Healthicity Blog

Compliance experts recommend that healthcare organizations conduct regular assessments to maintain compliance.

Most of us have seen the emotionally charged video of University of Utah nurse, Alex Wubbels, being arrested by Salt Lake City Police after refusing to allow the police to draw blood from an unconscious patient.

The field of compliance isn’t as simple as hiring honest people who will hopefully “always obey the rules.” In fact, careful hiring doesn’t constitute a compliance plan at all.

1. Under ‘Observation,’ Some Hospital Patients Face Big Bills - “In April, Nancy Niemi entered Vidant Medical Center in Greenville, N.C., with cardiac problems. She stayed four nights, at one point receiving a coronary stent.

If you have a compliance program, you most likely have a full-time compliance officer or an individual who is accountable for your organization’s compliance program, even if it’s only a portion of that person’s overall duties.

Recently, compliance failures cost Florida physicians over $4 million dollars and resulted in a multi-million dollar settlement for a Tennessee hospital. The message is clear: compliance is no joke.

1. Fort Worth Brothers Admit Role in $36 Million Lab Test Kickback Scheme - Two Fort Worth men pleaded guilty Friday afternoon to playing a role in an alleged $36 million fraud scheme involving unnecessary lab tests of saliva and urine that were billed to the U.S. military’s health care system.

Auditing and Monitoring: One of the 7 Elements of an Effective Compliance Program

The OIG frequently creates and shares short videos about important compliance topics in their series, “Eye on Oversight.” Their most recent release demonstrates the importance of OIG Audits.