Every healthcare organization needs to comply with several regulatory requirements and regulations. Considering the ever-evolving regulatory frameworks, we understand that most organizations, especially the ones with limited resources, are bound to face several regulatory challenges.
Today, we as healthcare compliance & regulatory experts are going to share a list of the 12 most common challenges that healthcare organizations face while working on their regulatory compliance.
Not just this, we will also take you through the possible solutions for each one of these challenges.
Remember, if you have any questions about healthcare regulations, we are just one email away. All you have to do is send us your query here.
Let’s get to the challenges…
Common Healthcare Regulatory Compliance Challenges
The common healthcare regulatory compliance challenges are as follows:
⦿ Compliance with Government Regulations
⦿ HIPAA Compliance Challenges
⦿ Quality Reporting Requirements
⦿ Accreditation and Certification
⦿ Drug and Medical Device Regulations
⦿ Anti-Fraud and Abuse Laws
⦿ Patient Safety Regulations
⦿ Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management
Let’s elaborate on each of these regulatory challenges one by one.
#1 Compliance with Government Regulations
Challenge:
One of the major challenges that most healthcare organizations face is to steer through the ever-evolving list of federal, state, and local regulations that they are required to comply with. The frequently changing nature of these regulations causes a lot of confusion among healthcare organizations and often leads to non-compliance problems.
Solution:
✅ Establishing a dedicated compliance team or outsourcing regulatory tasks to professionals can help you keep track of the changing regulations.
✅ Hiring professionals will help create regular audit programs that ensure alignment with shifting regulatory currents.
#2 HIPAA Compliance:
Challenge:
Safeguarding patient privacy in an era of digital expansion can feel like navigating treacherous waters, especially with the looming threat of HIPAA violations. Most hospitals and clinics either fail to comply with HIPAA law or make many mistakes in the process leading to heavy penalties and tarnished reputations.
Solution:
✅ Comprehensive staff training, and equipping crew members to handle PHI securely can prove helpful here.
✅ Encryption measures are like protective barriers, warding off potential breaches and ensuring compliance with HIPAA’s stringent requirements.
#3 Quality Reporting Requirements (Common Healthcare Compliance Challenge)
Challenge:
Quality reporting is an integral aspect of healthcare organizations’ operations, with regulatory bodies and payers increasingly emphasizing the importance of measuring and reporting on various quality metrics. However, navigating the landscape of quality reporting can present significant challenges for healthcare organizations: Data complexities, resource intensity, changing requirements, interoperability challenges, data accuracy and validity, and data governance and validation.
Solution:
✅ Investing in analytics tools serves as a compass, guiding organizations toward data-driven decision-making.
✅ Streamlining workflows acts as a steady breeze, propelling them toward improved care outcomes and smoother reporting processes.
✅ Hire professionals to create a quality audit process and prepare fully compliant quality reports.
#4 Accreditation and Certification:
Challenge:
Another healthcare compliance challenge that most organizations face is with accreditation and certification like JCI accreditation, OSHA certificatio, etc. Accreditation and certification are vital for healthcare organizations to demonstrate their commitment to meeting established standards of care and safety. However, navigating the accreditation process can present several challenges including the Complexity of Standards, Continuous Readiness, Survey Preparation, and the Complexity of the Survey Process.
Solution:
To address the regulatory challenges of accreditation and certification, healthcare organizations can implement the following strategies:
✅ Establishing a dedicated accreditation team or committee responsible for overseeing the accreditation process
✅ Implementing a systematic approach to monitoring compliance with accreditation standards on an ongoing basis
✅ Providing comprehensive training and education to staff members on accreditation standards, survey processes, and expectations is essential.
✅ Leveraging technology solutions such as accreditation management software can streamline documentation and communication processes, facilitate data collection and analysis, and centralize accreditation-related information.
✅ Collaboration with external experts can offer fresh perspectives, identify best practices, and provide guidance on addressing specific accreditation challenges.
#5 Drug and Medical Device Regulations:
Challenge:
Navigating the regulatory landscape surrounding drugs and medical devices is a critical aspect of healthcare organizations’ operations. However, it comes with several healthcare regulatory compliance challenges like Compliance with Stringent Regulatory Requirements, Complexity of Compliance, Inventory Management, Staff Training, and Competency, and Ensuring Vendor Compliance
Solution:
To address these healthcare compliance challenges of drug and medical device regulations, healthcare organizations can implement the following strategies such as:
✅ Establishing comprehensive compliance programs that encompass policies, procedures, and protocols for drug and medical device management
✅ Investing in regulatory expertise, either through hiring dedicated regulatory professionals or engaging external consultants
✅ Leveraging technology solutions such as electronic health record (EHR) systems, inventory management software, and barcoding technology can streamline drug and medical device management processes
✅ Providing ongoing training and education to staff members on drug and medical device regulations, safety protocols, and best practices
✅ Implementing robust vendor management practices, including vendor qualification, performance monitoring, and contract management
#6 Anti-Fraud and Abuse Laws:
Challenge:
Healthcare organizations are subject to a complex web of anti-fraud and abuse laws designed to prevent fraudulent activities and improper financial relationships. However, compliance with these laws presents several challenges Dealing with a Complex Regulatory Landscape, Ambiguity in Regulations, Changing Enforcement Priorities, and Identification of Violations
Solution:
These challenges can be tackled by the healthcare organizations (Hospitals/Clinics) by following the strategies like:
✅ Establishing comprehensive compliance programs that address anti-fraud and abuse laws
✅ Providing ongoing training and education to staff members on anti-fraud and abuse laws, compliance requirements, and ethical standards
✅ Engaging legal counsel with expertise in healthcare law
✅ Implementing internal controls and monitoring mechanisms is essential for detecting and preventing violations of anti-fraud and abuse laws
✅ Building positive relationships with regulatory agencies and enforcement authorities
#7 Patient Safety Regulations:
Challenge:
Patient safety is paramount in healthcare, but ensuring compliance with patient safety regulations presents several challenges including Understanding the Complex Regulatory Landscape, Dealing with Diverse Healthcare Settings, Resource Allocation, Interdisciplinary Collaboration, and Continuous Improvement
Solution:
These challenges can be solved by:
✅ Establishing comprehensive patient safety programs that align with regulatory requirements
✅ Providing ongoing training and education to healthcare staff on patient safety principles, best practices, and regulatory requirements
✅ Leveraging technology solutions such as electronic health records (EHRs), barcode medication administration systems, and incident reporting software
✅ Implementing processes for conducting root cause analysis (RCA) and quality improvement initiatives
✅ Engaging patients and their families as partners in safety
Bottom Line
When it comes to healthcare organizations, there are several healthcare regulatory compliance challenges that one should be aware of. Above, we have listed some very common challenges that most healthcare organizations (Hospitals/Clinics) face. Our experience in helping such organizations stay compliant has empowered several hospitals and clinics. In case you have any questions about healthcare compliance, you can contact us.
