Compliance Officer

About Greater Lawrence Family Health Center:

Established in 1980, the Greater Lawrence Family Health Center (GLFHC) is a multi-site mission-driven non-profit organization employing over 700 staff whose primary focus is providing the highest quality patient care to residents throughout the Merrimack Valley. Nationally recognized as a leader in community medicine (family practice, pediatrics, internal medicine, and geriatrics), GLFHC has clinical sites throughout the service area and is the sponsoring organization for the Lawrence Family Medicine Residency program.

Position Summary:

The Compliance Officer is responsible for overseeing the development, implementation, and daily operations of the Health Center's Corporate Compliance Program. This position promotes compliance with applicable federal, state, and local regulations; ensures adherence to internal policies and Standards of Conduct; manages the incident reporting process; and serves as the organization's HIPAA Privacy Official. The Compliance Officer works collaboratively across departments to monitor compliance risks, support staff education, and maintain regulatory readiness.

Key Responsibilities:

Compliance Program Leadership
• Oversees implementation and maintenance of the Corporate Compliance Program and annual Compliance Work Plan
• Ensures organizational adherence to compliance policies, procedures, and Standards of Conduct
• Promotes awareness of compliance obligations through communication and education initiatives
• Serves as primary liaison for Compliance for staff and leadership
• Provides regular reports to the CEO and quarterly reports to the Board/Board Committee

Policy & Procedure Governance
• Coordinates development, annual review, revision, approval, and retirement of policies and procedures
• Ensures policies are regulatory compliant, consistent, and properly formatted
• Maintains a centralized, accessible Policy & Procedure repository
• Tracks policy lifecycle timelines and maintains historical and archived versions

Incident Reporting & Internal Monitoring
• Administers the electronic incident reporting system
• Provides user training and support
• Assigns incidents to appropriate managers and ensures timely follow-up
• Monitors incident trends, prepares reports, and supports corrective action planning

HIPAA Privacy
• Investigates privacy complaints, potential breaches, and unauthorized disclosures
• Ensures documentation of investigations and compliance with breach notification requirements
• Oversees Business Associate Agreement (BAA) process

Regulatory Readiness & Audit Support
• Coordinates regulatory audit readiness (e.g., HRSA OSV, DPH, CMS, OCR)
• Prepares required documentation and ensures departments are aware of compliance responsibilities
• Assists in maintaining HRSA-required documents
• Serves as a resource to departments during audits and regulatory reviews
• Maintains ongoing official communication with the Board of Registration in Medicine
• Responsible for FTCA and annual FTCA deeming process
• Works with SVP, CMIO to ensure regulatory compliance with state and federal cybersecurity standards
• Ensures Security Risk Assessment is completed yearly

Risk Management & Claims
• Serves as GLFHC's Risk Manager and Claims Point of Contact for HRSA
• Coordinates Risk Management Functions to identify risk exposure, assessment, and loss prevention
• Manages all claims-related activities including medical malpractice claims eligible for FTCA coverage
• Ensures preservation of all documentation related to claims or complaints
• Works with HHS Office of General Counsel and Department of Justice attorneys

Qualifications:

• 7+ years of experience in healthcare compliance or regulatory roles; FQHC experience strongly preferred
• Experience in policy management, HIPAA privacy, and incident/complaint investigation
• Strong communication, facilitation, and interpersonal skills
• Excellent attention to detail, organization, and ability to manage competing deadlines
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and web-based compliance tools
• Bachelor's degree required; equivalent experience considered
• Compliance certification (CHC, CHPC, or similar) preferred

GLFHC offers a great working environment, comprehensive benefit package, growth opportunities and tuition reimbursement.