Ensuring compliance with pertinent regulations in the highly regulated healthcare sector can feel like navigating a complex maze. Healthcare facilities have to consider many regulations governing everything from patient privacy to billing practices when engaged in operations of any kind.
It can be a challenge to address patients’ immediate needs while remaining familiar with and up-to-date with pertinent administrative regulations. This is where having an administrative law team on retainer becomes a strategic move. Appropriate legal guidance can help nursing homes and hospitals understand the extensive regulations designed to govern their operations.
Why appropriate legal support is crucial
Healthcare facilities such as nursing homes can get some relief from letting an appropriate legal team deal with government agencies and the regulations they enforce within the healthcare sector. The appropriate legal support can be invaluable in helping healthcare facilities interpret, implement and maintain compliance with these regulations. This way, healthcare facilities can:
- Maintain compliance
- Mitigate the risks of reputational damage
- Avoid costly penalties and legal liabilities
Some of the regulations that govern the operation of healthcare facilities include:
- Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)
- The Affordable Care Act (ACA)
- Medicare
- Medicaid regulations
These regulations have three primary goals; they are designed to:
- Protect patient safety
- Help ensure the quality of care
- Manage the financial components of healthcare delivery
One of the primary ways a legal group can assist healthcare facilities is by conducting comprehensive regulatory audits. This is to examine a healthcare facility’s:
- Operations
- Policies
- Procedures
This proactive approach can help healthcare facilities identify potential areas of non-compliance and implement timely corrective measures to prevent costly legal issues in the future.
Developing and implementing compliance programs
One of the surefire ways for healthcare facilities to help ensure compliance with healthcare regulations is to develop comprehensive compliance programs. An appropriate legal team can work with facility leadership to curate and implement all pertinent regulations. These programs typically include:
- Policies and procedures for compliance
- Training programs for staff
- Systems for monitoring and reporting compliance issues
With the existence of a robust compliance program, healthcare facilities can reduce non-compliance risk and demonstrate to regulators that they are committed to meeting their legal obligations.
Compliance with healthcare regulations is not optional for healthcare facilities such as nursing homes and hospitals. Healthcare facilities can benefit from appropriate legal guidance when navigating a complex web of regulations to help ensure that they provide safe, high-quality care while minimizing legal liability.