Your organization recently completed a contemporaneous audit of laboratory billing practices and found that copays have been written off. What should be your next step?

Engaging with the billing department to understand why copays have been written off is a crucial next step following the audit findings. This approach facilitates direct communication with the individuals directly involved in the billing processes, enabling a deeper investigation into the factors contributing to the issue. It is essential to determine whether this practice is occurring due to misunderstanding, improper training, a specific policy, or potential wrongdoing.

By discussing the issue with the billing department, you can gather insights that could lead to corrective actions or improvements in training and procedures. It sets the stage for a collaborative approach to resolve the issue, reinforcing a culture of compliance within the organization. This proactive engagement allows for informed decision-making regarding necessary interventions to prevent a recurrence of the problem.

In contrast, conducting a retrospective audit might provide insights into past practices, but addressing the present issue with the billing department is a more immediate and practical approach. Self-disclosure could also be necessary eventually, depending on the determined severity of the issue, but directly addressing the root of the problem is often prioritized when seeking to resolve compliance issues. Dismissing the situation through termination would not only fail to rectify the issue but could also lead to further complications within the organization.