From The Critics
Reviewer: Steven Carl Butz, BS - Business Administration(Medical College of Wisconsin)Description: This book provides an overview of the status of the current healthcare compliance environment and broadly discusses the potential considerations needed to make healthcare compliance a profession. The guide considers many facets of the compliance professional's responsibilities, both from a career as well as a personal perspective.
Purpose: "The purpose is to describe in broad terms the emerging profession of healthcare compliance and provide some guidance for the professional development of those in the profession or those who are considering compliance as a profession. There is always guidance that is needed when an undertaking such as creating a profession is being considered. Any discipline that is emerging as a profession needs a base of knowledge to start from and this guide provides topics that help to stimulate the appropriate thought process. This book is a good start in taking a critical look at the current status of healthcare compliance initiatives as well as providing insight into the further steps needed if healthcare compliance is to become a recognized profession. "
Audience: The guide is written to reach compliance professionals at all levels. This book would be beneficial for someone starting a compliance function or considering healthcare compliance as a profession. It would also benefit those who have an established compliance function in place to reflect on some of the issues the authors bring up. The authors have a diverse background and, in some cases, disagree with each other, which also helps to stimulate the thought process.
Features: A wide range of topics regarding the compliance profession and professional are covered. The guide not only considers the profession but also the individual professional and discusses topics such as ethics and stress management. The best feature is the holistic look it takes at compliance. Although this is not a step-by-step how to book, it presents topics and questions that need to be addressed when considering whether healthcare compliance should emerge as a designated profession. Among the unique features are the case studies that assist the reader in thinking about ethical or managerial issues. This helps to place these issues on a practical level, with which all professions have to cope. One item missing from the guide is a discussion of an overall organizational risk management process that would include compliance, internal audit, legal, quality control etc. Also, the description of the role of internal audit is out of date since internal audit is now considered a consulting and advising role to management and already has established an advisory role to the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors.
Assessment: This book is a great initial step in providing some guidance and asking some tough questions about whether healthcare compliance should become a designated profession. Although it omits one important area, the book covers a number of topics and issues with which professionals may be confronted. It would be a useful tool for those with established compliance functions as well as those who are considering entering the profession.
