Get 6 Compliance Tricks and Treats in our Halloween-Themed eBrief

It’s Halloween time and things can be scary. There are times when compliance can be scary too.

But rather than dwell on the scary parts of compliance, let’s have some Halloween fun by sharing some compliance tricks and treats.

Tricks

Trick #1

Have a trusted colleague or mentor to bounce ideas off of in a safe environment before suggesting it to executive management or the board of directors. It is so valuable to have compliance colleagues outside of your organization who can give you a less biased interpretation of something you are proposing. A trusted mentor can often help you judge whether your compliance idea or plan passes the ‘sniff test.’

Trick #2

Save your brain sweat and cognitive energy for the compliance tasks that only someone with your expertise can tackle. As much as possible, leave the administrative tasks to technology. Some compliance professionals spend the bulk of their day following up on training completion rates, hotline management, policy maintenance, and data gathering for reporting compliance metrics. Though there will always be some need for a human to be involved in certain aspects of these tasks, why not let technology do what it can do so you can devote your time and energy to the things only you can do!  Technology can automate a great deal and save you time.

Trick #3

Invest your political capital and create a compliance committee or strengthen an existing one.  Compliance can be a lonely place. But a compliance committee can engage non-compliance personnel in supporting and championing compliance program efforts. For an executive compliance committee, consider including the chief operations officer, the chief financial officer, the head of human resources, the chief legal officer, medical directors, and other administrative leaders. Many hands make for light work. And involving key leaders of the organization in a compliance committee can add to the success of a compliance program.

What tricks would you add? What have you found to be successful?

Treats

Now let’s turn to some of the treats to be found within the field of compliance.

Treat #1

If your compliance program is positioned right, you get to work with a broad range of stakeholders within the organization. This can be exciting. You get a front row seat by contributing to the strategic growth of the organization and the organization’s mission, which in health care is usually to help people. Contributing to this type of work can be extremely rewarding.

Treat #2

Participating in compliance conferences can be invigorating and refreshing. We all need to ‘sharpen the saw’ as outlined by Stephen Covey in “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.” If you don’t take time away to learn new skills or refine skills you already have, then your saw will become dull, and you will quickly discover you are not as effective as you used to be. Compliance conferences can be a real treat for compliance professionals.

Treat #3

The field of compliance is constantly evolving. New laws and regulations bring change and challenges. But many compliance professionals find such change to be energizing. At the very least, it keeps us from boredom. In fact, it’s pretty rare to hear a compliance professional say they are bored. Developing solutions for new challenges keeps the mind sharp and compliance professionals on their toes. Many find this to be a treat.

What are some of the treats you find to be the sweetest in compliance?

At this time of year, think about and share your thoughts on some of your useful compliance tricks. Then take some time to reflect on some of the treats to be found in the compliance field.

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