Client
A mid-Atlantic based, not-for-profit provider of extended-stay nursing care to patients with varying levels of disabilities. This facility accepts Medicare and Medicaid patients.
Challenges
As a skilled nursing facility, the client is required by the government to have an effective compliance program. Managing HIPAA, OSHA and LEIE compliance on an ongoing basis was difficult for this client, and not an uncommon challenge for most skilled nursing facilities. Without a centralized compliance program management system in place, adhering regularly to these compliance mandates was time-consuming and difficult to assess and track. Keeping current with monthly LEIE checks, HIPAA and OSHA requirements and training were areas that the client sought a more automated, proactive solution to their needs.
Solution
The First Healthcare Compliance program management solution for skilled nursing facilities provided the staff with the on- demand resources and tools they needed to be compliant and to stay compliant. The capabilities of the solution enable the facility to save time and money, and mitigate ongoing compliance risks in several areas, including:
LEIE checks. The staff was aware of the responsibility to refrain from hiring employees or organizations on the exclusion list. Yet, they lacked the tools and process for checking the LEIE status of each employee or organization on a monthly basis to ensure they remained in compliance. Using the First Healthcare Compliance Solution solved this challenge. In fact, while none of their staff members were actually on the LEIE list, several names appeared similar to others on the list. This prompted the client to investigate and validate that no one on their staff was on the exclusions list, which proved to be the case.
Having an automated process for conducting monthly LEIE checks has saved the client significant time and effort, while mitigating the risk of non-compliance.
HIPAA compliance. The HIPAA questionnaire (170 questions) helps the client assess their state of HIPAA compliance, and then serves as a writer’s guide by ‘walking the client through the process’ to become HIPAA compliant.
Quarterly compliance. The quarterly compliance questionnaire (approx. 22 questions) provides the client with a refreshed assessment each quarter to identify where they stand. They have saved significant time and effort, and have further mitigated their ongoing compliance risks by using this assessment.
Resources on demand. This integral component of the First Healthcare compliance solution has saved the staff significant time and effort from tapping into the resources.
The sample document library has helped the client to readily identify pertinent information for further customizing their Policies and Procedures. The Code of Conduct is another resource tapped into that the client plans to edit for their specific needs. Sample action plans, compliance policies, office and security policies are all proven significant time savers for the client’s completion of their compliance documentation.
Employee training. While the client has an existing training vendor, the staff was particularly impressed by the features and capabilities of the Training and Compliance Zone integrated into the First Healthcare Compliance solution. The online training component provides ‘ready access’ to meet their staff’s extensive training.
Of particular client value were the HIPAA and OSHA Training videos and the Employee Orientation videos. Their highly visible locations in the system coupled with the “timely, in-depth content and personal, engaging delivery mode” made and continue to make these training courses more interesting and accessible for the entire staff.
Compliance status and executive dashboard. Weekly emails delivered automatically provide a “snapshot” alert or reminder of compliance areas requiring attention. The client has found this invaluable in terms of the time savings and the immediate ability to login to the dashboard to make immediate corrections. Additionally, the client has gained peace of mind from knowing weekly where they stand in each compliance area.
Paul Smiley, NHA
Administrator
Gilpin Hall
“The First Healthcare Compliance solution is an excellent, easy-to-use tool to manage the essential and time-consuming compliance requirements for several mandatory regulations that affect our facility.
After a simple setup process, the online component of the solution gave us all the tools we needed to sort through complicated HIPAA and OSHA regulations to ensure that our facility and staff are constantly working towards meeting and understanding the federal guidelines and regulations.
The training and audit resources integrated with the solution provide us a framework and tools for early and efficient action through regular email reminders and instant verification of LEIE, professional license, Hepatitis B vaccination and PPD testing compliance.
The First Healthcare Compliance solution offers a simple and effective centralized system to access and assemble our compliance data with minimal effort and maximum return. I highly recommend it!”
