
Hospitals and other health care facilities create and maintain thousands of policy documents. A typical hospital has policies that guide daily operations, ranging from administration and human resources to direct care and use of medication. An infection control policy, for example, guides laboratory procedures, specimen testing, personal protective equipment and waste disposal, while a discharge policy designates when and by whom patients can be released and what documentation is necessary.
Effective development, use and maintenance of an organization’s policies and procedures help to establish a culture of compliance, mitigate risk, support consistent clinical practice and achieve the organization’s objectives.
The Office of Inspector General noted the importance of effective policy development and management in its 2005 Supplemental Compliance Program Guidance for Hospitals. It suggests that, as part of an effective compliance program, hospitals must ensure that they have policies and procedures that are clearly written, relevant to daily responsibilities, readily available and regularly re-evaluated… [CLICK HERE TO READ MORE]
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