Before we leave 2009 let's take a look back. Then we'll take a quick peek to see what's ahead for the New year.

In January, the difficult financial conditions were already clear as many of us, our family and friends were impacted by the state of the economy.  I detailed some of those issues in the January newsletter article - Making the Case for eLearning in a Troubling Economy.                                                               

Later in the year, in March, we looked at HIPAA and new training regulations under the ARRA in the article - HIPAA - Taming the Monster!: Why Annual HIPAA Training is More Urgent Than Ever.  HIPAA regulations will be changing and expanding at least through the middle of the next decade.

Several of my articles in 2009 had to do with the theme of integrating training and compliance into the normal job responsibilities of every staff member.  Instead of making training a once a year event, regular training requirements are a more effective means to achieve desired outcomes.  In general, it will also lead to less resistance from the staff and easier scheduling as staff accepts training as part of their job and not a yearly event to get finished with.  This was discussed in "Yearly" vs "Annual" Nurse Mandatory Training.

At HCCS, we believe that is one of the key factors in effectiveness is the quality of training delivered.  Delivering low quality training can not only impact current training initiatives, but can set low staff expectations for future training that can be difficult to overcome.  We looked at this in the August article The Training Pill. 

Probably the most significant training industry news of the year was a report by the U.S. Department of Education which concluded that “on average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”  I reviewed this study in the September newsletter, U.S. Department of Education Report: eLearning Outperforms Classroom.

Two other articles discussed the issues of Conflicts of Interest and Identity Theft.  Both of these issues are growing problems with daily headlines.

And we looked at the future when I reported on the Games For Health conference.

Speaking of the future -

2010 marks the beginning of a new decade.  The end of the first decade of the 21^st century.  

Already, we see the pace of regulation increasing and a substantial amount of required new training and compliance activity for 2010.  Here is an incomplete list of growing compliance issues that staff and administrators in facilities will need to know about in the coming year and probably for most or all of the new decade –

• HIPAA for Business Associates – Expanded HIPAA regulations that require Business Associates to adopt many of the same HIPAA requirements of Covered Entities.

• Identity Theft and Red Flags Rules – These rules are in effect now yet many organizations have not completed their policies and procedures or staff training.   The enforcement date of June 1, 2010 is approaching.

• MA and Part D Compliance – MA organizations and Part D Sponsors are responsible for ensuring that all employees and their first tier, downstream, and related entities provide appropriate training in fraud, waste and abuse.  Training is required annually, beginning in 2009.

• Conflicts of Interest – This growing issue has intense government and media scrutiny that will require education, policies, procedures and new systems.  Government, industry, associations, Pharma and patients are all looking at this issue.  Big changes seem to be on the horizon.

• RAC Preparedness – As RAC audits roll out nationally, more organizations will come to the realization that they need a proactive strategy.  Waiting for the RACs and responding is not an effective course of action.

2010 is going to be a busy year for compliance and training administrators.  Many organizations will try to catch up with training initiatives that were put off in 2009.  Starting preparations now will help to ensure a smooth, planned path to meet your goals in 2010.

All of us at HCCS wish you and your family, colleagues and friends a Happy, Healthy, Safe and Prosperous Holiday Season and New Year.  We’ll see you in 2010!

Peace.