The Office of Institutional Compliance and Privacy will celebrate Compliance Week Nov. 7-13. Compliance Week is a national movement to recognize the essential work that goes into ensuring safety, protecting research and promoting the integrity of organizations such as UT Health San Antonio.
Compliance Week activities include a virtual scavenger hunt for participants to learn more about the compliance program at the university, highlighting information about the compliance office, featuring know-how about the sections of the Handbook of Operating Policies and providing awareness about the functions of the compliance program.
“Everyone can celebrate Compliance Week because compliance is everyone’s responsibility,” said Bonnie Ann Sexton, MS, CHC, CHRC, CHPC, director of compliance programs.
Compliance Week aims to foster understanding about the important connection between compliance integrity and the university’s reputation in the community, she added.
“Every day our constituents, colleagues and those that we work with want to do the right thing. And that’s what compliance is really about. When we do the right thing, it feeds organizational integrity and builds our reputation in the community.”
It is because of compliance — the following of policies, procedures, licensing agreements, contracted arrangements, regulatory and accreditation standards — that the institution can achieve reputational integrity, Sexton said. Through compliance efforts such as securing patient data, maintaining eligibility to receive research funding and ensuring accurate billing and payment processing, the university can successfully pursue its missions to educate the next generation of providers, unlock the secrets of disease and discover new and innovative ways to deliver high-quality care.
For more information about how Compliance Week is being celebrated at UT Health San Antonio, please visit the event website.
UT Health San Antonio encourages open communication regarding compliance, privacy and ethical concerns. When the need arises, report compliance concerns via the hotline at (877) 507-7317, visiting https://insideuthsa.ethicspoint.com/ or by calling the Institutional Compliance Officer at (210) 567-2014. The university prohibits retaliation against those who report compliance of ethics concerns in good faith.