As compliance continues to be a hot button issue in healthcare, Hollis Cobb is committed to staying ahead of the game with a robust Training and Compliance Department. Three months ago, Christine Cordaro joined the team as the new Compliance Manager, and is tasked with helping the department oversee internal auditing as well as prepare for external audits. She monitors government legislation, statutes and court rulings that impact our industry, implementing changes in company policies and programs to keep Hollis Cobb compliant at all times.
Christine has an extensive background in the compliance world. “I have been in a compliance role throughout my adult career in one form or another,” she explained. Her career started 25 years ago at Breyers Ice Cream where she wrote the Ergonomic Program to keep the company compliant with OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) standards.
Later Christine went to work for Raymond James and Associates in the wake of the Enron, WorldCom and Arthur Anderson financial scandals. There she was part of a compliance workforce tasked with creating internal controls and a full compliance program. “This is where my passion for compliance was born,” Christine said, adding that her job at Raymond James and Associates “was a constantly evolving process that was fascinating to me.”
Christine said she was first attracted to the world of compliance because it is “like putting together a puzzle of a road map before your trip.” She went on to explain that “regulatory and statutory language is usually very broad and sometimes vague. You live in the gray areas. It’s about picking up each piece, analyzing it and seeing where it fits best. Once all those pieces have been evaluated and put on the board, you have a clearer picture of what direction you should head in.” Healthcare compliance is truly like a great puzzle with constantly moving pieces bringing Christine new and interesting challenges as she moves forward in her career.
Originally from Boston, Massachusetts, Christine said she is enjoying Atlanta. She is currently working on her Cyber Security – Networking Specialist degree at the Ogeechee Technical College where she is on the President’s List with a 4.0 GPA, and she is studying for FDCPA and SOC Compliance certifications as well. When not at her desk or in the company training room, Christine enjoys kickboxing as she says it is a fun workout and stress reliever. She enjoys the hobby so much that she taught for four years. She also enjoys mud runs and obstacle courses, as well as gardening, photography, cooking and anything outdoors. Christine shares her life with her amazing family – her partner and total of six children. “We really do have a great tribe vibe going on,” she said.
About her work at Hollis Cobb, Christine said, “I like the interaction I have with other departments which gives me insight into how compliance affects them.” She went on to say that she values building trust with all of the staff and showing them that compliance isn’t necessarily as daunting as they may think. “I work with some fantastic people,” she said. Every day offers new challenges as compliance affects most of the work performed at Hollis Cobb, and what we do impacts our clients in the healthcare revenue cycle arena.
