Quality Assurance Specialist

About the role

The Quality Assurance Specialist will assist the Vice President of Professional Services in overseeing and ensuring compliance with all quality assurance processes. The Quality Assurance Specialist is responsible for the overall event management and agency investigation compliance, maintaining adherence to regulatory requirements, and serving as a liaison between the local office and appropriate State agencies for event reporting and investigations.

Responsibilities

• Participate in the agency’s strategic planning process and facilitate the communication of quality requirements from the appropriate State agencies, the Board of Directors, the Vice President of Professional Services, and the President.
• Ensure that all event reports are accurately documented and submitted to the State office within required timeframes, adhering to agency policy and regulatory mandates.
• Conduct monthly Event Management Committee meetings including a thorough review of investigation findings and implementation of recommended corrective actions.
• Coordinate and oversee the investigation process from initiation to completion, ensuring adherence to state and federal compliance standards and documenting all findings.
• Conduct Staff Misconduct investigations as needed, ensuring all procedures align with agency policies and regulatory compliance standards while maintaining the highest standards of confidentiality.
• Develop and deliver ongoing staff training related to Event Management, Protection from Harm, Compliance Regulations, and New Hire Orientation, ensuring training documentation remains up to date and accessible.
• Actively participate in the Agency Quality Team, Safety Committee, and other compliance-related committees as deemed necessary.
• Maintain oversight of all Cross-System Crisis Plans, ensuring compliance with state and federal guidelines.
• Enter each person’s annual, and as needed, outcomes in the EHR, and ensure all psychotropic medication informed consents are completed and documented annually and as needed, adhering to compliance requirements.
• Regularly review and update policies and procedures related to event management, safety, and compliance to align with state and federal regulations.
• Assist in the development and implementation of internal audits and corrective action plans to mitigate risks and enhance agency compliance.
• Complete site visits as required, and work a flexible schedule as determined by supervisor, including providing services after hours, on weekends, and holidays as scheduled and according to the organization's On Call Policy.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree plus one year of relevant experience; or Associate’s degree with two years of relevant experience; or high school diploma with four years of relevant experience.
• Department of Disabilities and Aging (DDA) designated online training, First Aid and CPR training within the first 90 days of employment, and any other required training.
• Person Centered Thinking Training, Emory Valley Center Orientation, and valid Tennessee ID.
• DDA Investigator Training.

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have the ability to establish a comfortable and supportive relationship with individuals receiving support and their families, and maintain effective relationships with other management staff, employees, and the public. They will demonstrate sensitivity to corporate needs, employee goodwill, and the Company’s public image, and have a commitment to person-centered support for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The candidate will be confident and comfortable with public speaking, able to present facts and recommendations effectively in oral, electronic, and written form, and able to exercise good judgment, responsibility, and independent action. They will have excellent crisis management, interpersonal, communication, time management, and organizational skills, and uphold the strictest of confidentiality, following the guidelines related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)/HITECH and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA).

The candidate will be proficient in using Microsoft Office and the Electronic Health Record (EHR) as required for Company operations.

Skills

• Ability to calculate and/or tabulate data, including performing subsequent actions concerning these computational operations.
• Ability to provide guidance, assistance, and/or interpretation to others regarding the application of procedures and standards to specific situations.
• Ability to operate, maneuver, and/or control the actions of equipment, machinery, tools, and/or materials used in performing essential functions.
• Ability to utilize a wide variety of references, descriptive, and/or advisory data and information.
• Ability to perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, calculate decimals and percentages, and utilize principles of fractions.
• Ability to apply principles of rational systems, to interpret instructions furnished in written, oral, diagrammatic, or schedule form, and to exercise independent judgment to adopt or modify methods and standards to meet variations in assigned objectives.
• Ability to exercise judgment, decisiveness, and creativity in situations involving the evaluation of information against measurable or verifiable criteria.

Work Conditions

Work will take place in an office setting and in the community and Emory Valley Center homes/programs. While performing the duties of the job, travel will be required, and the employee may need to utilize their own vehicle when an agency vehicle is not available. Traveling may expose the employee to changing weather and visibility conditions. The employee will work a flexible schedule as determined necessary, including additional hours as necessary.