Now is the time to kick your corporate compliance program into high gear! You may be wondering exactly what corporate compliance is in dentistry. Compliance refers to your legal duty to follow applicable federal and state laws, rules and statutes pertaining to dentistry. And while you may not think of your office as a corporate entity, indeed it is.
Compliance can be a complicated issue to handle due to the nature of a dental practice. Many times a staff member is appointed as the OSHA safety officer, HIPAA trainer, office manager or billing coordinator without the benefit of adequate training and resources, and frequently without sufficient time to manage these duties. This is a two-edged sword: in good economic times one is too busy with patient care to effectively manage a compliance program, and in difficult economic times staffing cutbacks impact compliance efforts.
Areas of corporate compliance affecting your practice include, but are not limited to, employment law, coding and billing, Stark Law, Medicare guidelines, patient records and other key regulations such as HIPAA and OSHA. The need for strong corporate compliance in dentistry has evolved beyond the basics of risk management. You need enterprise risk management to build a strong compliance program.
Ready to learn more about corporate compliance and enterprise risk management? Make it happen at the Patterson-sponsored Compliance Alliance event April 27 in Champaign, Illinois. Spend the day with three compliance experts to learn more about Enterprise Risk Management/The Wheel of Compliance™, coding/billing, recordkeeping and employment law compliance.
