It seems that compliance is the new buzz in the healthcare industry
. The reason is that majority of the organizations have monitored their compliance with environmental and safety rules and regulations for several years now. Today the word is also being used for the medical and health care sector and has an added meaning. The meaning that it has derived for it is that it not only entails compliance with the environmental and safety laws but also with the anti-kickback and billing laws.
Today there are new laws such as the HIPAA, which means the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This has raised the risks. Healthcare service providers can be subject of penalties that might range from criminal prosecution through civil monetary penalties and exclusions from the Medicare programs. Back in the year 1997, U.S attorneys prosecuted approximately 552 criminal cases of health care fraud. Criminal as well as civil health care prosecutions cost the government about $1.2 billion in judgments, fines and settlement.
Therefore, all these factors point towards the need and requirement of a comprehensive compliance healthcare solution. HIPAA was set up back in 1996, keeping in mind the following objectives:-
1.Enhance the portability and continuity of health insurance coverage
2.Minimize the expenses through improved efficiency, effectiveness and standardization
3.Allows easy interchange of electronic data
4.Makes sure that the personal health record privacy is well guarded
Today, there are service providers of healthcare compliance that has introduced innovative solutions that are HIPAA compliant . These solutions offer a detailed risk analysis with total guidance and security on all essential aspects of medical practices. Furthermore, these solutions enable in managing and tracking Business Associate compliance documentation and are delivered through the latest cloud based technology.
At the same time, such innovative solutions need no software or hardware investments and the same can be deployed fast and easy. Users need not worry regarding the backup needs and other technical assistance. The solution ensures that no electronic patient data is removed from the client sites.