Director of Patient Safety and Quality - Visalia - Kaweah Health

Description

We are excited to present an opportunity for a Director of Patient Safety and Quality at Kaweah Health, a publicly owned, community healthcare organization in Visalia, California. With over 5,000 employees and an eight-campus healthcare district encompassing 613 beds, Kaweah Health delivers comprehensive health services across a broad continuum of care. Our culture is deeply rooted in responsibility and accountability, emphasizing ownership from our team members. We serve a region with significant needs, making the rewards of contributing to our mission even greater.

Company Overview: Kaweah Health is dedicated to providing state-of-the-art medicine and high-quality preventive services, focusing on making a tangible difference in the health of our patients, loved ones, and community. Dr. Stefanacci, your direct report, fosters a supportive environment with minimal interference.

Position Overview: The Director of Quality orchestrates and influences the work of others to enhance Kaweah Health's mission, vision, and strategic priorities. This high-level leadership role holds accountability for safety and the necessary infrastructures to meet patient and family expectations. You will be instrumental in setting and executing strategies related to quality, patient safety, and regulatory compliance for a billion-dollar health system, impacting a large patient population in the Central Valley.

Primary Responsibilities: The Director of Quality will be responsible for quality, patient safety, and regulatory compliance. This involves collaborating with Dr. Stefanacci CMO/CQO, to set priorities and strategies, and then executing these plans effectively.

The role supports performance improvement activities throughout the organization, providing essential project management, performance improvement, and data analytics support. You will also be responsible for presenting to the CEO, executive team, and the board, and overseeing the quality of care for our extensive patient population.

This position designs and orchestrates the implementation of Quality and Patient Safety Plans, identifies and implements appropriate methods and tools for quality and patient safety, and participates in case review committees to address sentinel events and significant near misses. You will also provide resources for measurement and evaluation, collaborate with medical staff leaders on quality and patient safety systems, and develop a skilled department staff.

Coordinating all Joint Commission accreditation surveys and preparations is a key responsibility, as is identifying and implementing strategies for safety culture improvement and providing professional development opportunities.

Key Qualifications and Skills: We are seeking a candidate with 10 or so years of experience in quality-related roles within a hospital or health system, with at least 5 years of experience as a leader of a department or quality team. Expertise in performance improvement and experience managing people and a department are essential. The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of responsibility for strategic initiatives with demonstrated positive outcomes, showcasing an impact on strategic priorities with measurable results.

Strong collaboration skills are crucial for engaging teams and physicians. A passion for quality and patient safety, coupled with resilience, is highly valued due to the challenges inherent in this role. Required certifications include a current license in a relevant clinical discipline and a Certified Professional in Health Care Quality (CPHQ). Formal training in project management or performance improvement, such as Black Belt or Six Sigma certification, is also required. A Bachelor's degree in Health Care Administration, Nursing, or a relevant clinical discipline with additional training in Quality and Patient Safety is necessary, with a Master's degree preferred.

Team and Reporting Structure: This role reports directly to Dr. Stefanacci, who is the Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality Officer. The Director of Quality will lead a diverse team comprising a quality team (manager + 5 individuals), an accreditation team (manager + 2 individuals), two data analytics specialists, two project management and performance improvement specialists, a patient safety program manager, and individuals overseeing stroke, sepsis, and clinical practice guidelines programs.

Collaboration is essential with the CEO, executive team, board members, and various internal teams, including Infection Prevention, Quality, Accreditation, Data Analytics, Project Management, Patient Safety, Stroke, Sepsis, and Clinical Practice Guidelines, as well as with physicians.

Key Priorities in the First Six Months: The top priorities for the first six months include demonstrating a measurable impact on strategic priorities by articulating them, establishing benchmarks, and achieving measurable outcomes. You will also support performance improvement activities across the organization, providing essential project management, performance improvement, and data analytics support.

Challenges and Opportunities: This role presents exciting opportunities to be in a leadership position with significant responsibility for setting quality and patient safety strategy for a billion-dollar health system, with direct contact with the executive team and board. You will have the chance to impact healthcare for a very large patient population in the Central Valley. Challenges include engaging teams outside of quality to collaborate on performance improvement and gaining active physician participation.

Candidate Profile: We are looking for individuals with a passion for quality and patient safety, and strong resilience to navigate barriers and roadblocks. Experience at a director level in a hospital or health system quality program, expertise in performance improvement, and experience managing a department or quality team are highly advantageous.

A clinical background is considered very helpful. Candidates should demonstrate ownership and responsibility for programs with measurable outcomes, beyond just achieving high ratings. Experience and responsibility for regulatory and accreditation are also necessary.

Candidates who thrive in community-based organizations with limited support are encouraged to apply.

We are actively seeking to fill this critical position and encourage you to apply if you meet these qualifications and are passionate about making a significant impact on healthcare quality and patient safety.

Mike Duggan is running the search, if you would like to learn more he can be reached at or