Spring is not only the season for birds to sing in the morning, days to get longer and all the plants to come alive again; it is also the season for renewing my malpractice insurance. This year, before I could obtain a quote for my renewal, I had to watch a video on fraud in wire transfers. I clicked play and thought I would just have it running in the background as I tended to “more pressing” items that have taken up residence on my desk. Rather than going through the motions, I found myself watching the video and learning several new ways the bad guys try to defraud people, and specifically lawyers. As a consultant who is supposed to have special knowledge about cyber-crime, I didn’t expect to hear much of anything new from the required video. In reality, I learned a great deal and even had my staff watch the video.
So, at this point you are asking yourself where this is going and how does it relate to compliance. Just like I thought I already knew how the bad guys try to defraud people, in compliance we often think we have a handle on how things can “go bump in the night” so we don’t need to spend much time reading periodicals, or engaging in additional training. So often, we don’t know what we don’t know and that can get us in trouble. As technology changes, and people come up with new ways to cut corners, cheat the system, or engage in fraudulent activity, we, as compliance professionals, have to keep up so we can mitigate the risk of bad activity happening in our own backyard. Adam Grant has written a new book titled “Think Again” in which he talks about how important it is to approach our lives as a scientist. Scientists are challenged to always be trying to move the needle forward to increase their body of knowledge. So often we fall into the trap of not being curious enough, or not questioning our body of knowledge because to do so could cause us to have to change what we do or how we believe, either of which can be a little frightening, and may require effort when we are already so busy.
In compliance it is essential that we always be learning and evolving. The world of health care is far from static, and it is essential that the compliance program keep pace with how the industry changes. When you think to yourself “I have this compliance thing all figured out”, ask yourself “What’s new?” Keep learning and keep growing!
Most business leaders get frustrated when employees don’t do the right thing. You shouldn’t have to convince people to do what is right. MCA builds a compliance program and a culture where employees to the right thing, the right way, at the right time so you can focus on taking care of the people you serve.
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Midwest Compliance Associates
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