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It can be.

A compliance officer recently asked me: How much do healthcare providers typically budget for compliance?

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This blog was published on The Compliance and Ethics Blog on February 1.

I know we all want a Tesla compliance program: state-of-the-art, powered by sophisticated technology, with little maintenance required. We all want the automatic cloud-based software updates that magically appear.

But most of us have a Toyota compliance program: well-built, thoughtful design, with regular maintenance required to ensure reliability. And that’s OK. We just need a good maintenance schedule.

How much compliance upkeep is enough?

Whether you have a Corolla or a Land Cruiser, it’ll last longer, drive better, and be more fun to ride around in if you take care of it.

So what’s the healthcare compliance equivalent of oil changes and air filters? Here are some examples:

• Regular audits of compliance program risk areas
• Policy review and updates
• Ongoing staff training and reminders (not just annual!)
• Quarterly compliance committee meetings and board reports
• Diligent investigation of complaints with documented follow up

Keeping compliance tuned up also means tending to your unfinished business.

What’s your unfinished compliance business? Is there a suggestion box you’ve forgotten to check? A complaint you still need to follow up on? An annual training you couldn’t fit in? A policy you know you need but haven’t had time to put together? These items are your unfinished compliance business. And leaving them unfinished is a little like leaving all of those goldfish crackers under the car seats in the back of your car. This situation will not get better with time.

It’s OK to drive a Corolla.

Like I said earlier, we all want the Tesla. Or the Toyota Land Cruiser. All compliance officers have a wish list miles long of the software they would buy, the staff they would hire, the swag they would order for the best Compliance Week of all time. But most of us are running Corolla compliance programs, and that’s just fine.

If you do the upkeep, a Corolla compliance program can be outstanding. I know plenty of compliance officers running fantastic compliance programs without fancy software and with a $200 (or smaller) compliance week budget (for a small provider). These compliance officers walk the halls every week, talking to employees about compliance and handing out candy bars with their hotline number on them. These compliance officers write thank you notes to employees who come forward with important compliance issues. These compliance officers run some of the best compliance programs I have seen. I’ll take a reliable Corolla compliance program over a Heritage Edition V8 Land Cruiser with third-row seating and allow wheel locks that hasn’t had an oil change in six years.

It’s time to vacuum out the goldfish crackers, remove the Roxette cassette that’s been stuck in the console for three years, and make an ongoing maintenance schedule to keep things running smoothly. After all, it’s the routine maintenance that will make your compliance program a high performer.

Sign up for MPAs compliance training course and learn how to take care of your unfinished compliance business:

MPA brings you a lot of compliance and HIPAA news in our blog.

But did you know there's even more in our monthly newsletter subscription?

MPA scours OIG, DOJ, FBI, and OCR enforcement updates and news headlines so you don't have to.

The pandemic has led covered entities and business associates to rethink training.

For starters, in-services are not always practical right now. With more remote employees, and concerns about trying to contain spread of the virus, in-person, classroom-style training is not working for everyone.

Plus, many providers are dealing with an evolving workforce: more agency/temp staff, more healthcare professionals newly hired due to loosened education or certification requirements during COVID-19. All of these people need training - and providers have less time to train.

Compliance and HIPAA training does not have to be in the form of a live in-service to be effective. 

MPA's Compliance and HIPAA Training Handbooks can help.

MPA scours OIG, DOJ, FBI, and OCR enforcement updates and news headlines so you don't have to.

We summarize enforcement trends and deliver the latest compliance and HIPAA developments to your inbox with our Monthly Compliance News Report.

Coming to this month's issue: 

• Professor sentenced for stealing cancer research money
• Nurse stole oxycodone from hospice patient
• Counselor bills more than 24 hours per day
• $1,000,000 HIPAA settlement
• Disgruntled fired employee stole patient records
• Photo of healthcare provider performing surgery in a helmet posted to social media
• Watch out for VoiP breaches
• Medical device company pays for social events at neurosurgeon’s restaurant
• ...and more!

The pandemic has led covered entities and business associates to rethink training.

For starters, in-services are not always practical right now. With more remote employees, and concerns about trying to contain spread of the virus, in-person, classroom-style training is not working for everyone.

Plus, many providers are dealing with an evolving workforce: more agency/temp staff, more healthcare professionals newly hired due to loosened education or certification requirements during COVID-19. All of these people need training - and providers have less time to train.

Compliance and HIPAA training does not have to be in the form of a live in-service to be effective. 

MPA's Compliance and HIPAA Training Handbooks can help.