STERLING HAWKINS
Stafford
Summary
Meticulous healthcare professional with over 20 years of experience in health care law, specializing in quality, compliance, patient safety, and risk management. Proven track record of integrity and adherence to ethical standards. Expertise in navigating new health care laws and regulatory mandates. Proficient in MS Office Suite, demonstrating strong adaptability and interpersonal skills.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
Work History
Health Systems Analyst, SME (Contractor)
Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA)
National Center for Patient Safety (NCPS)
03.2024 - Current
- Collaborate with NCPS’ JPSR System team on the joint VHA/DHA JPSR Software Modernization project
- Provide continual consulting support for existing applications/systems and implement new applications/systems
- Analyze data to identify areas for improvement
- Conduct system testing and validation prior to implementation
- Support vendor applications systems
- Perform continual assessment of available application and workflow enhancements to facilitate continued improvements in software capability
- Monitor system performance and implement necessary upgrades
- Provides a comprehensive roadmap for the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) to effectively navigate the High Reliability Organization (HRO) journey using the ADKAR change management model by planning, coordinating and leading clinical related activities in all phases
- Measure facility progress in achieving high reliability in Quality and Patient Safety and Continuous Process Improvement (CPI)
- Identify gaps and areas for improvement; develop a comprehensive plan to guide VHA Medical Centers to HRO status
- Collect, analyze and prepare reports to pinpoint gaps in organizational strategic planning and presenting findings to facility executives and stakeholders
- Track organization progress from strategy to actualization helping leaders understand the impact and effectiveness of change management strategies
- Demonstrates the return on investment (ROI) associated with HRO transformation efforts
- Ensure consistency and collaboration across the healthcare system to achieve long-term sustainability
- Responsible for oversight of multiple workstreams both virtually and onsite
- Aggregate, disseminate and share knowledge to VA leadership, stakeholders and colleagues both written and oral
- Conduct administrative duties such as creating weekly status reports, monthly achievement reports, travel expense reports, etc
- Work closely with cross-functional teams and perform other duties as assigned by the Program Manager in an orderly and efficient manner
Director of Compliance
Greater Baden Medical Services (FQHC)
06.2022 - 06.2023
- Chairs Compliance Committee (serves on QAPI, Risk, EOC)
- Develops and administers the organization’s Compliance Program in accordance with laws, guidelines and standards for Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC)
- Acts as liaison for HRSA, CMS and Joint Commission
- Coordinates documents needed for FTCA deeming application and Operational Site Visit (OSV)
- Minimizes legal risk by understanding current and proposed legislation, enforcing regulations, recommending new procedures and complying with legal requirements for FQHC’s
- Protects assets by tracking applicable laws/regulations and ensuring that the Finance Department policies and procedures align with accrediting bodies
- Monitors Compliance Hotline and investigates all reported concerns
- Design, develop and administer compliance training and education regarding False Claims Act, Anti-kickback Statute, HIPAA, Stark Law, Civil Monetary Penalties Law to frontline staff and Administrative (C-suite)
- Ensures contract language meets all applicable regulations and standards
- Interacts with government and oversight agencies (JTC, CMS, HRSA, HHS, OIG)
- Accomplishes compliance objectives by educating staff and communicating and enforcing policies
- Overseeing compliance audits and risk assessments and implementing their findings
- Writes, reviews and revises organizational standards, guidelines and policies and procedures as necessary
- Partnering with legal counsel and finance departments to identify and monitor critical risk areas, planning for mitigating risks and developing action plans
Director of Quality and Risk Management
Vibra Hospital
10.2021 - 04.2022
- Direct, plan, develop and implement hospital quality and risk management. Acts as Privacy Officer.
- Oversees the hospital-wide performance improvement program (QAPI) including Infection Control and Medical Records. Advises and assists department managers in their efforts to monitor, evaluate and correct their programs relative to applicable standards. Promotes clinical outcomes improvement and an enhanced patient experience through data analysis, process improvement, education and training of clinical staff. Serves as overall patient care assessment coordinator reporting as required to Governing Board.
- Responsible for directing quality management efforts to ensure continuous improvement and organizational excellence, adherence with all regulatory, compliance, accreditation and legal issues. Manages Risk issues and oversees the credentialing function for medical staff. Responsible for maintaining compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation, the Joint Commission standards and COLA/CLIA standards.
- Oversight of quality of patient care utilizing accreditation, licensure and regulatory standards. Advises department managers in the area of policy and procedure development. Serves as the coordinator for surveys, investigations, regulatory changes and updates. Assists with education and training for all employees for programs required by regulatory bodies.
- Monitors risk management activities and acts as a resource to hospital and Corporate staff. Evaluates incident reports for trends, reports data and ensures corrective actions are taken. Ensures patient satisfaction/complaint issues are addressed in a timely manner. Acts as Security and/or Privacy Officer. Oversees collection and reporting of patient satisfaction data.
- Serves as the organization’s Risk Manager and Facility Compliance Officer (FCO). Provides oversight to the FPPE/OPPE process for the medical staff credentialing for the facility.
