Red Flags When Buying Healthcare Regulatory Compliance Software

Healthcare compliance regulations are distinctly different from those of other industries for an important reason: providers hold people’s health and lives in their hands. Organizations rely on healthcare regulatory compliance software to manage adherence to the laws, rules, regulations, and standards that guide patient safety and care.

There are compliance software solutions that offer features and functions for multiple industries, including healthcare, construction, agriculture, and more. That is one of many red flags when buying healthcare regulatory compliance software.

Seven Healthcare Compliance Software Red Flags

Because healthcare regulations are highly specific, your compliance solution and the learning management system (LMS) that’s part of it should be, too. Let’s look at seven red flags to watch for when partnering with a healthcare compliance software vendor.

Red Flag: Training is Not Healthcare Specific

Many learning management systems (LMS) serve multiple industries, so some training may not include healthcare-specific examples or settings. These evidence and scenario-based courses are required in many healthcare regulations. Healthcare employees must also complete training on industry-specific regulatory and accreditation standards — general industry training may not apply to The Joint Commission standards, for example. Look for a wide range of healthcare-specific courses created agilely to be updated as compliance regulations change.

Red Flag: Lack of Customizable Reporting

In healthcare, customizable reporting is especially vital. Regulatory or accreditation surveyors often request lists of employees who have completed specific training. Selecting healthcare compliance software that offers customizable reports to meet these standards is essential. Additionally, look for software that allows you to save favorite reports and set up recurring schedules to ensure ongoing compliance for you and your leadership team.

Red Flag: No Healthcare Policy Experts

You wouldn’t ask a plumber to teach a course on infection control. You’d go to an expert who keeps up with ever-changing healthcare regulations.

A healthcare compliance software vendor will have policy experts on staff who will help guide your organization in selecting the required courses and leading the development of content. Be sure to ask if a subject matter expert has vetted the course to ensure the training is correct and complete.

Red Flag: Basic Document Storage

Just like a plumber shouldn’t teach compliance, your software shouldn’t rely on archaic policy management. The best regulatory compliance software offers full-cycle document and policy management in one platform — from writing, editing, and approvals to signature and storage. Today’s technology means you shouldn’t have to manage multiple websites and logins. Automatic version tracking, acknowledgment, and customizable reporting keep you survey-ready. You can customize and schedule reports for all records in the system.

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Red Flag: Lack of Incident Reporting Log

Unlike other industries, healthcare organizations must be able to demonstrate appropriate incident resolution. Software that doesn’t include automatic logging of steps in an incident report is not built for healthcare’s unique challenges. For example, an OSHA audit uncovers a higher-than-normal number of slips, trips, and falls. The auditor will require proof that your organization is solving the problem. Choose an online incident reporting system that does your hard work and is built for healthcare workflows.

Red Flag: A La Carte Pricing

It’s not uncommon for software vendors to bundle compliance courses and charge a la carte prices for each bundle. It may initially make sense, but it’s how you can buy more than planned to meet regulatory compliance.

A better option is all-inclusive pricing, which covers a broad range of compliance services for one fee. The package may include items you may not immediately need, but all-inclusive pricing is more cost-effective in the long run. You receive more comprehensive services that ensure each step of the compliance process is properly managed. And there are no surprise charges for add-on services not included in an a la carte bundle.

Red Flag: Unfamiliar With Care Settings

Regarding regulatory compliance, there’s no one-size-fits-all for all healthcare organizations. Every healthcare entity is unique, and your compliance software vendor should understand the needs of specific care settings based on what federal, state, and industry regulations govern how they operate. For example, behavioral health providers must complete additional courses that are not required for all providers. The incidents employees encounter in an ambulatory surgery center differ greatly from those that home health aides may encounter. Having customized training and incident reports specific to these care settings will help employees maintain compliance more efficiently.

Learn valuable tips and tricks to great compliance training.

Benefits of MedTrainer Compliance Software

MedTrainer was recently ranked #1 for healthcare compliance software for spring 2024 by G2 reviewers. We’ve led the category since its inception, which speaks volumes about the investments MedTrainer is making to provide the healthcare industry with the best compliance software.

MedTrainer is the only compliance platform that offers full-cycle document and policy management designed specifically for healthcare organizations. The all-in-one platform simplifies the monitoring, tracking, and evaluating of various compliance elements within healthcare organizations.

MedTrainer offers:

• Nearly 1,000 Courses: Our course library features nearly 1K carefully curated healthcare topics to meet the industry’s unique needs.’
• Incident Reporting: Brings incident reports online alongside other compliance tools to help eliminate delays, identify trends, and resolve issues more quickly.
• Policy Management: Eliminates the back and forth with collaboration, version tracking, electronic signatures, storage, and reporting.
• Tracking & Reporting: Look for automated tracking and customizable reporting to prepare reports for regulatory or accreditation inspections.
• Electronic Signatures: Opt for a mobile-friendly application that incorporates electronic signing into the same place as document creation, management, and reporting.
• HRIS Integration: Choose a policy management platform that integrates with your human resources information system (HRIS). When new employees are added to the HRIS, they can be automatically assigned all required policies by role, department, or location.
• Credentialing Management: Standardize your credentialing workflows with comprehensive provider profiles, provider enrollment checklists, automated license verification and exclusions monitoring, and more.

See why more healthcare organizations are choosing MedTrainer Compliance. Request a demo.