According to Irwin Birnbaum, the School of Medicine Chief Operating Officer, the hotline was created as a simple and risk-free way for faculty or staff members to report concerns about potential violations of medical billing regulations. While we encourage employees to bring their concerns to supervisors or managers first, we recognize that it is not always possible to do so, explained Mr. Birnbaum. The hotline, which is managed and operated by a company called ComplianceLine, has been designed to ensure the integrity and objectivity of compliance reporting. When a call is made to ComplianceLine, a trained communication specialist will pose ques-tions in a who, what, where, when and why style. Callers are then assigned a number to be referred to when follow-up calls are needed.
Callers remain anonymous.
ComplianceLine will provide a written report to the Director of University Audit after each call. After a review of the report, the Director will assign the appropriate individual to initiate an inquiry. Our goal of maintaining high ethical standards in medical billing is the responsibility of all medical school employees. We encourage you to take advantage of ComplianceLine if the more direct approach is not an option, Birnbaum added. Part 2 in a series Yale Practice continues its focus on pruning phone trees.