James Mathis, J.D., Chief Clinical Enterprise Compliance Officer and assistant vice chancellor for Health Affairs, has been promoted to Chief Compliance Officer for Vanderbilt University Medical Center. In this new role he assumes broader oversight for the Medical Center’s compliance efforts.
Mathis joined Vanderbilt in February 2013 to assume executive and operational control for the Medical Center’s Office of Compliance and Corporate Integrity, which was recently renamed the Office of Healthcare Compliance.
He has worked closely with David Raiford, M.D., senior associate dean for Faculty Affairs and associate vice chancellor for Health Affairs, who stepped down as VUMC’s Chief Compliance Officer when he transitioned to new responsibilities as Chief of Staff for the Vanderbilt Health System.
Mathis assumes oversight of compliance matters involving the Medical Center’s academic enterprise in addition to his continuing role in leading clinical enterprise compliance efforts. As Chief of Staff, Raiford will also continue as Senior Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs with oversight for faculty issues in the School of Medicine as he has done since 2006.
“I am delighted that Jim has accepted the broader role and responsibilities of Chief Compliance Officer for VUMC,” said Raiford. “His outstanding work over the past 16 months has garnered respect from leaders at Vanderbilt and the collaborative spirit he has modeled while building a best-in-class compliance program has been a great fit within the Vanderbilt culture.”
In this new role Mathis reports to C. Wright Pinson, MBA, M.D., deputy vice chancellor for Health Affairs and CEO of the Vanderbilt Health System, for compliance matters related to the clinical enterprise, and to Jeff Balser, M.D., Ph.D., vice chancellor for Health Affairs and dean of the School of Medicine, for compliance matters related to the Medical Center’s academic enterprise.
“Jim has done an outstanding job since joining Vanderbilt. We have been impressed with his knowledge and capabilities while leading the implementation of a more comprehensive and broad-based approach to compliance needs across the clinical enterprise. He is the right individual to lead our efforts to meet the increasing demands surrounding matters of institutional compliance,” said Pinson.
Working closely with members of the Medical Center’s leadership team, Mathis will oversee strategic review, planning, implementation and operations for all compliance-related matters, including the development and implementation of system-wide training and communications programs, to ensure that all employees and affiliated parties are educated about VUMC’s Compliance Program and other specific compliance areas that are deemed necessary.
In addition to continuing to lead the Office of Healthcare Compliance, Mathis will also provide input into VUMC’s policies and procedures and will continue to oversee the Vanderbilt Reporting Hotline.
“I truly feel honored to play a role at Vanderbilt and to work with such incredible colleagues to navigate the complexities of modern health care,” said Mathis.
Mathis, a native of Williamson County, earned both his undergraduate and law degrees from Vanderbilt. He joined Vanderbilt with significant health care compliance experience having worked at large for-profit, multi-site providers assisting in interactions with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and other government regulatory agencies.
He is certified by the Healthcare Compliance Association (CHC) and the American Health Information Management Association (CHP).
