Healthcare Compliance

Compliance with state and federal employment regulations is more than just good employee relations. It's good business. Legal fees and fines for violations can easily run into hundreds of thousands of dollars, and negative publicity can ruin a company's reputation among patients and potential employees. As competition in the healthcare industry becomes more fierce and top talent becomes harder to attract, smart companies are focused on meeting and exceeding employment compliance with relevant regulations.

In 2015, the PreCheck Blog had another fantastic year covering the latest healthcare best practices and compliance issues. Once more, we were recognized for the quality of our content with multiple awards; and our readership continues to grow year after year. As we begin the new year with our best foot forward, it’s also an opportune time to reflect on the greatest lessons and best practices from 2015.

Here’s a look at the top ten most-read PreCheck blog posts from 2015.

The issues healthcare HR will be facing in the coming year are similar to the ones of the past: higher demand for services because of increased coverage due to the Affordable Care Act, an aging population, and retiring providers. However, that’s not all healthcare HR has to deal with in 2016. Knowing the trends that are coming up can help you prepare for the coming year and play a strong role in your organization’s strategic goals.

When it comes to background checks and credit checks, healthcare employers, like those in other regulated industries, have to comply with a myriad of regulations. Not only do healthcare employers have to follow the same background check laws that apply to any employer, but additional regulators such as the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also come into play, and even certain sections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have specific implications for healthcare background screening.

In case you may have missed it, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) published its latest Work Plan for fiscal year 2016 last week. Each year, healthcare organizations should review their compliance programs to ensure they address the regulatory agency’s latest areas of focus.

I am very excited to have been part of the Health Care Compliance Association’s (HCCA) inaugural Healthcare Enforcement Compliance Institute, which was appropriately held in Washington, D.C. this past week.

The “Ban the Box” background check movement has progressively become more common throughout the U.S. over the past few years, with over 100 states and cities adopting them, including major retailers such as Target and Wal-Mart.

Last month, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an updated version of their 2015 Work Plan, which included several new items not included in the original plan released in late 2014. The mid-year updated version removes items that have been completed, postponed, or canceled and includes new items that have started since October 2014.

One of the things I love about the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) Compliance Institute is simply being together with a group of individuals that are passionate about doing the right thing. The healthcare compliance profession can be very demanding as compliance officers help their organization comply with an ever-growing array of regulations, accreditation standards, guidance, and directives governing the industry. Fortunately, regulators are continuously providing more guidance to help healthcare compliance professionals mitigate risk for their organization.

While hospitals and other healthcare organizations generally aren’t required to run time-of-hire or ongoing background checks, they often do as part of their voluntary due diligence procedures and to mitigate their liability risk. Some states do require background checks for candidates for certain healthcare positions, but organizations typically run them on all staff members.