Pennsylvania Department of State announces technology improvements in professional licensing area
HARRISBURG, Pa., June 17, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Acting Secretary of the Commonwealth Pedro A. Cortés today announced the addition of online services that will increase government transparency while saving taxpayer dollars.
The Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA), which licenses nearly 1 million professionals, now offers online list sales of its licensees.
Lists of public information about licensees may be useful to the general public, professional associations, education providers or businesses.
"For instance, someone could go to our website and, through different queries, generate a list of all real estate brokers in a certain county or create a list of all dentists in Pennsylvania," said Ian Harlow, acting Commissioner of BPOA. He added that public information includes a licensee's name, address, license number, county, certification date and license expiration date.
In 2014, list sales generated nearly $250,000 in revenue, but the process of providing the lists was labor-intensive.
Prior to the online service, lists of professionals were ordered by email and paid in advance by submitted check. Then, BPOA staff contacted each purchaser to ascertain search criteria for the database query, before emailing the compiled list to the buyer.
"By allowing the public to order, pay for and generate lists online, staff costs will be kept to a minimum," Harlow said. "This is all part of our goal of leveraging technology to provide better customer service and, in the process, realize cost savings. The goal is to be more efficient and user-friendly."
As part of the same wave of technology upgrades, Letters of Good Standing for any licensee can now be requested online, making that service available to licensees and the general public 24 hours a day. BPOA processes about 40,000 such requests annually.
To purchase a list of professionals, or to learn more, access the online order form on the Department of State website at www.dos.pa.gov.
MEDIA CONTACT: Wanda Murren (717) 783-1621
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State
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