There’s a specific kind of dread in healthcare that often comes with the notification of an upcoming regulatory audit or accreditation survey.
It’s triggered by the sudden realization that the “sometime soon” pile of paperwork just became “due yesterday.” It’s the frantic emails to department heads, the searching for missing dates, and the underlying worry that, despite everyone’s best efforts, something vital might have slipped through the cracks.
If that feeling is familiar, you aren’t alone. For years, this has been the accepted reality of healthcare workforce compliance: a cycle of quiet periods punctuated by high-stress scrambles. In a recent Becker’s-Propelus state of workforce compliance survey, 55% of respondents said they did not feel well prepared for an unannounced regulatory audit. Moreover, none of the respondents felt very well prepared to ensure a successful accreditation audit.
“It can be difficult to stay on top of changes and how those impact the workforce, especially when healthcare organizations have limited resources and limited expertise,” Julie Walker, CEO of Propelus, said in the survey report. “All of this can put hospitals and health systems in a position where they are unprepared for audits.”
A reactive approach turns compliance into a high-stakes test you have to cram for. But the real source of that anxiety isn’t the audit itself. It is the uncertainty created by how we track workforce compliance in the months between them.
Mind the gap
When we rely on manual lookups for verifying employee credentials, like batch-checking state boards on a set schedule (e.g. quarterly, monthly) or verifying renewals only as they come due, we are only sure that credentials are compliant and in good standing at that exact moment.
That space between checks is where the risk lives.
In those undefined windows, licenses can lapse, board actions are filed, and names can appear on exclusion lists. You simply don’t know what you don’t know until it’s too late. Relying on these static snapshots can create a constant, lingering uncertainty. This reality helps explain why so many survey respondents reported feeling unprepared for unannounced regulatory audits.
It’s a heavy weight to carry, and it pulls focus away from what truly matters: supporting your team and your patients.
The ‘always on’ approach
There is a simpler way to work, and it starts with shifting from checking “every now and then” to knowing where you stand every single day. We call this the ‘always-on’ approach to audit and survey readiness.
With automation, you can have employee credentials verified daily against the primary source, automatically filtering through the noise to spot status changes, expirations, or sanctions the the day they are posted.
Instead of crossing your fingers when an auditor asks to see a file, you already know the answer before the question is even asked.
So, what does ‘always on’ actually look like? It changes the dynamic.
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No more surprises: You aren’t waiting for someone else to find a problem. You catch expirations and disciplinary actions when they happen, giving you time to act and make adjustments to your staffing and scheduling.
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Proof, not paperwork: Daily, automatic checks build a time-stamped paper-trail. You aren’t just saying you’re compliant; you have the proof instantly in a survey.
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Ready for anything: When you check daily, “audit season” doesn’t exist. You are just as prepared for a surprise inspection on a quiet Tuesday morning as you are for a scheduled survey.
With daily monitoring, an audit isn’t a crisis to manage. It’s a non-issue.
Make the shift with us
Moving from reactive to proactive requires a shift in practice, but the payoff is huge.
It’s more than just passing an audit without panic. It’s the peace of mind that comes from knowing your workforce is licensed, capable, and ready to care for patients at all times.
That’s where we can help. Propelus EverCheck® automates primary source verification, centralizes compliance data, and surfaces issues before they cause disruption. The result is a more confident, audit-ready workforce and more time for teams to support healthcare professionals and patient care.
Don’t wait for the next “gotcha” moment to rethink your approach. Let’s move toward a simpler, easier future together.
Learn more about ‘always on’ audit readiness with Propelus EverCheck.