The compliance-related priorities between the years
The compliance-related priorities between the years are influenced by the establishment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The information provided in the year’s survey outline various strategic challenges that are faced by healthcare provider organizations. Table 3 presents information about the health industry-specific technical knowledge by comparing the overall results for three years. For instance, in 2013, state-specific privacy and security laws were enacted to ensure compliance in exchange of healthcare information. The additional measures during this year included the establishment of pay-for-performance quality standards, ICD-10 impact and readiness, payment bundling and value-based purchasing. In 2014, the survey conducted revealed some improvements. For instance, physician compensation methodologies were outlined and Meaningful Use compliance implemented. In Table 4, the CAE results for three years indicated some improvements. Durable medical equipment and physician credentialing were developed in 2013. However, in 2014, healthcare joint venture, case management and coding knowledge were included in the health information exchange.
Table 7 provides the overall results for the general technical knowledge collected in three years. In 2013, cloud computing, Audit IT governance was used in Data Analysis Technologies. However, in 2014, Data Analysis Technologies incorporated the cybersecurity framework and information security governance. Table 10 presents information about the Audit Process Knowledge by comparing the results for three years. In 2012, the CAATs involved continuous auditing and monitoring. In 2013, more data analysis tools were used in the auditing process as well as data manipulation. However, in 2014, Quality Assurance and Improvement Program were initiated. The audit process involved statistically-based sampling, Auditing IT, and assessment of risks.
In conclusion, the survey for each year provided differences in the overall results, which were used to identify areas that required improvement. The information indicated key improvements in compliance, quality assurance, social media, and information security.