Subcommittees & councils

Photo credit: Carl Curtis

Strengthening policies for the healthcare workforce

The Health Workforce Advisory Council provides information and recommendations to expand and strengthen Utah's health workforce. Each of the subcommittees and councils work to deepen the HWAC's impact in specific focus areas.

Legislative review subcommittee

Visit Legislative review subcommittee

Data review subcommittee

Visit Data review subcommittee

The Utah Medical Education Council (UMEC)

Visit the UMEC

Legislative review subcommittee

The Utah Health Workforce Advisory Council (HWAC) established the Legislative Review Subcommittee to support its statutorily authorized duty to review and comment on legislation related to the health workforce. At each of their meetings, members review a list of healthcare workforce bills prepared by legislative subcommittee chair and HWAC chair for comment. They discuss each bill and determine the initial comment for the HWAC review.

Legislative review enhances health workforce policy in Utah

This subcommittee meets weekly during the legislative session and intermittently between sessions.

Legislative review:

Provides a forum for input from subject matter experts.

Supports coordination of health workforce policy.

Promotes the use of health workforce data to support informed policymaking.

Legislative comment categories

The legislative review subcommittee developed the following comment categories for HWAC review:

No comment/hold

HWAC determines no comments are appropriate at this time. Further review may be performed as the legislative session progresses.

Broad consensus for support

HWAC determines that there is broad support for the bill as it is written.

Broad consensus for bill concept, but concerns noted

HWAC determines that there is broad consensus for the intent of the bill, but there are concerns, which, if addressed, could result in consensus support.

Lacking consensus

HWAC determines that there is mixed support/opposition for the bill.

Broad consensus for opposition

HWAC determines that there is consensus opposition for the bill as written.

Members

Dr. Teresa Garrett, Co- Chair

Carrie Torgersen, Co-Chair

Mia Nafziger

Rachel Craig

Tyler Goddard

Jeff Shumway

Dr. Michelle Hofmann

Kasey Shakespear

Learn more and get involved

The Legislative Review Subcommittee and HWAC look for opportunities to provide guidance, feedback, and recommendations related to Utah’s health workforce. If you are interested in working with the subcommittee, serving as a member, or want to learn more about these initiatives, email [email protected] to contact HWAC staff.

Data subcommittee

The Utah Health Workforce Advisory Council (HWAC) established a Data Subcommittee to advise on health workforce data-related activities executed by the Utah Health Workforce Information Center (HWIC) and Department of Commerce, Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL).

The HWAC uses data as the foundation for its activities. Information captured from healthcare practitioners at time of licensing renewal provides a strategic opportunity to gather information the state and key stakeholders need. The information meets requirements for reporting, evaluation, policy decisions, and supporting program implementation.

Utah Cross-Profession Minimum Data Set

The Utah Cross-Profession Minimum Data Set (UCPMDS) is a foundational set of questions covering the highest priority data elements needed for health workforce planning throughout Utah.

Visit Utah Cross-Profession Minimum Data Set webpage

Life cycle of Utah health workforce data

As outlined in the Utah Health Workforce Act

Finalize workforce surveys to collect data Utah needs

Utah Code 58-1-112 authorized the state to request information from select healthcare professionals during the licensing process. The HWAC established a Data Subcommittee, which is tasked with initial development of survey tool(s) in collaboration with the HWIC. The HWAC approves of the data to be collected from licensees.

Implement surveys within licensing process

The HWAC-approved data fields are shared with DOPL to be integrated within the licensing process. Members of DOPL’s staff implement the supplemental information fields survey tool by embedding the data coding within a survey to be administered to the affected professions during licensing processes.

Managing and analyzing survey data

After the renewal period closes, DOPL extracts data in raw form and shares with the HWIC under appropriate interagency data sharing provisions. Once the HWIC receives the data, data are cleaned, coded, and analyzed as requested in statute and specified by the HWAC. The HWAC advises on research and analyses needed to study certain health workforce issues. The HWIC implements analyses as directed by the HWAC.

Workforce reports and recommendations

Once analyses are complete, the HWIC finalizes data reports including information as authorized in statute or requested by the HWAC. Data reports are submitted to the HWAC for review, approval, and publication. The HWAC reviews results and may make recommendations to enhance Utah’s health workforce. The HWAC shares health workforce-related reports with the entities outlined in the HWAC statute.

Importance of data

The HWAC uses data as the foundation for its activities. Information captured from healthcare practitioners at time of licensing renewal provides a strategic opportunity to gather information the state and key stakeholders need.

With the HWAC guiding data collection and the HWIC providing data expertise, the captured information meets requirements for reporting, evaluation, policy decisions, and supporting program implementation. The involved teams strive to keep the use case in mind during data collection, analysis, and reporting. Close coordination between the HWAC, HWIC, and DOPL will be critical to having the information Utah needs.

Members

Mark Steinagel, Chair

Dr. Connie Kitchens

Holly Uphold

Dave Fogerty

Dr. Sarah Woolsey

Jeff Shumway

Tracey Nixon

Dr. Victoria Lynn Tiase

Allison Spangler

Dr. Rebecca Blair-Stevenson

Dr. Stacy Eddings 

Dr. Sue Jackson

The Utah Medical Education Council

Conducting healthcare workforce research

Advising on training needs

Influencing graduate medical education

Stabilizing the supply of healthcare clinicians

The Utah Medical Education Council (UMEC), which originated in 1997 and was previously housed under the Utah System of Higher Education, was born out of a need to secure and stabilize the state’s supply of healthcare clinicians. This legislation authorized the UMEC to conduct healthcare workforce research, to advise on Utah’s healthcare training needs, and to influence graduate medical education strategies and policy initiatives. With the passing of House Bill 176 in the 2022 general session, the Utah Medical Education Council became a subcommittee of the HWAC.

Utah's graduate medical education grant program

Visit Utah's graduate medical education grant program webpage

UMEC meetings

Visit Utah's Public Notice website

UMEC Members

Dr. Kristina Callis Duffin, Chair

Dr. Mark Harris

Dr. Collin Lash

Dr. Frank Powers

Dr. Michael Rhodes

Dr. Karyn Springer, Vice Chair

Dr. Mark Greenwood

Dr. Camille Collett

Dr. Marc Babitz