Establishing Regulatory Adaptability

The hustle and bustle of every day operations keeps us all busy in so many ways. Healthcare is always evolving...and so are the regulatory requirements. How do we keep up? Below are a few ideas to decrease the stress of change.

· Change is not for a one-man band.

Develop a committee, utilize consultants, or reach out to others in the industry. It is helpful to get others’ views, delegate tasks, and collaborate.

· Look at current practices and policies.

What is the facility currently doing or using relative to the changed regulations? Don’t reinvent the wheel, utilize what is already there and make the appropriate adjustments.

· Determine who the stakeholders are.

Who will the changes effect? Get the input of those who have to make changes to their routines.

· Develop a plan of action.

Put something in writing to stay on track, monitor progress, and determine responsibilities.

· Educate.

Probably the most important piece is to educate those who are affected. Determine the best way to perform the education; self-learning modules, in-services, return demonstrations, one-on-one meetings, etc. Make the staff aware of WHY the changes are occurring – you are more likely to get buy-in if they have an understanding of what the new requirements are.

· Stay up to date.

Sign up for e-mails from regulatory entities, utilize social media groups for your discipline(s), collaborate with consultants, and/or seek updates from the corporate level.

These are mere suggestions as long-term care is seeing a lot of changes that have already been imposed or proposed for the upcoming year. It is quite overwhelming, but effective change is possible and support systems are available.