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Misconception related to self auditing

Compliance Monitor, March 29, 2006

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The significance of compliance has redefined medical records, coding, auditing in general. In the wake of the initial compliance settlements, many healthcare providers have made hasty assumptions about the compliance audit.

One of those misconceptions is that the hospital should never audit its own record because once you find an error, you must "turn yourself in."

This notion is far from sound. Your facility should have a process in place that classifies each errors by type or severity. If repayment is necessary, it should be made as soon as possible. Finally, track errors to determine whether a pattern or practice of errors is recurring. If so, take steps to fix it and get back on track-but self-reporting may or may not need to be a part of that process.

Remember that your data and reporting speak volumes about your organization. Be as involved and as pro-active as possible with all of these processes-it is best not to be faced with surprises in your compliance program. Your involvement should be reflected in your organization's compliance auditing and procedures.

This tip is an excerpt from the new HCPro publication The Compliance Officer's Handbook. For more information, visit our Web page at http://www.hcmarketplace.com/prod-3922.html.

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