COVID-19 Compliance Supervisor (Contractor)
ViacomCBS/CBS News
01.2021 - 10.2021
- Lead COVID-19 health and safety planning on productions according to best practice guidelines and in conjunction with ViacomCBS leadership
- Consult with HR Business Partner and Env Health VP to ensure communication and enforcement of health and safety protocols Lead and escalate compliance issues/concerns to CBS News leadership
- Participate in pre/pro discussions re production and stage footprint, advising on spacing, placement and traffic flow of all cast and crew
- Inspect locations and provide PPE as needed; vaccination administration and Respirator Fit Testing
- Implementation and enforcement of COVID-19 Safety Guidelines while on set in collaboration with production/leadership
- Advise company leadership, production teams and crews on best practices related to COVID-19 prevention. Ensure policies and protocols are followed on set and by 3rd parties/guests/visitors; advise leadership of compliance concerns or violations
Quality Assurance Manager
Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office Adult Detention Center Medical Services
04.2019 - 08.2020
- Independently designs, develops, and coordinates ongoing department programs and special projects; Oversees Quality Assurance, clinical education and change management within the Medical Services Branch of the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
- Performs a wide range of professional-level management work for more than one broad administrative function including complex analysis and diverse project management in a lead capacity; Coordinates and manages the work of administrative, para-professional, and/or professional-level staff in the day-to-day activities of selected projects. Plans, organizes, and coordinates changes to the policies, procedures or processes related to multiple administrative functions (financial, procurement, budget, human resources, contract or grant administration, information technology systems, etc).
- Designs, develops, implements and integrates a formal and structured Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Program and serves as CQI Committee Chair.
- Plans and conducts or oversees studies or research activities to ensure program quality; determine unmet needs or ensure efficacy of existing programs.
- Provides guidance, recommendations and advice to departmental managers; Serves on committees, task forces, and management teams to evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of existing management/administrative systems; writes, edits and finalizes reports and presentations and presents findings and recommendations to department senior managers; Builds effective relationships with executive management, clinical and confinement leadership within the FCSO ADC.
- Investigates client and employee complaints/grievances and maintains the complaint tracking database; Maintains constant state of readiness for accreditation surveys (NCCHC, AJA, ACA); Conducts staff training (defensive documentation, survey readiness, medical standards/regulations, etc).
Quality Safety Risk Manager (Contractor)
PSC/FOH
Bethesda
05.2018 - 10.2018
- Project management of nationwide projects that ultimately report out to senior leadership of FOH regarding performance improvement and safety.
- Provides leadership and direction with TJC accreditation efforts to improve the overall quality and safety of services within all FOH service lines.
- Sentinel Event Reporting; Chairs the Quality, Safety and Risk Management Committee.
- Responds to complaints received via TJC mailbox.
- Responsible for ensuring a constant state of readiness for TJC survey in the areas of Quality/Performance Improvement, Risk Management, Safety and Complaints Resolution.
- Provides leadership and overall direction of FOH’s quality, safety, and performance improvement program; Revises plan based on organizational risk assessment.
- Educates staff on Performance Improvement (PI) plan and communicates results of PI activities to leadership.
- Manages Safety Event Reporting System.
- Keeps the FOH Director, Medical Director, and Deputy Medical Directors informed of serious safety events and risk management issues; Keeps abreast of drug and equipment recalls relevant to FOH.
- Promotes a culture of safety and assists Service Lines in complaint resolution.
- Maintains electronic risk management data system.
- Investigate events and collaborate with Medical Director to formulate resolution and manage risk. Conduct and lead Root Cause Analysis when indicated.
Asst. Vice President Compliance/Regulatory
Medstar Visiting Nurse Association
06.2017 - 06.2018
- Direct the accreditation process for the VNA companies including assessment, corrective action planning, and defining opportunities for improvement, education and preparation for survey.
- Lead and direct the UR process, track trends, design and implement plans of correction. Work collaboratively with management to develop recommendations for improvement based on audit and performance indicators.
- Lead the Regulatory Council in establishing and revising policies and processes to comply with accrediting and regulatory bodies. Identify and address risk management issues; conduct a complete and thorough investigation of potential risk issues. Develop action plans to mitigate similar type issues.
- Maintain a knowledge base regarding legal issues that affect the agency including malpractice and negligence, employer/employee matters and regulatory issues. Participate in compliance reviews of VNA companies.
- Provide direct oversight of company compliance programs which supports established goals and objectives in adherence to corporate, home care and departmental policies, procedures, quality standards and safety standards. All in accordance with federal, state and regulatory agency requirements.
- Represent the VNA at corporate quality, nursing and infection prevention committees and councils as assigned by MVNA leadership. Track, analyze and develop improvement plans for risk management issues, occurrences, complaints and infection prevention plan statistics and outcomes.
- Collaborate with Operations and Senior Leadership on Performance Improvement Plans.
