Report 2007-114 Recommendation 8 Responses
Report 2007-114: Low-Level Radioactive Waste: The State Has Limited Information That Hampers Its Ability to Assess the Need for a Disposal Facility and Must Improve Its Oversight to Better Protect the Public (Release Date: June 2008)
Recommendation #8 To: Public Health, Department of
To make certain that the branch uses sufficiently reliable data from its current systems to manage its inspection workload, the department should improve its internal controls over data entry so that it can maintain accurate data on an ongoing basis. Such controls might include developing a quality assurance process that periodically verifies the contents of licensee files to the data recorded electronically. Other controls might include formalizing data entry procedures to include managerial review or directing the information technology staff to perform periodic logic checks of the data.
Annual Follow-Up Agency Response From January 2010
The Department's Radiologic Health Branch (RHB) and Information Technology Services Division (ITSD) staff work together to implement changes to the inspection reports to ensure better accuracy. In addition, to improve data integrity during data entry of inspection-related information, RHB implemented specific programmatic and business controls. These modifications and processes changes were updated in the technical coding and business procedures documentation. This CDPH team continues additional application and/or business process changes as identified that would further increase the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of inspection data entered, retrieved, and maintained in the HAL system.
For data quality control functions, the CAMIS database has core data field validation and a program change history capability. Improvements in the CAMIS database procedures for additional quality control measures have been initiated and are expected to be fully operational by January 2009. These measures include an auto-review of work products, as well as benchmark by January 2009. These measures include an auto-review of work products, as well as benchmark levels for margin of error that will apply to data entry for the processes associated with facility and unit accreditation status. Improvements will also include advances in data entry accuracy that is necessary for maintaining the timeliness, accuracy, and completeness of the inspection tables and the subsequent inspection reports.
To verify data quality for the Radioactive Materials 2000 database, a 100 percent quality assurance review of all coding sheets used for RAM data entry was completed. Because the review found nominal errors, supervisors now must only review 50 percent of all coding sheets to maintain excellent quality control standards. This process verified that the electronic files match the hard copy record. The error rate is tracked and adjustments made as needed. (2009-041, pp. 80-81)
California State Auditor's Assessment of Annual Follow-Up Status: Fully Implemented
All Recommendations in 2007-114
Agency responses received after June 2013 are posted verbatim.