Healthcare Compliance Training Key To Managing Risk, Cost Of Noncompliance

Computer-based Programs Provide More Effective, Less Costly Solution

(RIVERWOODS, ILL., October 1, 2001) – The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) emphasis on the existence of an effective compliance program as a mitigating factor in fraud and abuse cases should make it clear to all healthcare providers that you must have a program in place to address the risks inherent to your business, according to CCH INCORPORATED (CCH), a leading provider of health law and compliance information. But, while the OIG has made it clear that an effective training and education component is critical to overall program success, many well-meaning organizations remain challenged as to how to accomplish this important step.

"Pragmatically, compliance training must achieve two clear-cut goals," said CCH Healthcare eLearning Manager Daniel J. Weissburg, Esq. "You must train your people to do their jobs in a compliant manner, and you must be able to demonstrate and document that you have done so."

Seemingly simple goals, but as compliance officers know all too well, it’s easier said than done.

"Whether it’s logistics, cost effectiveness, learning retention or documentation – there are a myriad of training issues that can challenge any organization," said Weissburg.

A provider’s success, he said, is more likely if they give thought to three important considerations before implementing any training program: return on investment; rollout; and retention.

Compliance Training Considerations

Speaking at an AHLA/HCCA Fraud, Abuse and Compliance Conference program in Washington, D.C., on October 1, Weissburg noted that for many employers, computer-based training may be their most cost-efficient and effective training option.

Addressing the return on your training investment, he pointed out the following advantages of computer-based training: the training is interactive and engaging; training is self-paced, so trainees learn at their own speed; training is convenient, and can be taken anywhere, any time; documentation, which is key, is provided as part of the program; program content, created for you, is current and updated regularly; and generally, this type of training is more cost-effective than live training.

"The biggest challenge, however, in moving to computer-based training is getting everyone to use it," said Weissburg. "But there are steps providers can take to ensure success."

If you’ve chosen computer-based training, here are actions to help ensure your training rollout is a success:

Determine which means of electronic delivery your organization can support most effectively in terms of your technology infrastructure as well as the technology available to the end user: CD-ROM, software or Internet-based?

Ensure trainees have access to computers at the desktop or via kiosks that support effective presentation and delivery of computer-based training program.

Make sure you have the support of each department head so that they will communicate the importance of training to employees and require them to complete the training.

Identify employee constituencies that pose unique challenges and address those issues prior to rollout. For example, it may be difficult to get physicians on staff to participate in the training program — how will you overcome this?

The type of training package you purchased will affect your rollout. For example, if you purchased a package that gives all employees access to all lessons, prior to rollout you will need to identify for employees (by job type) the lessons they should take.

Ensure that you have both internal and external support staff. Employees may have questions, either about the content of specific lessons or relating to technology. Make sure you have adequate support internally through people such as "superusers" (staff members most familiar with the training program), as well support staff provided by the training program vendor.

"It’s critical to have a well-designed rollout plan that addresses each of these issues," said Weissburg. "It’s not enough for the OIG that you bought some software — you have to have an effective program in place. By taking the time to identify issues up front, you can work with the training vendor to deal successfully with each of these issues and overcome any obstacles."

Last, said Weissburg, it’s important know what your training goals are before you put any program in place.

"The goal for most providers will be to ensure their employees do their specific jobs in a compliant way. That is, within the performance of their day-to-day job responsibilities, employees should be familiar with applicable compliance requirements and be sensitive to issues that may signal compliance problems," he said.

Computer-based training, he noted, allows providers to meet the specific training needs of individuals across job types in a way that is both cost and time efficient.

ComplianceEdge Training

CCH INCORPORATED and Ernst & Young offer an interactive web-based, healthcare compliance training tool: ComplianceEdge. The definitive compliance training system for healthcare providers, ComplianceEdge, delivers to the desktop CCH’s authoritative healthcare compliance law analysis and Ernst & Young’s world-class educational training and healthcare consulting expertise.

ComplianceEdge lessons and courses were developed by subject area experts at Ernst & Young and CCH in consultation with an advisory board composed of compliance officers who provide a frontline perspective on effective practices and expert insight on emerging trends.

ComplianceEdge provides freestanding, self-paced lessons that can be taken over time. Each lesson, which takes about an hour to complete, includes a pre-test to assess the user’s starting level of knowledge, the actual lesson on compliance requirements in specific areas and a post-test to assess comprehension upon completion. ComplianceEdge also generates comprehensive, customizable reports so you can document training efforts.

For More Information

For more information on ComplianceEdge: visit Booth 207 at the AHLA/HCCA Fraud, Abuse and Compliance Conference Oct. 1-2 in the Hilton Hotel, Washington, D.C.; contact Daniel J. Weissburg at CCH at (847) 267-2145 or Ernst & Young Product Sales at (800) 726-7339; or visit the ComplianceEdge web site at www.complianceedge.com.

About CCH INCORPORATED

CCH INCORPORATED, headquartered in Riverwoods, Ill., was founded in 1913 and has served generations of business professionals and their clients. For more than 50 years, the company has regularly tracked, reported, explained and analyzed health and entitlement law for healthcare providers, insurers, attorneys and consumers. CCH is the premier provider of Medicare and Medicaid information and publishes the industry standards, the CCH Medicare and Medicaid Guide and the CCH Healthcare Compliance Portfolio. CCH is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wolters Kluwer U.S. The CCH web site can be accessed at www.cch.com. The CCH Health group web site can be accessed at http://health.cch.com.

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