Managing Healthcare Compliance Is Published

Scott Withrow's book entitled Managing Healthcare Compliance has been published by Health Administration Press, a division of the American College of Healthcare Executives.  The book explains clearly and in practical terms why and how to implement and maintain an effective healthcare compliance program.   The book also provides useful aids for complying with specific healthcare requirements, such as anti-kickback and physician self-referral (Stark) laws.  The book is available for purchase on-line at amazon.com, and group discounts are available by calling Health Administration Press at 312-845-9869.

The subject of compliance is critical for healthcare executives because of increasing scrutiny by federal and state governments over matters such as billing accuracy, kickbacks and physician self-referral.  See the HFCA audit for the fiscal year ended September 30, 1998 for the latest insight into what the federal government considers to be "improper payments" under Medicare.  Because of the complexity of the laws, technical violations can easily occur.  But the law allows for some honest mistakes, and punishments can be lessened when an organization can show that efforts were made to avoid noncompliance.  By establishing and maintaining a formal compliance program, an organization can demonstrate that it is willingly and honestly trying to function within the parameters of the law.

The book contains a complete form for the written standards of a healthcare compliance program.  Each chapter of the book has a brief action list that summarizes the chapter material and encapsulates the essential steps involved in the process of implementing and maintaining a compliance program.  Sample forms are provided to illustrate documentation that must or should be created along the way.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) has declared that every healthcare "organization must take steps to communicate effectively its standards and procedures to all affected employees, physicians, independent contractors, and other significant agents, e.g. by . . . disseminating publications that explain in a practical manner specific requirements."--OIG's Compliance Program Guidance for Hospitals, Section II.C.   Managing Healthcare Compliance provides practical advice to aid all employees and agents in discharging their compliance responsibilities.  Furthermore, organizations can safely disseminate this book (list price $45) to their associated physicians under the new "de minimis" exception for non-cash gifts up to $50 in value under the proposed Stark II regulations [553K file, slow download] (42 C.F.R. Section 411.357(k)). 

Update

Managing Healthcare Compliance has been chosen as one of Doody Publishing's "250 Best" of 1999!  This is a great honor because the book was selected from a pool of more than 3,200 books sent by more than 275 publishers. The book will appear, with a cover shot, in the Doody's Rating Service: A Buyer's Guide to the 250 Best Health Sciences Books which will be distributed to every librarian that attends the Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association. The title will also be listed on Doody's 140 web sites (http://www.doody.com).

NOTE: This site includes an outline of certain compliance issues facing healthcare providers today. This site does not, and is not intended to, give legal advice. Compliance policies should be tailored to the particular circumstances of each provider. Consultation with competent counsel is strongly recommended.

NOTE: This site does not, and does not intend to, give legal advice. The forms made available on this Web site are for example purposes only. The information on this site is not guaranteed to be complete or up-to-date. This web site is not intended to create an attorney-client relationship between you and Withrow, McQuade & Olsen, LLP and you should not act or rely on any information on this site without seeking the advice of a competent attorney.