Healthcare Regulatory Specialist- PACE

Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS)•Eden Prairie, MN

1d•$90,000 - $100,000•Remote

About The Position

VOANS Healthcare is seeking a Healthcare Regulatory Specialist to serve as the division’s go-to expert for all regulatory requirements in PACE and Senior Living programs. The Healthcare Regulatory Specialist is the division’s primary subject matter expert for all regulatory requirements applicable to their assigned business line (PACE or Senior Living). This includes federal regulations, state rules, CMS guidance, contractual obligations (e.g., PACE three-way agreements), and other compliance mandates. The Regulatory Specialist ensures VOANS Healthcare maintains an accurate, current, and operational understanding of these requirements across regions and programs.

Requirements

Strong ability to create, build, and maintain productive relationships at all levels.
Must have a valid driver’s license, proof of insurance and means of transportation.
Bachelor’s degree in a healthcare-related field such as Healthcare Administration, Health Services Management, Nursing, Public Health, Health Information Management, or a related discipline required.
Requires a recognized healthcare compliance certification, such as Certified in Healthcare Compliance (CHC) or an equivalent compliance or regulatory credential.
Requires a minimum of three (3) years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare compliance, regulatory oversight, auditing, or survey management, including direct responsibility for interpreting regulations, supporting audits or surveys, reviewing policies for regulatory alignment, and advising operational or clinical leaders on compliance requirements, preferably in senior care settings such as skilled nursing, assisted living, or PACE.

Nice To Haves

A Master’s degree is preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as the subject matter expert for federal and state regulations applicable to the assigned business line, including CMS requirements, state licensing rules, and contractual obligations (e.g., PACE three-way agreement).
Provide real-time regulatory consultation to Quality Managers, Clinical Specialists, and program/facility leadership.
Maintain a centralized repository of regulatory interpretations, guidance documents, and standardized decision tools.
Monitor regulatory developments (e.g., CMS memos, state rule changes, federal guidance, association updates).
Produce concise, actionable regulatory summaries for internal distribution.
Conduct impact assessments of regulatory changes and outline required operational, documentation, or workflow adjustments.
Lead planning for compliance with new or revised regulatory requirements, including timelines, responsibilities, and reference materials.
Serve as a primary reviewer of policies and procedures to ensure regulatory accuracy, alignment with federal/state requirements, and internal consistency.
Maintain policy crosswalks linking regulatory citations to internal policies.
Participate in drafting and revising policies based on regulatory changes, survey trends, and audit findings.
Support harmonization of regulatory policy across business lines where appropriate.
Oversee regulatory components of the internal audit workplan and ensure alignment with survey expectations.
Conduct focused regulatory audits based on federal/state requirements, areas of known risk, or prior deficiencies.
Provide documented findings and regulatory interpretations to the Quality Manager and relevant operational leaders.
Assist Quality Managers and leadership in understanding the regulatory significance of identified issues.
Maintain readiness tools, crosswalks, and regulatory expectations to support facilities/programs in anticipating survey focus areas.
Supervise internal auditors and guide their audit work to ensure accuracy, consistency, and regulatory alignment.
Ensure audit tools remain up to date with current regulatory requirements and reflect best practices.
Conduct occasional validation audits (spot checks) to ensure audit integrity and consistency across auditors.
Trend audit findings and prepare reports summarizing regulatory risk patterns, recurring concerns, and opportunities for systemic improvement.
Collaborate with the VP of Compliance and Performance Excellence and Director of Healthcare Compliance on annual audit workplan development.
Provide regulatory interpretation of issues identified through internal audits, incidents, complaints/grievances, survey findings, and operational escalation.
Ensure the regulatory implications of issues are clearly communicated to the Quality Manager and leadership.
Advise on what regulatory standards apply, what outcomes must be achieved, and what the minimum regulatory expectation for resolution looks like.
Collaborate with QMs during the preliminary review of findings to ensure accurate problem definition prior to corrective action planning.
Support leadership awareness of high-risk regulatory trends and systemic vulnerabilities.
Provide training on the regulatory topics most relevant to the assigned business line.
Develop regulatory quick reference guides, checklists, and decision aids for Quality Managers, Clinical Specialists, and operational leaders.
Support onboarding and ongoing competency development for Quality Managers.
Deliver targeted education following regulatory changes or identified gaps.
Serve as regulatory resource for infection control, care planning, accident prevention, abuse/ neglect standards, psychotropic medication regulations, PCC documentation expectations, and MDS compliance (in coordination with MDS Manager) for Senior Living.
Support facilities in understanding and implementing survey expectations related to these domains for Senior Living.
Serve as regulatory resource for participant rights, IDT processes, service authorization timeliness, homecare supervisory expectations, contracted provider compliance, grievances/ appeals, and adherence to the PACE three-way agreement for PACE.
Support interpretation of CMS audit protocols and expectations for core PACE domains for PACE.
Identify regulatory performance indicators suitable for dashboard reporting.
Partner with BI/PBI resources to integrate regulatory metrics into division-wide dashboards.
Provide analysis and regulatory interpretation of trends in incidents, audits, survey results, and compliance indicators.
Promote consistency in regulatory practice across regions and business lines.
Participate in cross-functional quality and compliance committees.
Contribute to initiatives focused on standardizing processes, reducing variation, and improving regulatory reliability.
Maintain positive working relationships with state regulatory bodies, CMS staff, and provider associations.
Participate in state or regional regulatory meetings, provider forums, or rulemaking sessions as appropriate.
Serve as a professional, informed point of contact for regulatory matters.
Support strong organizational communication and cross-facility learning.
Actively participate as an engaged member of the Performance Excellence team.
In coordination with the team, supports the achievement of organizational objectives.
Oversight, support, and performance management of team members to ensure they effectively achieve work objectives and maintain high standards of quality and productivity.
Establish and maintain productive working relationships.
Maintain the stability and reputation of Volunteers of America National Services by ensuring all activities and operations are performed in compliance with local, State, and Federal laws, regulations and contractual requirements and adheres to organizational policies.
Is responsible for adherence to program cultural standards including supporting through modeling, coaching, and accountability.
Protect privacy and maintain confidentiality of all company procedures, results, and information about employees, residents, and families.
Participate in continuing education classes and any required staff and training meetings. Maintains professional affiliations and any required certifications.
Act within the scope of his or her authority to practice.
Follow all Volunteers of America National Services policies and procedures and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) safety guidelines.
Perform other duties as required or requested.