FDA 101: Why Compliance Is Critical For Health Clinics

Written By Dixie Somers / Reviewed By Ray Spotts

In modern health clinics, compliance and ethics are closely intertwined. Along with helping healthcare professionals like yourself meet numerous rules and regulations, compliance also plays a critical role in keeping patients safe and ensuring their care is of the highest quality.

However, these are not the only reasons why compliance is so important for health clinics. To find out more about compliance as it relates to health clinics, consider the advantages below.

Encompasses All Areas of Health Clinic

Perhaps first and foremost, compliance is so important to your health clinic because it encompasses all areas of the clinic's operations.

Along with patient care, it also directly impacts your clinic's billing, reimbursements, managed care, as well as OSHA regulations, and the all-important HIPAA security and privacy, which is critical for building trust between patients and providers.

Development of Policies and Procedures

Healthcare compliance is also crucial to a health clinic such in that it helps formulate various policies and procedures regarding patient care and other areas. In having regulations to abide by, your clinic must develop clear and concise policies and procedures pertaining to what is considered appropriate conduct, training requirements of staff, and much more.

Protects Against Fraud and Waste

Since the Affordable Care Act was enacted, most health clinics are now required to have compliance programs in place before they can enroll in the Medicare program. In addition, professionals such as Compliance Insight consultants can help you adhere to established guidelines.

Working with an expert while following compliance programs protects clinics from fraud, waste, and other areas where liability may become an issue. When compliance programs are not established or followed as needed, you and your health clinic could be at risk of litigation that could wreak havoc with your practice.

Internal Monitoring and Auditing

Once you have compliance programs in place, it allows you to conduct internal monitoring and auditing of your health clinic. By doing so, you can spot and correct problems before they get out of hand.

These can include billing or reimbursement issues, staff conduct, or issues that may have your clinic being accused of violating OSHA or HIPAA regulations, which could result in fines and other penalties, not to mention damage to your professional reputation.

Though it may at times seem as if the FDA and other regulatory agencies are imposing too many rules on your health clinic, the fact is as healthcare has become more complex, there is no doubt that putting compliance programs in place at your clinic will ultimately make your life much easier.

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Written By:

Dixie Somers is a freelance writer who loves to write for business, health, and women’s interests. She lives in Arizona with her husband and three beautiful daughters.

Reviewed By:

Founder Ray Spotts has a passion for all things natural and has made a life study of nature as it relates to health and well-being. Ray became a forerunner bringing products to market that are extraordinarily effective and free from potentially harmful chemicals and additives. For this reason Ray formed Trusted Health Products, a company you can trust for clean, effective, and healthy products. Ray is an organic gardener, likes fishing, hiking, and teaching and mentoring people to start new businesses. You can get his book for free, “How To Succeed In Business Based On God’s Word,” at www.rayspotts.com.