The Healthcare Compliance Pod

This week on the Healthcare Compliance Podcast, healthcare attorney Susan Freed discusses a recent United States Supreme Court decision about the False Claims Act. Tune in for tips on how to develop an internal process to document your decision-making and interpretation of legal requirements, including billing and coding requirements and policies, and to defend against allegations your organizatio...

According to a recent report, 1 in 5 patients forgo healthcare services due to lack of transportation. Hospitals and providers are increasingly trying to address this by providing transportation, often without charge. On this week's episode, learn more about these programs and how to comply with the Anti-Kickback Statute and Civil Monetary Penalty law. Visit our companion blog:  thehealthcare...

We are halfway through 2024, which means: now is the perfect time to evaluate your 2024 compliance initiatives and assess how you’re doing! It’s time to give your compliance work plan a 6-month check-up. Why is this important? First, much like New Year’s resolutions, annual compliance initiatives can sometimes get derailed. We may have the best of intentions, but then more pressing items take prio...

Too often, organizations adopt a “one size fits all” approach to training by providing generalized information on compliance obligations which looks the same for all employees. On this week’s podcast, learn why that can be a problem and how to find a better approach through personalization.  Learn more on our companion blog: thehealthcarecompliancepod.com

There has been much publicity surrounding the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (“CMS”) new minimum staffing requirements for long-term care facilities scheduled to take effect starting in 2026 for non-rural facilities and 2027 for rural facilities. However, not as much attention has been paid to updates required to facility assessments which take effect August 9, 2024 and which wil...

Check out this week’s Healthcare Compliance Pod for tips on evaluating whether a ransomware attack suffered by a business associate is a reportable breach under HIPAA. Includes a free “decision-tree” resource guide! Visit  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com  for the resources and companion blog.

Are you struggling with how to incorporate quality and patient safety into your compliance program? Listen to this week’s podcast with healthcare attorney Susan Freed discussing how to incorporate quality into your compliance program in light of new OIG guidance. Find more information including free resources on our companion blog:  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com

Attorney Susan Freed discusses the new Section 1557 regulations from the ACA, how they differ from prior rules, and updates needed to provider policies as a result. Visit  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com  for more information.

This week on The Healthcare Compliance Pod, attorney Susan Freed discusses the importance of including compliance-related feedback in employee evaluations and performance reviews and how to do that effectively. Learn more at  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com .

In Part II of our series on AI, healthcare attorney Susan Freed outlines a 10-step approach for implementing generative AI in a way that mitigates compliance risks for your organization. Learn more at  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com

In a special two-part series, healthcare attorney Susan Freed shares tips on how to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) into your organization and your compliance efforts. Part I is all about the compliance risks posed by AI and the policies an organization should have to manage these risks. Learn more on our companion blog:  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com

For this week’s episode, Susan Freed discusses the importance of pre-audit planning, how to select a sample, and five important questions to answer before you start your audit. Learn more at  thehealthcarecompliancepod.com .

This week on the podcast, healthcare attorney Susan Freed spoke with Randy Gott, Senior Vice President of the Coker Group ( www.cokergroup.com ) about how to work successfully with valuation experts. Learn more over on our companion blog, thehealthcarecompliancepod.com .

Mistakes in credentialing can compromise patient safety, violate licensing and certification requirements, and result in overpayments. An organization’s credentialing processes are key to minimizing mistakes and ensuring patients receive services from qualified individuals. Credentialing, however, is becoming more and more complicated, especially in light of telehealth and scope of practice change...

Healthcare providers,   when was the last time you conducted a risk assessment for your compliance program? Listen to this week’s episode for tips on running a comprehensive assessment, along with a free step-by-step guide found on our companion blog, healthcarecompliancepod.com.

Most health care providers understand the importance of having a designated Compliance Officer. Someone needs to lead the organization’s compliance initiatives and be responsible for advising the CEO and governing body of compliance risks. What’s often less understood is the role and makeup of a compliance committee, especially in smaller organizations. Who else needs to be on your compl...

Our podcast this week discusses the types of antitrust issues that can arise among small and medium-sized providers, including advice on how to educate your executive and management-level employees on these issues. Learn more on our companion blog:  https://www.dentonshealthlaw.com/how-to-avoid-common-antitrust-issues-podcast-episode-8/

The compliance officer is one of the most important positions within the organization, but also one of the most challenging. You’re expected to be a teacher, a coach, a project manager, a good listener, and a role model. This week's podcast is all about how to balance those different roles successfully. Learn more on our companion blog, where you can sign-up to get the latest episodes directly to...

Healthcare providers, their employees, medical staff, and patients have long been protected by Federal conscience protections preserving their right to participate in, or refuse to participate in, lawful activities which may raise religious or moral objections. Although the conscience protections in healthcare date back to the 1970s, federal regulations implementing the protections were only first...

Make compliance part of your exit interview process.  Inviting departing employees not just to report any compliance concerns but also share their perspective can give the organization important insight into the effectiveness of its compliance program as well as help identify and mitigate potential risks.  Information learned from these interviews, should be used to identify areas for im...

Our podcast this week dives into drug samples. We talk about the various laws that regulate drug samples, why drug samples are particularly susceptible to abuse and compliance issues, and ways to reduce your organization’s risk. Learn more on our blog: https://www.dentonshealthlaw.com/ozempic-wegovy-the-compliance-risks-for-providers-podcast-episode-4

The OIG has provided detailed, nonbinding compliance program guidance (“CPGs”) for providers, including industry specific guidance, since 1998. The new GCPG is part of the OIG’s modernization initiative and, according to the OIG, an effort to “produce user-friendly and accessible information and to promote greater flexibility to update CPGs as new areas emerge.” On our podcast this week, I talk mo...

Given the significant ramifications of non-compliance within the health care industry, it’s extremely important for health care providers to identify and correct compliance issues early. Because concern over reputational damage and fear of retaliation is a primary reason employees do not report misconduct, health care employers need to have a way for employees and others to report suspected m...

Is your organization’s culture complimenting your compliance program? Does it enhance and maximize your program’s effectiveness? Or, is your culture secretly sabotaging your compliance efforts?  Much of the success of a compliance program and whether it’s going to be effective depends on your organization’s culture and whether you have a “compliance culture. Learn more here on the blog:&...

Dive into healthcare compliance with Dentons attorney Susan Freed.