reviewing plans of correction and supervisory review to the LA County monthly reviews. By October 2015, CDPH will use the criteria to monthly review a sample of the investigations in district offices statewide.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending


All Recommendations in 2014-111

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.