Compliance: Following the rules of healthcare

Okay... so compliance isn't the SEXIEST topic in public health, but its important because it keeps people from making bad decisions and taking advantage of the complex healthcare system.

Think about it this way...the biggest breach of health information was in 2015, affecting 78.8 MILLION people, and the largest incidence of healthcare fraud resulted in $2 BILLION in theft. I repeat... 2 BILLION DOLLARS!

Think about it...today, 4 years later, information is even more accessible (i.e health apps, telemedicine, epay, ect.) and the healthcare system is even more difficult for patients to understand.

So what keeps our information safe? What is it that keeps greedy corporations from overcharging and stealing? This is exactly why compliance is so important.

Compliance focuses on the rules, practices, and laws around patient safety, privacy, and billing. Organizations are required to follow certain rules and are typically audited periodically to confirm that they are doing the right things. Some examples include compliance with HIPAA regulations, Sunshine Act regulations, and FDA guidelines and requirements. Most organizations have entire departments dedicated to ensuring that their organization is staying out of trouble.

These departments spend their year reviewing documents, training employees, and developing programs and procedures for the organization. Now I know this doesnt sound too exciting, but its got to feel good knowing that there are people dedicated to protecting you from corruption.