Blog Posts
Think Before You Reject
Imported 18 days ago.This week is a guest post from John Caliri, Director of Customer Support for Vendormate. Document verification and approval are an important part of the Vendormate service for vendor credentialing. And like most things in life, it’s not as black and white as it first appears. Many of Vendorm...
Vendor Credentialing Standardization
Imported about 1 month ago.Just as we were publishing our recap of 2009 trends and making 2010 predictions that included the question of vendor credential standards, we were contacted by Healthcare Purchasing News to comment for their story about data standards for vendor reps. Well, the article is out now, and you can re...
2010 Predictions: From Vendor Acceptance to Vendor Advantage
Imported 2 months ago.The 2009 trend was that the vendors, who once questioned whether to participate or stonewall vendor credentialing programs, have accepted the new reality. Certainly, there is still some grumbling. There are some who spend more time trying to avoid programs than participating. But fo...
2009 Review: Emerging Standards
Imported 2 months ago.Continuing with the theme of 2009 in Review, we can’t overlook the ongoing conversation about standards in vendor credentialing and compliance requirements. Are there standards already? Are standards coming? Should there be standards? Going into 2009, AORN, ACS, the CDC and...
2009 Review: Critical Mass in Healthcare Credentialing Achieved
Imported 3 months ago.The end of a year is a dream come true for writers and commentators because their content topics are delivered to them giftwrapped complete with a bow on top. It’s time for either the “Year in Review” musings or the “New Year Predictions” article. Well, I’m certainly going to...
HITECH Increases HIPAA Risk
Imported 4 months ago.Risk to violators, that is. Be sure to read the new interim final rule posted today. Key to the proposed changes is that the maximum penalty increases 60-fold — to $1.5 million for violations of an idential provision. And a covered entity can no longer bar the penalty unless corre...
Swine Flu and Vendor Credentialing: Part II
Imported 4 months ago.Last May in the Swine Flu and Vendor Credentialing post, we highlighted the new reality that a number of customer hospitals were email visiting vendor representatives to new H1N1 precautions. These hospitals relied on their Vendormate registration files for current vendor contact inform...
HHS Breach Notification Form On line
Imported 5 months ago.The Hunton & Williams privacy and security blog has been very active recently. It covers a wide range of issues of interest to many industries. Last Friday, they noted that the Department of Health and Human Services had added the on-line form for breach notifications. For a...
HITECH & BAA & Vendor Credentialing
Imported 5 months ago.Several of our healthcare customers came together for a call last week to talk about the implications of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, particularly as it concerns vendors that meet the “Business Associate” requirement. Representing hospi...
Getting the Word Out
Imported 6 months ago.I’ll suggest that the day-to-day reality of compliance management is more about actively communicating the sets of unacceptable behaviors rather than uncovering and punishing perpetrators. After all, the vast majority of people follow community standards of ethical behavior (except, pe...
States Reinforce CMS Exclusion Guidelines
Imported 6 months ago.In January, 2009, the Centers for Medicare & Medicate Services (CMS) released a State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL #09-001) clarifying and reminding States of the requirements and consequences of payments to excluded individuals and entities. Since then, states have been at work communicati...
Healthcare Crackdown on Fraud
Imported 7 months ago.John Commins over at HealthLeaders recently wrote about the ever-rising focus on fraud in the healthcare. In his article, Culture of Compliance Preempts Whistleblower Suits, he makes the point that the potential gains to the whistleblower in a difficult economy could easily increase th...
Bankruptcy, Part II
Imported 8 months ago.Back in October, we posted the BPM or Bankruptcy Page Metric, which was just a count of the pages of Chapter 11 filings in the US Bankruptcy Court, District of Delaware. From a base of 3 pages of filing in January, 2008, the number of pages in the filings jumped to 16 pages in August, 2008...
Vendor Program Audits: From Homeroom to First Period
Imported 8 months ago.Back on the topic of vendor program audits, this week is about auditing the hospital’s own participation in the vendor program. I’ve made my middle-school son the stand-in for vendor representatives, so let’s turn the table and make his teachers the analogy for hospital staff. Our sch...
