Cases of colorectal cancer have increased in Americans under 50 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Screening saves lives. This HEDIS measure and preventive screening is important to patient care.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force lowered the recommended screening age to 45 years old, providing a new patient population to target for colorectal screening. The CDC’s Screen for Life: National Colorectal Cancer Action Campaign informs men and women who are 45 years old or older about the importance of getting screened for colorectal cancer regularly. 

Here are some tips for helping increase colorectal cancer screenings:

• Schedule an outreach campaign to eligible patients.
• Let patients know that there are several screening test options.
• Share education materials to help patients understand the importance of screening and be comfortable with screening test options.
• Use The Physician Alliance's social media graphics (post on website, social media profiles, patient portal, etc.)

In the busy world of healthcare, it’s easy for compliance to take a backseat. However, with continued enforcement actions and steep fines, now is the time to update your practice’s compliance plan.

Here are some helpful hints:

1. Always start with the fundamentals. For some practices, it makes sense for the compliance officer and office manager to have a reoccurring monthly compliance meeting to ensure that there are no gaps in the compliance plan. They can walk through the seven fundamental elements to make sure they are all being adequately addressed.
2. Put your compliance policies and procedures in a binder that is easily accessible to everyone in the office – not in some obscure location. This helps to keep it accessible if people have questions or need to pull out a procedure for reference. This also allows the compliance officer to easily update the log. 
3. Test your internal reporting channels. Employees should be able to anonymously report their concerns. Anonymous reporting has the potential to avoid whistleblower lawsuits. Employees need to know that their concerns are taken seriously, even if the concerns are not actual compliance violations.
4. Put reoccurring reminders on your calendar for staff training, internal and external audits. If you schedule these at the same time each year, it’s not only easier to remember, but you can pick a time that makes sense for your practice instead of scrambling before year-end.
5. Train your employees and keep open lines of communication with employees. Employees should know what to do if a government agent walks in the door to perform an audit.

And finally, if you have questions about your billing, a business venture, or a personal services relationship, call an experienced healthcare attorney. Compliance risks can be very expensive if you make a mistake.  

Source: Rickard & Associates is an Affiliate Partner of TPA. Their team can assist in a myriad of business operations. Learn more.

Is your practice looking for more options for purchasing medical supplies?

As a member of The Physician Alliance, physicians and practice staff can sign up to receive great savings on medical and surgical supplies through ODP Business Solutions (formerly the Office Depot program). With inflation on the rise, there is no better time than now to take advantage of these savings.

Stock up and save on medical cleaning and breakroom essentials along with a broad selection of medical supply items including office/exam room furniture. Options include:

• surgical supplies
• diagnostic equipment/supplies
• medical wear
• wound care supplies
• and more!

Offices can also help with reducing the spread of germs by selecting no touch paper dispensers for exam rooms, and restroom areas. Order online to maximize practice savings.

Register here for an account to take advantage of the savings at odpbusiness.com. Already have an account? Sign in here. Special pricing is available on top products from ODP Business Solutions new private collection of brands.

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