The Systemwide Critical Care Lead Director provides unified leadership for critical care services across Cone Health, aligning ICU operations, quality, safety, and workforce strategies under a cohesive vision. This physician leader combines bedside care with executive clinical leadership, serving as the strategic and operational lead across a multidisciplinary service line. The role is responsible for building high-functioning ICU teams, standardizing models of care, elevating performance metrics towards top decile performance, and optimizing system-wide critical care delivery for superior patient experience and outcomes. Provider engagement and experience will be enhanced through an environment of safety for all team members.
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Core Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership
Strategic planning for ICU services for the next 5-10 years
Forge collaborative and accountable relationships with systemwide leaders and stakeholders with common goals and potentially competing priorities
Help develop and execute Critical Care Service Line Agreements (SLAs) with the Emergency Rooms, Anesthesia, Interventional Radiology, Triad Hospitalists, Rehabilitative Services, Internal Medicine Teaching Service, Family Medicine teaching Service, General Surgery, and Trauma
Provide national presence for Cone Health nationally through the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), recruitment, and collaboration with Risant and Kaiser facilities
Facilitate program development and growth for CVICU, Neurosciences and other specialized services that need ICU level of care
Clinical and Operational Excellence
Utilize evidence-based guidelines and protocols along with ICU standard work models to provide the highest level of care for our ICUs
Work with CCC and CCM to coordinate ICU placement and care systemwide
Oversee and coordinate intensivist care at Alamance Regional Medical Center, Annie Penn Hospital, Wesley Long Hospital, Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, and eICU through direct collaboration with local clinical directors
Participate in ICU provider recruitment, onboarding, and scheduling
Team & Talent Leadership
Develop Dyad partnership with market CNO/ACNO
Work with Chief Academic Officer to enhance the internal medicine and family medicine residents rotational value and experience
Mentor ICU developing leaders
o Align APP and MD onboarding
o ICU APP leadership development
o Provide onsite education
Create inclusive, high-performance cultures with emphasis on mutual respect, collaboration, and innovation
Serve on the Medical Director Council and collaborate with the Executive Director of APPs
Quality and Safety
Champion ICU quality improvement initiatives across Cone Health
o Chair ICU medical directors committee systemwide as quality collaborative
o Review and respond to safety event reports
o Lead HAI reduction strategies
Assist with the design of systemwide Order Sets
Monitor and improve ICU performance metrics.
o ICU LOS
o Ventilator days
o PSI-03
Promote patient-centered care that is seamless, compassionate, and equitable
Compliance & Risk
Ensure ICU compliance with regulatory standards and payer credentialing requirements
Work with risk management to decrease serious safety events
Innovation & Future Planning
Support closed ICU model rollouts as appropriate at MCH and ARMC.
Work with respiratory therapy department to develop autonomous RT protocols
Help build a new ICU billing educational program
Integrate ICU physicians into system-wide workflows (e.g., CareLink, rapid response, IMTS curriculum)
Guide ICU design strategy for surge flex units and throughput optimization
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Time Commitment
Clinical 0.70 FTE. Administrative 0.30 FTE.
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Qualifications
Board Certification in Critical Care Medicine
Minimum 5 years of ICU leadership experience
Demonstrated proficiency in performance improvement, staffing models, and ICU operations
High-level communication, team building, and conflict resolution skills
Proficiency in healthcare analytics and performance metrics (e.g., KPIs, ICU LOS, HAI)