HIPAA lays down numerous laws, rules, and regulations to which you are subject and the volume of information you are accountable for is massive indeed. To manage through, you need a compliance consultant who utilizes these guidelines as well as the laws, rules, and regulations of the various agencies to help you formulate an effective compliance program for your office which will provide you with a number of benefits like:
•Providing a protective shield against fraudulent and erroneous conduct,
•Helping reduce the risk of Qui Tam (whistleblower) lawsuits,
•Addressing billing and coding issues and establishing monitoring procedures for the life of the practice,
•Addressing education and training for the doctor and staff, and
•Serve as a mitigating factor for agencies in accessing fines and penalties.
Besides, a compliance consultant will help your staff to learn the procedures of your office. The consultant will also review randomly selected records including the billing and follow-up for each record. From this information, the consultant will determine where deficiencies are and recommend steps to correct them. He will suggest changes necessary by answering questions, helping in formulating strategies, conducting follow-up reviews based on the error rate, and even serving as the clinic’s compliance officer.
When choosing a compliance consultant, your first choice should be a chiropractor. Secondly, the consultant you choose should be certified in both the areas of compliance and insurance.
With the increasing complexity in laws, it is virtually impossible for the average practitioner to keep up with all of the laws, rules, and regulations to which he is subject.
Hiring a compliance consultant is like hiring a specialist that knows the ins and outs of compliance that will assist you in correcting existing errors and developing an effective compliance program to avoid future errors.
