Telehealth

Healthcare providers have been filling gaps in coverage with a combination of remote, traveling and telehealth workers. While such an approach can be effective, healthcare facilities should regularly evaluate the legal considerations.

Every healthcare professional knows about the consequences of compliance issues in healthcare. The role of healthcare compliance officers is to ensure internal policies and external laws and regulations are met by all personnel. These leaders create programs for training employees, reinforce a culture of compliance and stay alert to new trends and regulations.

Explore three key issues healthcare compliance officers should be monitoring in the coming calendar year.

With the growing prevalence of telemedicine comes a growing risk of fraud.

Telehealth adoption skyrocketed during the first year of the pandemic, forcing a transformation of healthcare. In addition to changing how patients receive care at healthcare facilities, telehealth also influenced how medical staff services check provider credentials.

The healthcare industry faced the COVID-19 pandemic with creative technological solutions to deliver patient care while maintaining safety. These methods led many healthcare workers to move into remote and flexible work arrangements to address patient care demands. 

In 2022, it’s a prospective employee’s world, and never more so than in healthcare.

There is constant pressure to fill vacant positions in healthcare systems at all levels, from executives and physicians to nurses and support staff members.

During the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services expanded access to telehealth. In early 2022, that expansion is set to become permanent. While increased access to telehealth opens opportunities for reaching more patients, it also poses additional challenges for long-term hiring practices.

In September 2021, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced its latest crackdown on healthcare fraud.

The use of telehealth peaked in 2020 during the shutdown. It has since settled down but remains a popular option, as research demonstrates that telehealth usage today is 38 times higher than it was before the pandemic. That could have a big impact on the future of healthcare.

More than 500 healthcare cybersecurity breaches were reported in the past year and have affected more than 5 million patients, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights.