#118 - Ghost Networks: Compliance Risks for Providers, MSOs, and Network Vendors

Ghost networks are a sharp reminder of how quickly patient access can break down when directories are outdated, ownership is unclear, and "someone else is updating it" becomes the default assumption. When patients cannot find care and complaints start rolling in, the core question becomes simple and urgent: "Prove what you verified, what you updated, and when." Providers, MSOs, and network vendors need more than good intentions. They need a repeatable process and an evidence trail that holds up.In this session, we use ghost networks as a real-world operational risk case study to help healthcare organizations strengthen access integrity without slowing down scheduling or referral workflows. Ray Walters (EPICompliance) and Jose Delgado Jr. (Taino Consultants) break down what causes ghost networks, inaccurate roster data, credentialing and contracting mismatches, stale contact/location details, and vendor handoff failures, and translate them into simple, practical controls your team can implement immediately.Key Topics:How directory errors happen across payers, providers, MSOs, and vendors, and the controls that prevent them (single source of truth, defined ownership, and closed-loop update verification).How access breakdowns become compliance and reputational risks, and the "minimum viable" control set (verification routines, documentation standards, escalation triggers, and audit trails).How payers and regulators evaluate access complaints, and how to build a repeatable workflow for validating listings, updating payers, confirming changes, and preventing repeat incidents.Resources:Learn more about healthcare compliance systems: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠epicompliance.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Explore healthcare compliance training and weekly webinars: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠epicompliance.com/training-in...⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Originally Recorded: January 20, 2026.