Challenging And Critical, Compliance Takes Great Commitment

We have all engaged with the healthcare system in one way or another. For many patients, those interactions represent the most vulnerable and painful moments in their lives.

This is why compliance experts' behind-the-scenes work to protect personal health information is so very critical: when health records are breached, patients' suffering is significantly and needlessly compounded.

Unfortunately, the highly sensitive nature of healthcare data makes it especially prone to threats from both inside and outside the organizations that house it. The challenge of protecting patient privacy is, in many ways, greater than ever. 

Healthcare compliance professionals' work extends far beyond auditing EHR data and activity logs to identify problematic behaviors, which is a massive undertaking in and of itself, given the staggering volume of auditable events occurring every day. 

Once they've scoured multiple data sources to detect the small portion that are true policy violations, compliance teams must determine how to take appropriate action. How should individuals be informed that their behavior violates health system policy or broader regulations?  How is that process documented? Is documentation meeting changing legal requirements? What kinds of noncompliant behaviors might be falling through the cracks?

These are just a sample of the issues that compliance experts must consider and act upon in the course of their essential duties. The job also involves providing education, reviewing and updating policies, and staying current with a whole slew of regulations. On top of that, they're battling staffing and budget constraints.

A special thank you

What we're getting at is this: Creating a strong culture of compliance within the walls of large, bureaucracy-riddled healthcare facilities does not happen without critical thought, appropriate action, and fierce advocacy by compliance teams. During Corporate Compliance & Ethics Week, Protenus wants to give special recognition to these incredibly important efforts. 

With endless gratitude, we thank you for the work that you do.

As Compliance Week brings a renewed focus on and commitment to ensuring all patient data is protected, Protenus joins your organization in that noble mission. With the sophisticated technology powering our healthcare compliance analytics solutions, we strive to continue helping health systems efficiently address changing needs and protect vulnerable patients.