We want to do the right thing the first time and every time. A cross-functional quality improvement team of entity and corporate representatives has been at work during the past year developing the process, which was launched at the recent Leadership Development and Succession Planning Seminar held June 2 and 3 in St. Louis. Many health care systems around the country are developing compliance programs in response to the federal government's recent investigations of fraud and abuse in health care.
Federal guidelines encourage establishment of such processes.
In some cases, heavy fines have been imposed and corporate compliance or integrity programs mandated for organizations found at fault for fraud violations. Mary Jean emphasized that SSM Health Care has an organizational responsibility to help employees deal with the complexity of laws and regulations that govern the industry. And we will provide ongoing education for all employees to help them master the techniques or information they need to do their job in the right way. We don't expect employees to have to figure it out on their own. The employee's responsibility is to take advantage of the education and master the information, she said.