Vendor Credentialing for Brides
Imported 8 months ago.I’m going to digress a bit this week to highlight the expansion of vendor verification and credentialing into other verticals beyond healthcare. Buyers have always turned to references for reassurance when they lacked personal experience in selecting a supplier. And as the internet ...
Vendor Program Audits: The Documents
Imported 9 months ago.When I introduced this series of posts about how hospitals are auditing participation in vendor programs, I used the analogy of my son’s inability to effectively use an agenda to keep up with his homework. Just to keep beating that horse, let’s compare homework to the documents that b...
Vendor Program Audits: The Documents
Imported 9 months ago.When I introduced this series of posts about how hospitals are auditing participation in vendor programs, I used the analogy of my son’s inability to effectively use an agenda to keep up with his homework. Just to keep beating that horse, let’s compare homework to the documents that b...
Vendor Program Audits: Who’s at the Door
Imported 9 months ago.Last week, I promised that the next few posts would look at how hospitals are auditing the participation in vendor programs. We’ll kick off the review with this Best Practice example from WellStar’s Coding Assurance/Compliance Department. WellStar is a five-hospital system in the rap...
Vendor Program Audits: Who’s at the Door
Imported 9 months ago.Last week, I promised that the next few posts would look at how hospitals are auditing the participation in vendor programs. We’ll kick off the review with this Best Practice example from WellStar’s Coding Assurance/Compliance Department. WellStar is a five-hospital system in the rap...
Vendor Program Audit
Imported 9 months ago.Our school system gives each student an agenda at the start of the school year. It’s a basic utilitarian calendar — columns for each day of the week, rows for each class, and a resulting grid where they can write daily assignments and tests. My middle-schooler has had one of these for...
Vendor Program Audit
Imported 9 months ago.Our school system gives each student an agenda at the start of the school year. It’s a basic utilitarian calendar — columns for each day of the week, rows for each class, and a resulting grid where they can write daily assignments and tests. My middle-schooler has had one of these for...
Swine Flu and Vendor Credentialing
Imported 10 months ago.Tracking the immunization status of healthcare industry reps (HCIR) in clinical areas is one of the main drivers of many hospital vendor credentialing programs. But Vendormate has always recommended that health care systems think of the application as a vendor management solution, not just a ...
Swine Flu and Vendor Credentialing
Imported 10 months ago.Tracking the immunization status of healthcare industry reps (HCIR) in clinical areas is one of the main drivers of many hospital vendor credentialing programs. But Vendormate has always recommended that health care systems think of the application as a vendor management solution, not just a ...
Documentation and Relationship / Process Optimization — That’s What We Do
Imported 10 months ago.Jason Busch, over at SpendMatters, just took a stab at Segmenting the Supplier Information and Relatonship Management Market. He defined three approaches: analytics and predictive forecasting; data centric and data management; and documentation and relationship/process management optimi...
Documentation and Relationship / Process Optimization — That’s What We Do
Imported 10 months ago.Jason Busch, over at SpendMatters, just took a stab at Segmenting the Supplier Information and Relatonship Management Market. He defined three approaches: analytics and predictive forecasting; data centric and data management; and documentation and relationship/process management optimi...
Credential the Company, Not Just the Rep
Imported 11 months ago.Ruth Damron, Clinical Resource Manager, recently spoke with us about the vendor management process at Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy). Beyond the typical healthcare provider concerns about Joint Commission audits and reps in the halls, she’s looking at the vendor company. Her o...
Credential the Company, Not Just the Rep
Imported 11 months ago.Ruth Damron, Clinical Resource Manager, recently spoke with us about the vendor management process at Sisters of Mercy Health System (Mercy). Beyond the typical healthcare provider concerns about Joint Commission audits and reps in the halls, she’s looking at the vendor company. Her o...
I Can’t Sign That
Imported 11 months ago.As healthcare systems roll out vendor credentialing programs, it’s important to understand what is and is not within the individual rep’s authority to agree to. Vendor credentialing in healthcare mixes the credentials of individuals with their employers, but the average employee cannot enter...
