
Relying on automated systems like HIPAA Ready can help you stay ahead by sending you reminders about when policies are due to be updated, renew, expire, or be retired. It is imperative to perform these audits more often and create next action step plans after the audits have been completed. Without audits, it becomes difficult to have a clear overview of the effectiveness and relevance of your compliance program. Your policies and procedures should be accessible to all the employees and clearly outline the means for communication and to whom the issues should be addressed. Staff members should not feel reluctant to ask questions if they are unsure about a policy, procedure, or a potential compliance violation. Employees should be able to communicate any compliance issues without the fear of retaliation. Openness, which should be incorporated within the organization’s culture, plays an important role in establishing an effective compliance program. It is also important that these training programs be tracked, attested to, documented, and followed-up.

Depending on the size of your organization, additional training sessions should also be conducted for the various policies and procedures applicable to any specific employees who need them to perform their jobs.

Proper HIPAA training should be offered to everyone within the organization, including management. You must ensure that the established policies and procedures are widely promulgated and employees are adequately trained on the program’s objectives and relevant policies. The key to establishing and maintaining an effective compliance program is to provide training for your employees. Training and educationĪn airtight compliance program, with everything documented, will mean nothing if your staff members do not understand anything about the law you are trying to comply with. Last but not least, there should be a clear guideline on how and with whom the discussions should be communicated and how everyone should work together to establish an effective compliance program. You need to establish each member’s roles and their responsibilities as a group, as well as how often they will meet, what they will be discussing, and how the information will be shared. This is where you are required to designate a compliance officer and decide who will be the core members sitting on the compliance committee. A compliance committee and a designated compliance officer The policies and procedures should be revisited and updated regularly to keep up with the latest regulatory changes and to incorporate your organization’s culture as it evolves. It is important to get their input, as well as how changes should be implemented to build a strong culture of compliance. Remember, policies and procedures should be created in a proactive and forward-thinking manner, but not in reaction to an incident.Īlso, it is best to involve your staff members and hospital management when creating these policies and procedures. These policies and procedures should also be in line with your organization’s mission or value statement, as well as applicable laws and regulations.