- Serve as the liaison to the MedStar Health Corporate Compliance Office to ensure that local compliance programs are in alignment with the Corporate Compliance Program. In conjunction with Corporate Compliance, ensure MVNA maintains compliance with both federal and state compliance requirements.
- Co-chair the Compliance Committee with the Diversified Compliance Officer, supporting preparation of agendas, minutes and relevant materials.
- Support the VP of Quality in tracking, trending and analyzing patient safety occurrences, infections, serious safety events and complaints; prepare reports for leadership, professional advisory activities and board meetings.
- Direct the DC license survey preparation, survey activities and correction action planning.
Infection Control/Post Exposure Compliance and Safety Coordinator
Concentra
Landover Hills
10.2010 - 01.2017
- Expertly planned, coordinated, organized and directed Infection Control/Post Exposure Compliance Program operations for Prince George’s County, MD. Provided training and education for Public Safety employees (8,000+).
- Served as a liaison to various county agencies, hospitals, health departments and State Medical Examiners; ensured compliance with state/federal laws, policies and procedures.
- Created, updated and maintained training of immunization databases; administered immunizations; tracked communicable disease exposure types and rates; reported trends and assisted agencies with correction plans.
- Consistently analyzed operations to identify areas of improvement; consistently met/exceeded quality assurance objectives via medical record audits and procedure reviews.
- Worked with agency Risk Managers and QA/Safety Officers to ensure compliance with occupational exposures/injury reporting and employee safety measures.
- Coordinated with Fire/EMS, Police, Sheriff, and Dept. of Corrections to facilitate annual and new hire training needs.
- Experience with patient triage post exposures (labs, examination, source patient testing, CDC guidelines, OSHA regulations).
- Coordinated with various agencies to review and update Infection Control/Communicable Disease Policies and Procedures and Occupational Exposure reporting processes.
- Reviewed agency protocols/procedures to ensure compliance with federal and state laws and regulations.
- Served as Subject Matter Expert (SME) for Infection Control/Communicable Disease issues; OSHA/CDC compliance and correct/appropriate OSHA reporting.
Education
Master of Jurisprudence - Health Law
Loyola University School of Law
Chicago, ILBachelor of Science - Nursing
Western Michigan University
Kalamazoo, MIAssociates of Arts -
Coastal Carolina Community College
Jacksonville, NCSkills
- Legal/Ethical Issues and Medical Record Audits
- Infection Control/Prevention
- Health Systems Analysis and Consultation
- Compliance and Patient Safety
- OSHA Standards/Quality Assurance
- Staff Training and Education/Development
- Risk Management and High Reliability Organization (HRO)
- State/Federal Laws/Regulations
- Policy and Procedure Review/Revisions
- Contract Review/Revisions
- Project management
- Change management
- Data analysis
- Stakeholder engagement
- Process improvement
- Performance monitoring
- Team collaboration
- Risk assessment
- Training development
- Strategic planning
- Contract management
- Quality assurance
Affiliations
- American Health Lawyers Association
- Virginia Nurses Association
- American Society for Healthcare Risk Management
Credentials - License
Registered Nurse (RN), Virginia, #0001171863
Timeline
Health Systems Analyst, SME (Contractor)
Veterans Healthcare Administration (VHA)
03.2024 - Current
Director of Compliance
Greater Baden Medical Services (FQHC)
06.2022 - 06.2023
Director of Quality and Risk Management
Vibra Hospital
10.2021 - 04.2022
COVID-19 Compliance Supervisor (Contractor)
ViacomCBS/CBS News
01.2021 - 10.2021
Quality Assurance Manager
Fairfax County Sheriff’s Office Adult Detention Center Medical Services
04.2019 - 08.2020
Quality Safety Risk Manager (Contractor)
PSC/FOH
05.2018 - 10.2018
Asst. Vice President Compliance/Regulatory
Medstar Visiting Nurse Association
06.2017 - 06.2018
Infection Control/Post Exposure Compliance and Safety Coordinator
Concentra
10.2010 - 01.2017
Master of Jurisprudence - Health Law
Loyola University School of Law
Bachelor of Science - Nursing
Western Michigan University
Associates of Arts -
Coastal Carolina Community College
Similar Profiles
Camilla LanierCamilla Lanier
Director, Planning and Operations at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Integrity and Compliance (OIC)Director, Planning and Operations at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Office of Integrity and Compliance (OIC)
Altovise McClainAltovise McClain
Triage Registered Nurse (RN) at Veterans Health Administration VHATriage Registered Nurse (RN) at Veterans Health Administration VHA
Eliakim GermainEliakim Germain
Registered Respiratory Therapist GS 11 Step 04 at Veterans Health Administration VHARegistered Respiratory Therapist GS 11 Step 04 at Veterans Health Administration VHA
Nicholas SimsNicholas Sims
Assistant Operations Non-Commissioned Officer at United States ArmyAssistant Operations Non-Commissioned Officer at United States Army
MARTIN CRUZMARTIN CRUZ
Laborer at HTX MechanicalLaborer at HTX Mechanical