Imagine this scenario: Your health care organization has had several small compliance incidents over the past 2 years, and the organization is now motivated to update its compliance program. Your executive leadership team asked you to review 2 health care compliance programs from similar health care organizations to determine how they constructed their compliance program, and to identify which aspects your organization should adopt.
Write a response to the following:
Describe the 2 health care compliance programs you selected.
Identify the types of organizations the programs are from.
Identify the external compliance program aspects that you recommend your health care organization should adopt. Integrate corporate social responsibility in your response.
- Include your own experience as well as two citations that align with or contradict your comments as sourced from peer-reviewed academic journals, industry publications, books, and/or other sources. Cite your sources using APA formatting. If you found contradicting information to what your experience tells you, explain why you agree or disagree with the research.
Expert Solution Preview
Introduction:
Health care compliance programs are essential for organizations to ensure that they operate within the legal and ethical frameworks governing their industry. Compliance programs incorporate internal procedures that enable organizations to meet their responsibilities while monitoring and detecting potential violations of legal regulations and codes of conduct. This response explores two healthcare compliance programs and highlights the external compliance program aspects that my healthcare organization should adopt while integrating corporate social responsibility.
Response:
The two healthcare compliance programs for comparison are those of St. Joseph Health System and Presbyterian Health Services. St. Joseph Health System is a not-for-profit organization that operates in California, while Presbyterian Health Services is a non-profit provider in New Mexico. Both organizations provide healthcare services to individuals and operate various care facilities.
Both healthcare providers have comprehensive compliance programs that feature similar elements in their operations. These programs have an organizational structure that establishes compliance at each level of healthcare delivery. They include regularly scheduled risk assessments, compliance training and education, monitoring and auditing functions, and ongoing communication with all stakeholders.
With regard to external compliance program aspects, my healthcare organization should adopt the following key elements, as observed in both St. Joseph and Presbyterian Health Services:
1. Conducting regular risk assessments to identify areas of potential non-compliance.
2. Ongoing communication of the compliance program, including training and education for staff, and stakeholder engagement.
3. An organizational culture that prioritizes compliance awareness, transparency, and accountability.
4. The creation of an anonymous and confidential hotline for individuals to report potential non-compliance issues.
5. Oversight of third-party contracts and collaboration to ensure that partners comply with relevant regulations.
Corporate social responsibility should also be integrated into the compliance program, which can be achieved through engagement in socially responsible activities that align with regulatory and ethical principles. These activities can include providing accessible healthcare services to low-income earners, promoting sustainable energy use, and engaging in charitable activities, among others.
In conclusion, adopting effective external compliance program elements and integrating corporate social responsibility is essential for the success of healthcare organizations. The healthcare sectors are highly regulated and dynamic, making compliance programs necessary. Through regular review and assessment of other organizations’ programs, organizations can update their compliance programs and collaborate with stakeholders to monitor changes within the healthcare industry.
References:
Langabeer, J. R., DelliFraine, J. L., & Turner, M. (2018). Healthcare operations management. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Robinson, K. R., & Pritchett, L. R. (2018). Corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting practices in the healthcare industry. Journal of Hospital Administration, 7(2), 36-51.