This Is How to Create an Effective Compliance Plan: Element 6
Written by Alexa Treubert
(Referencing Measuring Compliance Program Effectiveness: A Resource Guide from HCCA-OIG)
If you have been keeping up with the previous blogs, by now you should be getting a solid idea about what is going to make or break your compliance plan. If you haven’t had a chance to read Elements 1-5, feel free to do so here https://americanmedicalcompliance.com/blog/. Each element builds upon each other, so it would be beneficial to start from Element 1 and work your way up!
Speaking of previous blogs, last week we touched on Element 5: Monitoring, Auditing, and Internal Reporting systems. Once you have your education platform in place, that opens up the world of possibilities for ensuring it stays in place. This is a difficult task, so feel free to ask for help and contact one of our safety compliance officers. Safety compliance might come with your job description, but it IS our job description. It is okay (and most of the time recommended!) that you let someone do the heavy lifting for you.
This Week
This week, we are moving into a topic that is easier to understand than some of the others we have touched on before. This week, we are discussing what happens when there is a chink in the armor of your safety compliance plan.
Element 6: Discipline for Non-Compliance
Your goal should be to never have to implement Element 6. However, it would be careless (and unrealistic) to believe that there will never be something that goes wrong. What are the proper actions to take when there is noncompliance? Below are some recommendations that could help you.
- You need disciplinary action. Much like with grief, there is a chance you are going to go through the 5 Stages of Compliance Plan Denial. After the shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, you will move onto acceptance. You will acknowledge the disciplinary action is needed, and there in fact will be another compliance perfect day.
- Fair and consistent! Make sure that the punishment fits the crime. All action taken should be proportionate to the issue at hand, and should be consistent with policies and procedures (Note: policies and procedures should be accessible to all employees at all times)
- Monitoring and education. Document the violation, and then organize a plan so that the mistake will not be repeated. A good way to do so could be safety compliance courses. Check out our course catalog here https://americanmedicalcompliance.com/catalog/
- Report! Make sure that the violation was reported, and management is on top of the situation to make sure it is solved in a timely manner.
Learning and Growing
Not every mistake has to be a bad thing, per se. View wrinkles in your compliance plan as learning experiences! Ideally, your employees will want to be in a safe and highly functional work environment, so they will most likely be on your team. Consider a survey asking how your team feels about compliance, and review your goals as a group! As silly as it may seem, incentives and open conversations lead to results. Is your team competitive? Put a contest in place. Are there places for compliance certificates around the office? That would be easy décor, and a fun way to improve safety. Who wouldn’t want a badge of safety compliance?
Remember, your compliance plan is supposed to be tailored to your practice – feel free to utilize these tips as little or as much as you wish, or even not at all. There is no “element” that will be completely fool-proof for every business. The ideas to strengthen your compliance plan are endless, you just have to start searching. By reading this article today, you already have started!
