healthcare
Environmental solutionsnews Covering infection prevention, medical waste management & sustainable practices
VOL. XIV NO.42 XII NO.
www.HealthcareEnvironmentalSolutions.com
summer 2018 WINTER 2016
Healthcare Industry Stays In Line With Online Compliance Services
C
ompliance by the healthcare industry with the many rules and regulations issued by a variety of governmental agencies — from the federal level on down — can often be a major challenge. Missteps, either unknowingly or willful, can have serious, and sometimes expensive, repercussions. “It is nearly impossible to overstate the complexity of healthcare compliance,” says Michael L. Smith, an attorney at The Health Law Firm in Altamonte Springs, FL. “The avalanche of laws, rules, regulations and standards that apply to healthcare organizations and healthcare providers is daunting. “Many people consider the Internal Revenue Service code to be an overwhelming mass of overly complex laws, rules and regulations. The laws and rules applicable to healthcare organizations and providers are far more numerous than the IRS code, and significantly more complicated,” he says. Bob Spurgin, head of Spurgin Compliance Consulting in Irvine, CA, and one of the nation’s leading authorities on healthcare waste management policy, training and compliance, agrees. “There are a myriad of compliance requirements for any licensed healthcare facility or waste services provider and they non-comply
By P.J. Heller
at their peril because the fines and punishment can be very severe,” Spurgin says. Industry experts agree that governmental regulation and oversight will only continue to grow. “There are core federal requirements that come from a diverse number of agencies,” Spurgin says. “You’ve got the Environmental Protection Agency. You’ve got the Drug Enforcement Administration. You’ve got OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration). You’ve got the Department of Transportation. All of whom can impact a practice as small as a dentist’s office.” In addition to those agencies, state and local governments may impose additional requirements, he adds. “Compliance management can be headache-
inducing for many care providers and the area of compliance is not getting any less complex,” notes James Johnson, managing director at MedTech Breakthrough, an independent organization that recognizes top companies, technologies and products in the global health and medical technology market. One of those companies most recently recognized by MedTech Breakthrough was MedTrainer, which was honored for its all-inone software compliance management suite that helps healthcare providers streamline management processes and simplify compliance. “As the healthcare industry faces growing regulations and shrinking budgets, it’s becoming more difficult for healthcare organizations and individual providers to keep up with compliance education requirements and provide top care to their patients,” says Steve Gallion, chief executive officer and co-founder of MedTrainer, headquartered in Redlands, CA. Companies such as MedTrainer and Spurgin Compliance Consulting are among those that offer online or on-site training to help healthcare facilities and medical waste haulers — as well as others — maintain compliance. MedTrainer offers strictly online training; the company was founded in 2013 and officially launched its software in 2016. Today, the company boasts that it supports more than 300,000 healthcare professionals at 15,000 healthcare sites in the United States. It also
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