Gastroenterology - System Medical Director

The Gastroenterology (GI) Medical Director serves as the service line clinical leader for strategic oversight, operational governance and operational execution for the gastroenterology service line of Centralus Health.  This position reports to COO of Centralus Health or designee.   The GI Medical Director will work closely with an administrative dyad partner and will collaborate with the Medical Director and Senior Nursing Director of Surgical Services and the nursing director of Endoscopy.  The role is focused on improving patient access to gastroenterology and endoscopy services while achieving the highest level of performance in these areas. The GI Medical Director is tasked with establishing a culture for evidence-based, collaborative clinical care and continuous improvement of outcomes driven patient experiences.  The GI Medical Director works across hospitals, outpatient, and practice locations to develop team effectiveness and engagement.  The GI Medical Director sets expectations and holds others accountable for our patients clinical experiences and effective care transitions.  The GI Medical Director works with clinical providers in gastroenterology, primary care, general surgery, medical oncology, radiology, pathology and the hospitalist service to facilitate high quality and safe care for our patients, using recognized national benchmarks and best practices to develop a framework of operational excellence and peer review, as appropriate. The expectations for this role include a minimum clinical responsibility of 0.8 FTE, along with a 0.2 FTE Medical Directorship, as mutually agreed upon.

Qualifications:

1. MD or DO degree
2. Active medical license and board certification in the specialty of gastroenterology
3. 5+ years as a practicing gastroenterologist with preferred leadership experience and training

Reports to:

1. Directly to the Chief Operating Officer of Centralus Health or designee.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Provide strategic oversight, operational management and broad leadership to the gastroenterology service
   1. Act as chair, and facilitate gastroenterology service line meetings, and function as the gastroenterology representative to the Surgical Governance Committee.
   2. Develop goals for the service line based on national benchmarks and best practices, and continually manage and monitor service line goal achievement
   3. Provide ongoing assessment to achieve objectives consistent with the gastroenterology and Centralus Health strategic plans.
   4. Assure there is a system for benchmarking clinical and operational performance; plan and implement required changes to meet and exceed benchmarks.
   5. Collaborate with senior leadership to align service line KPIs to achieve improved patient access, high quality care and financial performance consistent with the goals of Centralus Health
   6. Lead scheduled and ad hoc meetings with key stakeholders to discuss performance indicators including, but not limited to patient flow, quality outcomes, scheduling and other operational metrics
   7. Provide operational and clinical leadership to the ambulatory based practices within Centralus.
   8. Responsible for maintaining and growing a successful gastroenterology fellowship program.

2. Quality and Safety
   1. In partnership with the Director of Performance Improvement and Centralus Health Administration, develop a culture of safety in the gastroenterology service.
   2. Develop a plan to improve operational efficiencies, standardization of treatment protocols, and improve patient throughput and productivity
   3. Undertake regular quality improvement/patient safety initiatives in coordination with organizational priorities. Examples may include but are not limited to value-based purchasing (payer) metrics, infection control rates, and evidence-based clinical performance metrics.
   4. Report regularly to the Medical Executive Committee and Administration on the progress towards the strategic and operational goals as determined by Administration and Medical Executive Committee.
   5. Identify quality metrics, implement strategies for improvement, and monitor results.
   6. Develop strategies to measure and improve patient experience across all gastroenterology services, including patient access.

3. Develop and maintain a high quality, high reliability environment
   1. Evaluate existing gastroenterology standard operating procedures (SOPs), policies and procedures and revise as needed based on clinical evidence and best practices creating gastroenterology guiding documents.
   2. Regularly review, update and certify those gastroenterology guiding documents that dually satisfy accreditation standards and enable performance standards defined by Centralus Health.
   3. Where deficiencies exist in the guiding documents, the GI Medical Director shall direct development of needed documents to assure high quality/safe processes within all areas of gastroenterology practice.
   4. Responsibly address any concerns or questions of policy raised by gastroenterology providers or other gastroenterology services personnel.
   5. Responsible for the delivery of high-quality care in ambulatory settings and in collaboration with operational leaders, operational efficiency and effectiveness.

4. Develop People

1. Provide leadership that is viewed as an extension of system leadership and seek to foster strong relationships between providers and the organization.
2. Participate actively in the recruitment, selection, and on-boarding of new providers and other key leadership positions.
3. Monitor and sustain good relationships and communication between the providers and other gastroenterology staff.
4. Act as the intermediary between Centralus Health employed and non-employed gastroenterologists in resolving conflicts and implement plans as needed with regards to behavior and practice in the gastroenterology service.
5. Provide regular performance feedback and coaching to support providers having professional development opportunities and act as a model for constructive team behavior.
6. Develop a strong and collaborative working relationship with administrative dyad partner, providing for effective program leadership.

5. Regularly assess perceptions and needs of a successful gastroenterology program

1. Communicate findings freely to SLT members including VP Physician Enterprise and Business Development, CMO, COO.
2. Review, investigate, manage and resolve complaints or concerns arising from patients, medical staff or administration and enact mitigation strategies.
3. Trend complaints and lead the team toward continuous improvement in the care of patients.
4. Act as an ambassador for Centralus Health in the community.

6. Advise on system redesign and areas for growth

1. In partnership with Centralus Health Administration and administrative dyad partner, assist in the development of a gastroenterology strategic plan which will be presented to Administration and the Medical Executive Committee.
2. Strategize opportunities to grow the gastroenterology service impact (e.g., services, patients treated, revenue), including assisting on development of a master space plan for gastroenterology services within Centralus Health.
3. Examine need and implement systems to accommodate patients/cases in the ambulatory and hospital setting, designing workflows that replicate best practices of ambulatory endoscopy centers
4. Recommend strategies to provide care at the most appropriate setting within Centralus Health based on all facts and considerations.

7. Achieve financial sustainability

1. Provide input on budgets, billing, equipment, staffing, and annual goals and objectives
2. Ensure the organization can accommodate a range of patient volumes
3. Work with the Centralus Health product committee to ensure a smooth and effective supply chain, and optimal standardization of supplies, workflows, and clinical practice