Star Compliance Services Offers Custom Risk Assessment and Remediation to Healthcare Organizations as Part of Compliance Shield Program

OWINGS MILLS, Md., Sept. 28, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- With regulatory oversight more serious than ever, Star Compliance Services has developed a new program – Compliance Shield – to help health care providers assess their compliance and fix outstanding issues before they threaten to derail operations. The problem is far from theoretical: The Tampa Bay Times reports that stronger enforcement is already underway in Florida, where scores of hospitals and clinics have fallen into the crosshairs of state auditors.

Of the 100 healthcare organizations being audited in Florida, 31 missed a deadline to certify their compliance with Medicaid reimbursement practices, and the remainder provided unsatisfactory responses to the state's Health Care Administration Secretary Liz Dudek. Even the prestigious Cleveland Clinic Florida is on the list. According to the Miami Sun-Sentinel, escalating costs and surging enrollment have forced the state to take a long, hard look at how hospitals are billing for Medicaid expenditures.

"Major compliance areas today include not only HIPAA, but also OSHA, Medicaid/Medicare, Stark Law, the False Claims Act, and Fraud, Waste and Abuse," explains Chief Compliance Officer Gregory Ewing. "Enforcement has increased to the point that neglecting compliance, even for a moment, is a non-starter. Our various tools, services and products, including the Compliance Starter Toolkit helps organizations be proactive and avoid the consequences of non-compliance, which can include everything from fines and penalties all the way to federal prison time."

"Given the heightened regulatory scrutiny, health care providers should assess their level of compliance and remediate any findings identified through their assessments." The Compliance Starter Kit is a toolkit that provides HIPAA and Compliance checklists which allow health care providers to determine their levels of compliance and identify opportunities for improvement.  Another Star Compliance Services product, Compliance Shield, provides an assortment of tools, including training webinars, compliance document reviews, consulting hours and discounts on future additional hours. For those health care providers that require additional services, professional auditors from Star Compliance Services can conduct a risk assessment and carefully investigate its clients' policies and procedures, with the goal of identifying every possible area of weakness or non-compliance. Clients can be confident that Star Compliance Services incorporates only the most current and relevant regulatory standards. Following the risk assessment, Star Compliance Services provides a set of customized recommendations to correct issues. In addition, the company offers practical advice on how to maintain compliance over the long term. 

Star Compliance Services' products and services are not one-size-fits-all approaches; instead, the tools and programs are tailored to meet the individual needs of private practices, institutions and other healthcare organizations. In addition, the expert team at Star Compliance Services can develop an approach that's affordable and practical for any client.

For private practices and other healthcare organizations keen on deploying an in-house compliance program, Ewing and his team offer some timely, targeted advice. First, all policies and procedures should be available in writing to every stakeholder. If an organization can afford to hire a full-time compliance officer, that is likely the ideal solution, but many cannot swing an investment of that size.

To ensure that a successful in-house compliance program can be sustained, ample resources must go toward education and training. Likewise, ongoing monitoring is necessary to spot potential problems before they erupt into a full-blown compliance issue.

Ewing concludes: "Health care provider groups and offices cannot overlook compliance, but all the recent changes have left many feeling overwhelmed. That's why we created Star Compliance Services – to meet a serious and significant need in the healthcare delivery pipeline."

Star Compliance Services is perhaps best known for its series of informational seminars and the resulting positive feedback from these events has Ewing and his team's expert assistance in high demand.

About Star Compliance Services

Star Compliance Services is the host and organizer for Medicaid and Medicare compliance seminars and webinars in Texas and the Washington D.C. Capital Region and a repository of knowledge and trends on the evolving issue of regulatory compliance in the wake of the Affordable Care Act.

Contact:

Gregory Ewing 
(888) 988-1802 
Email

SOURCE Star Compliance Services