HUM216 Summarize the following about the charity precisely

Charity is defined as an organization that exists to help those in need or to provide religious, educational, scientific, or similar aid to the public (Showalter, 2017). Although through the centuries they have been unable to really agree on the actual definition of charity which is why there are so many legal issues. One company that came to mind when I read the sentence “charity involves benevolence-assisting the less fortunate, doing good work, and promoting general welfare” (Showalter, 2017) is Shriner’s. Since Shriners is a non-profit it is considered charitable, they provide services to any child under 18 regardless of ability to pay, they do not discriminate and go to various lengths to help a child in need. There are several charitable not for profit organization’s just in Spokane we also have the American Childhood Cancer Organization, Ronald McDonald House, and St. Luke’s Rehabilitation. Not for profit charitable organizations are a must for low income families. It’s hard to plan for the inevitable and even with insurance these families could lose everything to help one of their own.

Many hospitals also offer something called Charity Care which offers free or low-cost treatment and only covers medically necessary treatments. Charity Care is still based off a person’s income and is only offered by some hospitals. (Project, 2019). I could also see this being a negative thing for the hospitals though as they are basically just offering free care and are not getting much or any reimbursement.

The other types of charities that are always asking for donations like American Heart Association, Cancer Awareness, Children’s Miracle Network and the list goes on and on. Many of the donations that are raised are used for research programs in hopes to find new treatments and or cures. Although I do donate, I do worry about how much of what we donate is going to the actual charity. Each charity gets a certain percent from whomever is sponsoring the charity.

Corporate Compliance is having policies and procedures that can detect and solve problems early. The book discusses Corporate Compliance Programs to help healthcare organizations develop internal controls that promote adherence to federal and state laws and the program requirements of federal state, and private health plans (Showalter, 2017). Researching some of today’s biggest compliance issues I found that data breaches and social media are one of the top risks. People do not think about how one small thing could be a security breach it goes hand in hand with the HIPPA violations. If you post something on social media like a picture of the office that happens to have pictures of patients or patient information in the background that would be a huge risk.

This quote from Matt Fisher an attorney at a Massachusetts law practice sums up Corporate Compliance well. “While compliance cannot control the actions of external actors, it is possible to help ensure that appropriate resources are directed to securing systems,” Fisher says. “When it comes to internal causes, compliance needs to appropriately educate and monitor activity. If individuals are armed with knowledge of the law, then it becomes easier to do the right thing. However, trust cannot be blind, and that is where auditing and monitoring is necessary.” (Barajas, 2018)

Works Cited

Barajas, B. (2018, November 6). Precheck Investigate Further. Retrieved from Top Compliance in Healthcare 2019: https://www.precheck.com/blog/top-compliance-issues-healthcare-2019

Project, N. J. (2019, January 29). Washington Law Help. Retrieved from Can I get Charity Care Benefits: https://www.washingtonlawhelp.org/resource/charity-care-medical-coverage-for-hospital-ba#a

Showalter, S. (2017). Law of Healthcare Administration. Chicago: Health Administration Press.