COMPLIANCE & QUALITY IMPROVEMENT INTERN Job Scope: Join the Compliance and Quality team and gain a behind-the-scenes perspective on how a community behavioral health organization ensures services are high-quality, ethical, safe, and compliant with regulatory and accreditation requirements. Participate in projects involving quality improvement, clinical documentation review, compliance monitoring, policy and procedure development, data analysis, performance measurement, and organizational improvement. Collaborate with clinical and administrative leaders while learning how compliance, quality, and continuous improvement support effective client care and strong behavioral health organizations. Internships typically run 1-2 semesters, flexible schedule, typically 10-25 hours weekly; open to block placement of full-time hours. Student interns should be enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in public health, healthcare administration, social work, public administration, psychology, human services, or a related field. Preferred Master Public Health, Master of Healthcare Administration, Master of Social Work, or Master of Public Administration. Primary Responsibilities - Review Illinois DHS, Medicaid, HFS, and Joint Commission requirements
- Learn and understand program fidelity requirements and assist with program evaluation
- Compare policies to multiple regulation agencies and assist with policy revisions
- Build policy and standards crosswalk documents and track policy review schedules
- Participate in incident reporting committee by reviewing incident trends and identifying patterns
- Analyze and complete weekly, monthly, and one-time reports to support executive leadership in program assessment and decision making
- Participate in development and implementation of transition plan to new Electronic Health Records system
- Complete clinical chart reviews using established audit tools to evaluate treatment plan compliance and identify trends and improvement opportunities
- Assist with quality improvement planning and root cause analysis
- Track and review clinical outcome measurement evaluation tools
- Create and maintain KPI dashboards, audit summaries, and develop recommendations
- Assist the intake department with coverage and by assisting with opening clients to the agency and making referrals, when appropriate.
- Special projects assigned depending on timing of internship, agency needs, and program interest. Includes projects such as: equity and access to examine access barriers and identify disparities to recommend improvements, survey staff and analyze training effectiveness, develop educational materials, participate in specific survey corrective action plans, create and compile quality indicators and outcomes data
- Assist in establishing effective communication between the Center, other social agencies serving clients, and the community
Performance Requirements - Work cooperatively with compliance quality team, administration staff, and program leaders to gather information and assess quality
- Meet agency quality and compliance standards by accurately completing clinical documentation and service reporting in a timely manner
- Participation in Staff training and development seminars
- Participate in individual supervision with direct supervisor and in regular performance appraisals as directed
- Complete reports and projects within established deadlines and clearly communicate any barriers and delays
Competencies - Professionalism and Ethical Conduct: Demonstrates integrity, sound judgment, accountability, and professionalism when working with sensitive organizational and client information.
- Confidentiality: Understands the importance of maintaining confidentiality and demonstrates the ability to appropriately handle protected health information and other sensitive information.
- Critical Thinking: Demonstrates curiosity and the ability to review information, identify patterns or discrepancies, ask thoughtful questions, and consider opportunities for improvement.
- Attention to Detail: Ability to accurately review documentation, data, policies, procedures, and other materials while identifying inconsistencies or areas requiring follow-up.
- Analytical Skills: Ability to organize, interpret, and summarize information and data to support compliance monitoring, quality improvement, and organizational decision-making.
- Written Communication: Demonstrates clear, concise, and professional written communication skills, including the ability to summarize findings and organize information for different audiences.
- Verbal Communication: Communicates effectively and professionally with staff, supervisors, and interdisciplinary teams.
- Organization and Time Management: Ability to manage multiple assignments, meet deadlines, maintain organized records, and follow projects through to completion.
- Collaboration: Ability to work effectively with individuals across clinical, administrative, and operational departments and demonstrate openness to different perspectives.
- Initiative and Willingness to Learn: Demonstrates curiosity, self-direction, receptiveness to feedback, and interest in learning about behavioral healthcare compliance, quality improvement, and organizational operations.
- Problem-Solving: Ability to approach challenges objectively, gather relevant information, and contribute to practical solutions and improvement strategies.
- Technology Skills: Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, particularly Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, with willingness to develop additional data analysis and reporting skills.
- Commitment to Quality and Client-Centered Care: Demonstrates an understanding that compliance and quality improvement activities support safe, effective, ethical, equitable, and person-centered behavioral health services.
- Cultural Responsiveness: Demonstrates respect for diverse backgrounds, perspectives, identities, and experiences and the ability to work effectively within a diverse community behavioral health environment.
Preferred Competencies - Interest in behavioral health, healthcare compliance, quality improvement, healthcare administration, or organizational leadership.
- Familiarity with healthcare, behavioral health, social services, or nonprofit organizations.
- Interest in working with data, performance measures, chart audits, program evaluation, or process improvement.
- Experience using Excel for organizing, analyzing, or presenting data.
- Ability to interpret written standards, policies, procedures, or regulatory requirements.
- Interest in understanding the relationship between clinical practice, operations, regulation, quality, and client outcomes.
Education and Experience - Actively enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program in public health, healthcare administration, social work, public administration, psychology, human services, or a related field. Graduate program preferred.
- Technology Skills - Experience using Excel for organizing, analyzing, or presenting data and Basic proficiency with Microsoft Office PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams/Sharepoint, with willingness to develop additional data analysis and reporting skills.
- Interest in behavioral health, healthcare compliance, quality improvement, healthcare administration, or organizational leadership and understanding the relationship between clinical practice, operations, regulation, quality, and client outcomes.
- Familiarity with healthcare, behavioral health, social services, or nonprofit organizations.
Schedule/Time Keeping/Time-Off - Schedule will vary depending on program needs and interns’ schedules, generally during business hours; flexible hours available outside of general business hours available if needed
- Minimum of 10 hours per week, preferred 20-25 hours weekly for 1-2 semesters. Agency open to full-time (40 hour) block placements of minimum 10 weeks, based on student request
|