Discussion: Compliance-Whose Business is it?

Compliance has an impact on all of the stakeholders involved in patient care. Physicians, nurses, and administrative staff are expected to be compliant and provide quality care to their clients. In your opinion who do you think is ultimately responsible for compliance? Provide examples to support your views.

Compliance Implementation

Strategies for Compliance

What is Compliance?

Compliance ensures that ethical business practices are implemented to prevent violation of applicable healthcare laws. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 (public law 104-191) and the Balanced Budget Act of 1997 (public law 105-33) may lead to the risk of criminal and civil litigation if there is not an effective hospital compliance program in place.

Compliance requires effective communication within a company as well as with the external environment. Many companies establish a central department for implementing and securing a program that matches the organizational structure. The department is usually led by a Chief Compliance Officer (CCO), who organizes the program and reports to upper level management.

The compliance program is to secure long-term company success. Efficient compliance organization has the following benefits: internal communication and flow controls are enhanced, and violations can be discovered early on.

Compliance projects are transferred into compliance operations to maintain success and ensure compliance continues in the long run. Ignoring compliance will impact economic prosperity. Business goals should be converted into a set of performance indicators that will be tracked on a scorecard to monitor success. Compliance should be a comprehensive strategic approach.