Healthcare compliance teams are a vital part of the traveler process, although, sadly, their efforts usually go on unsung. Here are a few things our compliance team wants you to know.
Although we appreciate all our employees, we’re also aware that, in general, a lot of confetti and spotlights tend to land more on the recruiting side of medical staffing. The dedication and hard work of compliance team members often go unsung. Compliance requires a well-oiled machine managed by proactive and well-organized individuals to safeguard patient care quality by ensuring that healthcare business operations are conducted within the parameters of regulations.
Why compliance is important
Healthcare compliance is the continuous process of abiding by legal, ethical, and professional standards applicable to a healthcare organization or medical practice. These processes define appropriate conduct, educate staff, and monitor adherence through a set of guidelines, encompassing many areas of healthcare, including patient care, reimbursement, billing, managed care, OSHA, and HIPAA privacy and security.
In short, compliance keeps operations running smoothly, confirming that everyone follows proper procedures and understands expectations. However, not meeting compliance requirements comes with higher stakes in healthcare than in most other industries, as it is, after all, the industry of life and death at times. Violations of these laws can result in lawsuits, hefty fines, or the loss of licenses. Ultimately, healthcare compliance is about providing safe, high-quality patient care. Complying with industry standards and regulations helps healthcare organizations continue to improve the quality of care.
Challenges in Compliance
Compliance involves many moving parts, so communication with your compliance specialist is essential. It’s also imperative to come to the compliance process prepared. Due to the urgency surrounding the compliance process, it’s typical for the agencies to immediately email a list of required documents requesting that the traveler send them copies of everything they have. Don’t wait to get everything together. Many of the necessary documents take time to be received, and the timeframes are often out of the nurse’s and the company’s control. Therefore, addressing these issues immediately is crucial.
Why compliance can take so long
If the documents don’t meet the hospital’s requirements, then the travel nurse and the compliance team member must work together to ensure that the correct copies are obtained to meet the hospital’s deadline. Clinic items can take anywhere from 3-7 days to get returned, and forms such as verifications and background checks can sometimes take weeks to finish as teams wait for the response from hospitals, schools, and even state counties. Additionally, hospitals can be nit-picky with the documents they’re willing to accept. They’ll decline documents that aren’t adequately signed or those that aren’t in the exact required format.
Although the team does all they can to set travelers up for success, they also need to balance managing expectations with not overpromising to nurses or facilities. Therefore, they leave room for any unexpected issues. A traveler’s assigned start date should give them plenty of time to complete their compliance.
Commonly missed compliance items seen by the Blu Med team
- Immunization documentation
- Competency testing
Our team suggests checking Nursys.com or the state’s Board of Nursing website to ensure you have everything you need.
Common immunizations to have
- Tdap: Tdap is a combination vaccine protecting individuals from three life-threatening bacterial diseases: tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough).
- Influenza: Seasonal vaccines protect against multiple flu viruses.
- Varicella (chickenpox): The CDC recommends two doses of the vaccine for anyone who has not had chickenpox and has never been vaccinated.
- Polio: Inactivated polio vaccine protects against polio.
- MMR: This combo vaccine protects against measles, mumps, and rubella (German measles).
- Pneumococcal: This vaccine prevents some cases of pneumonia, meningitis, and sepsis.
- Meningococcal: Recipients avoid infection by Neisseria meningitides, decreasing meningitis and sepsis cases.
- Hepatitis: Patients can receive a vaccine that protects just against hepatitis A or B or a combination vaccine for protection against both.
Timing the vaccine is just as important as the vaccine itself. The vaccine could be useless without sufficient time to take effect and build immunity. Travelers should confirm what immunizations are needed months in advance, if possible, regarding international travel vaccines.
More tips for a smooth healthcare traveler compliance process
- Communication is most important. If you have issues promptly completing items or going to the clinic, please reach out to onboarding or an account manager! Compliance is here to help, but they need you to keep them in the loop!
- Be sure to check your email! Compliance specialists often email you documents to complete or update checklists, which can be a great way to get updates.
- Pay attention to detailed instructions when filling out forms. Some of our forms and documents can be filled out on a phone or tablet but be sure to have access to a computer or laptop. Libraries can be an excellent resource for this if needed.
- Keep all your documents. Keep an organized collection of documents like IDs (driver’s license or passport), medical records, vaccinations, certifications, and transcripts, digitally as PDFs and as hard copies. We recommend using a scanner app like cam scanner for easier digital downloading. Make sure to scan documents both front and back! Your documents may not always be accepted, depending on specific facility requirements. Still, in those cases, you can dramatically speed up your compliance process for your next opportunity. Then you have nothing to worry about except getting ready for your new assignment!
Why choose Blu Med?
From start to finish, the Blu Medstaff team works alongside our travelers to ensure a great experience for all involved. When we work together, we can get some sh*t done, and that’s how we like it.
Contact us today to get started on your next adventure.
