Rick Porter Author Chapter in AHLA's Enterprise Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Entities

Environmental Compliance in the Context of ERM

Hinshaw environmental attorney Richard S. Porter co-authored a chapter for the American Health Lawyers Association's Enterprise Risk Management Handbook for Healthcare Entities (Second Edition). The chapter, titled "Environmental Compliance in the Context of ERM," addresses the environmental laws that affect healthcare facilities, including a brief discussion of Environment of Care standards of the Joint Commission. In it, they discuss the ability of healthcare entities to conduct Environmental Self Audits (ESAs), implement Environmental Management Systems (EMSs), and respond to inspections. The chapter also includes a user-friendly chart detailing the environmental law document retention regulations. 

Hinshaw's Environmental Law Practice Group has the capability and experience to conduct ESAs and implement EMSs and has developed a convenient web-based survey to assist healthcare entities in conducting self-audits in an efficient manner. With increased enforcement efforts, healthcare entities are well-advised to implement proper ESAs and EMSs not only to assure future environmental law compliance, but also to reduce or avoid gravity-based penalties on past or present environmental law violations reported to the EPA as part of a privileged self-audit.