It’s hard to believe that it has been over a year since the Program Integrity rules were published and everyone was scurrying around to meet the regulations. Schools had to work very quickly to create disclosures, link them to their websites and inform their students. Another area that necessitated attention was the formalization and streamlining of the student complaint process.
Schools can't afford to be naïve and unaware about illegal and unethical activity taking place. Confronted with these realities, and understanding that students and employees do not want to work in an unsafe or unethical environment, management understands that they need to open up the line of communication. Many schools have opted to implement a Hotline on their campuses.
Hotline reporting systems have been around for several decades and have been proven methods for detecting fraud and abuse. Originally, the main purpose of the “Hotline” was to report abuse and fraud. The new trend for “Hotline” use in schools is to report unethical practices, misrepresentation and other compliance issues. Now Hotlines can be used as a vehicle for reinforcing cultures and codes of conduct.
You may ask yourself, “How can a Hotline change a culture?” Consider this, the existence of a Hotline reflects an institutions commitment to ethical behavior and builds employee trust. The sheer opportunity to impact your culture is enough to brand a Hotline as a best practice.
Now that the dust has settled and the schools have all their systems in place, it may be time to consider adding a Hotline to their Program Integrity Tools. Here are a few best practices in the development of a Hotline:
- 24 hour accessibility
- Promote it positively and consistently
- Guarantee anonymity and confidentiality
- Expedite resolutions for the complaints
- Track incoming information effectively
- Investigate with integrity
- Review all incoming information
- Securing the information
- Use data to modify internal processes
Do you think that a Hotline has or would be beneficial at your school?
