Regulatory Oversight
Healthcare is a highly regulated industry. Laws and regulations about privacy, decision-making authority, safety, and other topics strictly guide decisions and rights of healthcare systems. Patients may request something that seems like common sense to them, but the request cannot be granted due to a regulation that stipulates an exclusion or a stipulation that prevents the health system from complying. All too often, healthcare professionals want to meet patient requests but are caught between the patient and the law. In those situations, the law prevails if they’re to retain their license to practice.
Understanding and observing regulations as a patient makes working with healthcare providers easier.
Presented in the “Enforcement Agencies” section is a list of the individual government agencies that monitor healthcare facilities for compliance with healthcare regulations. A summary of their primary mission, how they conduct their oversight, what happens if an organization is non-compliant, and how their actions help keep the public safe follows.
What do you do if you feel you or your family member has received unsafe care? Is there a process if you suspect someone is falsifying records or committing fraud? What do you do if you feel there is something dangerous, illegal, or suspicious happening at a facility you are visiting? Each agency has a reporting process that will be shared with you.
Safety should always be your priority in every situation. Suppose you feel that someone in the healthcare setting is doing something that might cause you, your family member, or someone else harm immediately or soon. In that case, it is your responsibility to speak up to pause the situation long enough to determine if your fears are real. You can either clarify the misunderstanding and move forward, or you can address the issue and work toward resolving the process.
Safety First Always explains the steps to take to call a timeout long enough to keep any further harm from happening if you suspect trouble about to occur.
