Compliance Program Best Practices
Compliance Program Best Practices
Given the increased importance of compliance, it is helpful for providers to get a feel for what constitutes “best practice” when operating a compliance program. “Best Practices” is a term that is thrown around all of the time in the business world. It is used in many contexts and takes on a variety of meanings depending on who is using it and for what purpose. Wikipedia defines “best practices” as follows:
Best practices are generally-accepted, informally-standardized techniques, methods or processes that have proven themselves over time to accomplish given tasks. Often based upon common sense, these practices are commonly used where no specific formal methodology is in place or the existing methodology does not sufficiently address the issue. The idea is that with proper processes, checks and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered more effectively with fewer problems and unforeseen complications. In addition, a “best” practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered. Best practice is considered by some as a business buzzword, used to describe the process of developing and following a standard way of doing things that multiple organizations can use. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_practice
As I was thinking about the concept of “best practices” in health care compliance, the Wikipedia definition seems to fall al little bit short of what I would have in mind when discussing “best practices” in health care compliance programs.
The Miriam-Webster Dictionary defines “best” as the superlative form of “good.” “best” means “excelling all others” and “offering or producing the greatest advantage, utility, or satisfaction.” I believe that the definition from Wikipedia is an accurate depiction of what the term “best practices” has become in the business world. The term has been thrown around loosely to the point that it no longer carries the meaning of the plain words that make up the two word “buzzword.”
In the health care compliance context, I believe that it is not advisable to direct your efforts toward the standard “buzzword” meaning of “best practices.” Instead, you should focus toward attempting to achieve the meaning of “best practices” that is tied to the superlative form of the word “good.” You should not focus on the “we are doing what everyone else is doing” or the “what we are doing will pass by in most cases” version of best practices when looking at your compliance plan. The consequences of that approach could easily come back to bite you in the superlative.
In reality, you may never be able to meet the truly “best” standard. However, the point of the compliance program requirement is that you are trying to make your compliance program and your organization “the best” when it comes to compliance.
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Tags: certified healthcare compliance, Compliance Program Structure, healthcare compliance