I Can’t Sign That
Imported 11 months ago.As healthcare systems roll out vendor credentialing programs, it’s important to understand what is and is not within the individual rep’s authority to agree to. Vendor credentialing in healthcare mixes the credentials of individuals with their employers, but the average employee cannot enter...
OIG Tightens Self-Disclosure Protocol Protection
Imported 11 months ago.The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released an Open Letter to Health Care Providers on March 24, 2009 to refine the provider Self-Disclosure Protocol (SDP). Two important comments are included. First, only disclosures that include a colorable anti-kick...
OIG Tightens Self-Disclosure Protocol Protection
Imported 11 months ago.The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General released an Open Letter to Health Care Providers on March 24, 2009 to refine the provider Self-Disclosure Protocol (SDP). Two important comments are included. First, only disclosures that include a colorable anti-kick...
The New Standards
Imported 11 months ago.In a step to rationalize healthcare representative credential requirements, a joint best practices team across Advamed, AACN, AHRMM, AORN, HIRA, HMMC, IMDA, IPPS, IHAC and MDMA have released their recommendations on appropriate credentials for Health Care Industry Representatives in Clinical Ar...
The New Standards
Imported 11 months ago.In a step to rationalize healthcare representative credential requirements, a joint best practices team across Advamed, AACN, AHRMM, AORN, HIRA, HMMC, IMDA, IPPS, IHAC and MDMA have released their recommendations on appropriate credentials for Health Care Industry Representatives in Clinical Ar...
Who’s the Guy in the Black Hat?
Imported 12 months ago.There was a time when clothing colors made statements. Good guys wore white hats. Bad guys wore black. Serious business men wore white shirts. No one attending the wedding would wear black because black was the color of mourning, and only the bride wore white. (In the U.S. at least...
Who’s the Guy in the Black Hat?
Imported 12 months ago.There was a time when clothing colors made statements. Good guys wore white hats. Bad guys wore black. Serious business men wore white shirts. No one attending the wedding would wear black because black was the color of mourning, and only the bride wore white. (In the U.S. at least...
New Year Policy Resolutions
Imported about 1 year ago.Business policies, like New Year resolutions, are written with the best intentions. With a new policy in place, operations will be more efficient. Universal understanding will be achieved. Expenses will be reduced and profits will soar. These policies, like resolutions, are enthusias...
Michigan Leads In Healthcare Vendor Management Path
Imported about 1 year ago.An article this past weekend in the Detroit Free Press highlighted the leading edge activities of hospitals and healthcare systems in Detroit and throughout Michigan in balancing vendor access and influence with fiscal responsibility and patient safety. Vendor management touches many facets...
Do You Need a “Twitter” Policy for the OR?
Imported about 1 year ago.We’ve heard the tale from one healthcare system that experienced a sales rep using his mobile phone camera to take unauthorized pictures of a procedure without system or patient consent. And any number of our healthcare customers have policies in place restricting the use of mobile phones a...
Turnaround
Imported about 1 year ago.It’s no secret that vendor credentialing requirements and registrations aren’t popular in the vendor community. But C. R. Bard has flipped new registration program announcements from a perceived bar across the door to a door opener. One enterprising Regional VP took Vendormate’s re...
Surety Bonds and You
Imported about 1 year ago.Right at the end of the year, CMS announced final surety bond requirements for certain durable medical equipment, prosthetics, orthotics and supplies suppliers (DMEPOS). CMS has focused on DMEs, apparently with good reason: The 2007 Medicare error rate report found approximately $1 billion ...
HCCA Survey: Ethics & Compliance Risks in the Recession
Imported about 1 year ago.Happy New Year? I always like to start a new year optimistically. But it’s a little more difficult this year, now that I read this report. Just out from the Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA) and the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) are the discouraging res...
Fee or Free
Imported about 1 year ago.Discussions about vendor credentialing in healthcare often include hyperbolic claims of cost and expense. So what if we took cost to the vendor out of the equation? What if hospitals paid for the cost of vendor credentialing, allowing vendor reps to register for free? What would be ...
