More often than not, companies stumble into one or more of the health care compliance bear traps out of ignorance rather than malfeasance. Jim Nortz discusses the key role sales and marketing codes of conduct can play in preventing noncompliance.
“Papa God and the Monkey” was one of my kids’ favorite stories when they were little. In it, a woman slips and drops a pot of honey she was carrying on her head. A monkey sitting in a mango tree nearby saw what happened and heard the woman say, “Oh, Papa God, why did you give me so much misery?”
The monkey wondered what “misery” meant, so, after the woman left, he scampered down from the tree and saw a thick golden liquid running out of the cracked pot. He tasted it, liked it very much and polished it off. “Hmmm….” said the monkey to himself, “this must be misery. Misery is sweet and sticky.”
The next day, the monkey wanted some more, so he closed his eyes and prayed, “Papa God, dear Papa God, please, please send me some misery.” When he opened his eyes, he found himself on a tiny desert island without a single tree in sight. In front of him lay a huge sack.
“Ah,” said the monkey while opening the sack, “Papa God has sent me a lot of misery. Thank you, Papa God!”
Suddenly, out of the sack jumped seven big dogs who chased the monkey….
