It seems every day there is a new cyberattack hitting the news. The Continental Pipeline, and JBS Meat situations are the most recent events in an increasing wave of attacks against our country’s infrastructure. It is clear the frequency and severity of these attacks is not getting better. It is becoming evident there is an…
Nearly overnight health care providers were forced to dramatically change how they did business, and how they took care of people. As a result, some practices that were part of the culture of the organization were pushed to the back burner solely out of necessity. There simply was not enough time to do some of…
This past weekend I had the honor of participating in my daughter’s wedding. It was a wonderful event! Weddings are a time of new beginnings, but it seems the advice everyone gives the bride and groom focuses on the basics such as communication, respect, not letting anger get the best of you, etc. The same…
As I am writing this blog post I have just finished “attending” the virtual Compliance Institute which is the annual conference for compliance professionals, advisors, regulators and other governmental officials. After listening and participating in presentations for the last four days I am struck by how much the field of compliance has changed when so…
Every provider is aware of the need to conduct periodic compliance-based risk assessments, yet the process often seems overwhelming. When a risk assessment is more objective in nature, (i.e. OSHA or environmental) it is much easier to get our mind around exactly what needs to be done, what we are looking for, and how to…
Every four years those of us in the world of health care wait to see what a new administration might bring our way. Where the Biden administration has many things on its wish list, two things we can expect to come down the pike actually have bipartisan support (yes, it does still happen once in…
Spring is not only the season for birds to sing in the morning, days to get longer and all the plants to come alive again; it is also the season for renewing my malpractice insurance. This year, before I could obtain a quote for my renewal, I had to watch a video on fraud in…
On February 23, 2021 the Department of Justice issued a press release about an administrator of a California hospice agency who was ordered to pay $2.1 million and serve 30 months in prison for his part in a $28 million Medicare fraud scheme. The administrator paid illegal kickbacks to patient recruiters for referring people to…
There is a whiteboard hanging on the wall that I see every time I walk out of my office. It has been used in the past for brainstorming, for planning, and for visually depicting the new way we do business. For several weeks it has been blank. This morning I wrote two simple sentences on…
It seems there is never enough time, and certainly not enough money, to do everything an organization wants to accomplish, especially when it comes to matters of compliance. Operations seems to get “first dibs” on resources because that is where the money is made. This leaves non- revenue departments, such as compliance, in a position…