REGULATORY AND COMPLIANCE

Legal and Regulatory Requirements

Establishing TheraPedia, a rehabilitative pediatric facility that focuses on providing

quality patient care and affordable services while adhering to the norms of cutting-edge
Physical Therapy, requires regulatory compliance before it can be operational. When starting
a business, you must comply with many regulatory agencies, which you must register with
depending on the type of business. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has
suggested that you must register your single proprietorship firm with the DTI in order to give
it a legal identity and its right to use your business name. Non-registered business names
are not permitted to operate. Following the submission of the required papers, TheraPedia
registered its company name.
In opening a business one must take into account business permit applications such
as local barangay and municipality business permit. Having said that, TheraPedia complied
with various requirements, including the requirement that the company be registered in the
local barangay and municipality in order to operate legally. Thus, before applying for and
registering the business permit, it prepared six documents, which are as follows: Fire Safety
Certificate, Sanitary Permit, Building Permit and Electrical Inspection Certificate, Certificate
of Occupancy, Locational Clearance, and Electric Utility Connection, which are submitted
and approved by some of the appropriate government agencies.
To ensure tax compliance, TheraPedia registered with the BIR in order to obtain its
own Tax Identification Number (TIN) and to begin business operations. Employees would
also be registered with the DOLE in this clinic as per the Occupational Safety and Health
Standards (OSHS), which state that the protection of every worker against the dangers of
injury, sickness, or death must be prioritized at all costs by ensuring safe and healthful
working conditions. Physical therapists and physicians are required to be PRC licensed.
TheraPedia also ensures that it is registered with the following organizations: SSS,
PAG-IBIG, and Philhealth, since these organizations provide vital advantages that not only
promote the welfare of the workers but also contribute to a healthier and more productive
work environment.

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996

Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) is a federal
statute that mandated the development of national standards to prevent sensitive patient
health information from being disclosed without the patient's knowledge or consent. The
statute's focus is on developing confidentiality measures within and beyond healthcare
facilities, with the purpose of keeping protected health information private. This statute
applies to everyone who works in a healthcare institution or private office, including students,
non-patient care personnel, health plans (such as insurance companies), billing firms, and
electronic medical record companies.
As part of the process of establishing TheraPedia, regulatory compliance and
adherence to HIPAA standards were required, as the Congress mandated the establishment
of Federal standards to ensure electronic protected health information security to ensure the
confidentiality, integrity, and availability of health information that ensures the protection of
individual's health information while also granting access for health care providers,
clearinghouses, and health plans for continued medical care.