Introducing Vicky Snipes-Sorrells, who currently holds the position of Director of Regulatory Compliance at FMS. Her career in healthcare spans a variety of roles, from respiratory therapist to safety director, before moving into the realm of compliance. Here, she shares some highlights from her career path, her strategies for maintaining compliance documentation, and how she stays informed about the latest safety regulations.

Q1: Can you share a bit about your professional journey in the healthcare industry?

A: I started in the healthcare industry many years ago as a respiratory therapist. I loved my field, but I could not handle the 12-hour shifts and missing out on my kids' activities. When a friend approached me with the proposition of becoming a safety director at a corn plant, Pioneer Hybrid, I thought, "That sounds like fun!" However, after a year, the plant closed, and I moved on to become a safety officer at a hog plant. This experience was an eye-opener, teaching me about OSHE and various regulatory standards.

Later, I returned to the local hospital where I had previously worked, this time as their safety director. There I delved into compliance and life safety and had a love for teaching. After serving as a safety director for approximately 25 years, I decided to shift gears. Tired of conducting fire drills, I wanted to focus more on educating people about the importance of compliance. Going around teaching them why the regulations say you have to do things a certain way. For the past six to seven years, I've been conducting assessments, mock surveys, ligature risk assessments, life safety plans, and more.

My goal is to help others comprehend why they need to follow specific protocols to be survey ready. It's not just about ticking off boxes; it's about understanding the rationale behind these regulations.

Q2: How do you manage and maintain compliance documentation effectively?

A: Regulations contain provisions for Preventive Maintenance (PM), which include requirements such as conducting a specific number of fire drills per month, checking fire doors, generators, etc. To be prepared for surveys, these PMs or regulatory standards must be carried out as specified. Regulatory bodies like the Joint Commission or HVAP set frequencies for adhering to all these standards, whether it involves conducting an emergency drill with external leaders or internal drills simulating situations like a baby being stolen. These are required at certain intervals to ensure compliance and your regulatory agencies then conduct checks to make sure that you are doing that.

What I do is I go in knowing what those frequencies are and inspect facilities to confirm they are meeting them before the regulatory agency conducts their audit. I am the person everybody hates to see come but they love it when I come so that they can fix everything that is wrong to correct any issues and smoothly pass their regulatory survey.

Q3: How does one ensure that their organization remains up to date with the latest safety regulations?

A: There are several organizations, such as ASHE and NFPA, that while not mandatory to join, provide valuable updates more than quarterly. When regulatory bodies like the Joint Commission, HVAP, or CMS adjust their requirements, they send out this information through emails and publications. These resources offer various ways to stay informed about changes. I consistently review these updates and adjust our documentation to reflect the updates.

Usually happens annually, NFPA is currently utilizing their 2012 standards, demonstrating a 12-year lag. Hopefully, they will soon catch up to more recent years, even though they're still six years behind. There was a significant transition from the 2001 to the 2012 standards. You’ll never know how often they are going to change, but there's a protocol for ensuring that everyone agrees with the change and then they adopt it. The changes are released for review, allowing engineers to voice their agreement or disagreement.

Q4: Could you share an instance where you implemented a successful safety program?

A: I implemented a program for environmental care rounds, where we would visit different departments within the hospital each week. We ensured compliance in areas such as fire safety and food storage. This multidisciplinary team systematically inspected each department, to make sure that everybody was compliant resulting in a significant reduction in compliance issues.

Another initiative I introduced focused on workers' compensation, specifically promoting proper lifting techniques. In healthcare, moving and turning patients often leads to back injuries so we introduced some safe lifting techniques and education to staff, we were able to significantly reduce incidents of back injuries - an achievement I take am proud of.

Q5: Do you primarily work with healthcare and hospital facilities?

A: Yes, my focus lies mostly in healthcare facilities such as ambulatory settings, behavioral health, nursing care, and nursing homes. I fall all of that under healthcare.

Q6: What is the process of maintaining communication and compliance updates with hospitals that have contracts with REMEDI8?

A: My visits are exclusively to hospitals that have established contracts with REMEDI8. If I've previously visited a hospital and we've formalized a contract, I maintain an ongoing relationship with them. Let’s say if I conducted a mock survey at a hospital in Washington state and later received an update from NFPA or the Joint Commission, I would relay this information to them. This continuous communication not only demonstrates that we are thinking of them, also helps ensure they stay updated and compliant. I sustain these relationships with many of the hospitals and facilities contracted with REMEDI8.

Q7: What steps would you take to correct a health hazard identified in the workplace?

A: Depending on the health hazard itself, if it is something that can cause harm to somebody, our immediate response is to close off the area to prevent access. For environmental issues such as air quality, we would relocate patients and promptly notify the facility manager and the C-suite, adhering to a strict chain of command to ensure everyone is informed and proper documentation is in place. As safety officers, we have the authority to shut down any activity if it's deemed unsafe, a power we do not take lightly. We thoroughly assess each situation before taking such drastic measures. For example, if someone is operating a lift without a harness, which is extremely dangerous, we can stop them from working, bring them down, and escort them off the property. If someone is smoking on the property, we have the authority to walk them off the property. We take our responsibility very heartedly and act accordingly based on the severity of the safety violation or unsafe environment.

Q8: What strategies have you found to be most effective in promoting a culture of safety within an organization?

A: Education all the way!

When people understand the reasons behind safety measures, they're more likely to comply. It's not about discipline; it's about education.

Q9: What advice would you give to other safety professionals to ensure their employees’ safety and compliance with regulations?

A: Number one, listen to their concerns.

Ensure they understand what they're doing and why they're doing it.

Support them consistently in their decisions and congratulate them on a job well done.

By doing this, you will earn their trust and they will follow your lead. I've found this approach to be incredibly effective throughout my career.