The state agency responsible for inspecting and certifying health care facilities, such as hospitals, nursing homes, and assisted living centers, still has a backlog, even after four new surveyor positions were added last year, legislative budget writers learned this morning. “It seems like we’re not making the progress I was hoping for,” Sen. Dan Schmidt, D-Moscow, told H&W Licensing and Certification Division Administrator Tamara Prisock. “So can you give me a sense of direction about what we should be expecting?”

“I wish I could report that we have made more progress too,” Prisock responded. The four new surveyors were hired in July, she said. Three teams still have backlogs; the worst is the long-term care team, on which seven of 13 positions are currently vacant. “Turnover is the issue that is keeping that team from being able to attack its backlog,” Prisock reported.

As of December, the long-term care team had 23 overdue surveys and 57 overdue complaint investigations. The Medicare certification team had 42 overdue surveys and seven overdue complaint investigations, though Prisock said those have the fewest safety concerns. The residential assisted living facilities team had 162 overdue surveys and 78 overdue complaint investigations.

Schmidt, a physician, asked, “Is the state of Idaho going to have to say this is something we can’t do in a timely fashion?” Prisock said, “I’m not ready to give up on that. I think it is possible.” She said new strategies are in place and technology is being upgraded. “So I’m not ready to give up yet,” she said.

Rep. Marc Gibbs, R-Grace, said, “I do find it troubling that we still are looking at staffing issues this year and ongoing.” He said the state needs to “figure out why, why we’re losing these people.” Prisock said pay hasn’t been the issue; it’s been more a matter of the workload and the travel required for the surveyor jobs.