Director, Patient Safety & Quality

Overview

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better.

At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community.

Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change.

The Director of Patient Safety and Quality provides leadership, direction and administration to ensure consistency, follow through and successful completion of established strategic objectives. The director will focus on developing cross-functional and system-wide relationships beyond the Department of Patient Safety and Quality to facilitate highly multidisciplinary and complex collaborations. Quality goals across the assigned focused areas are monitored, barriers eliminated and are successfully achieved. The director will facilitate the transformation of operations by instituting and nurturing an outstanding model for collaboration and teamwork, safety, and high quality, reliable outcomes.

The ideal candidate will be well-versed in data analysis, quality improvement methodologies, patient safety principles, case reviews, and using Epic. Familiarity with dashboards, maternal health metrics, and publicly reported metrics is also essential.

This posiiton will offer a hybrid schedule.  Candidates must have the ability to travel to various hospital sites within the network.

Responsibilities

A day in the life of a Director of Patient Safety and Quality at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Partners with VP of Patient Safety and High Reliability and other department leaders to provide vision, leadership, structure and direction for continued development of the Department of Patient Safety and Quality.
• Executes the Department of Patient Safety and Quality strategic plan across the network including planning and directing safety and quality.
• Promotes a culture of patient safety and leads systemic implementation of an effective patient safety and quality improvement program.
• Facilitates physician and nurse leaders, and staff toward process and system improvements that will support the reduction of preventable healthcare errors and other factors that contribute to unintended adverse events and/or quality outcomes.
• Lead a prioritization and action planning process that focuses on eliminating health disparities.
• Collaborate with Data Analytics and Business Intelligence leadership collecting relevant data for quality improvement and research projects.
• Attends, facilitates relevant HMH meetings for quality and safety.
• Applies to Hospital based positions only- Focus on key areas including but not limited to women/maternal health, perinatal/infant and social determinants of health; in concert with OB leaders across HMH, serve as the women/maternal health, perinatal/infant health Patient Safety and Quality content expert by designing, planning, implementing and coordinating safety, quality and performance improvement activities for all birthing hospitals (and outpatient facilities).
• Oversees and facilitates Root Case Analysis (RCA) and Apparent Cause Analysis (ACA) process and evaluations.
• Maintains up to date knowledge for the practice of patient safety, performance improvement, and high reliability: Integrates principles using the theories, methods, tools and principles of patient safety, performance improvement, and high reliability, including statistical data collection and analysis.
• Stays abreast of and communicates all regulatory compliance changes and incorporates findings into all resident/patient safety and quality improvement activities accordingly.
• Foster continuous organizational learning and scaling best practices across the network and between community partners through sharing information and lessons learned electronically, via workshops, tool kits etc.
• Develop and improve meaningful patient outcome metrics through collaboration with front-line teams, leadership and the Steering Committee. Ensure the implementation of best evidence-based practices.
• Promote external alliances by:
  • dentifying and building relationships with strategic institutional partners
  • leveraging existing and building new alliances with community-based health organizations
  • developing and maintaining strong relationships with local government agencies.
• Strategize with leaders to lobby policymakers, track legislative and regulatory priorities, produce advocacy materials, and drive meaningful change for better outcomes.
• Applies to Hospital based positions only- Participates in physician recruitment and physician practice contracts focusing on improved maternal -fetal health in mind.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Qualifications

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Master's Degree in Nursing, Health Care Administration, Public Health, or other advanced health-related degree
• 7-10 years of clinical experience in an acute care hospital or relevant Health Care experience
• Applies to Hospital based positions only-Experience with NDNQI & Magnet Accreditation.
• 3-5 years of experience in patient safety and quality.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Experience in the use of computer applications and software.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Performance Improvement expertise.
• HRO experience.
• Mastery of performance improvement methodologies.
• Highly collaborative leader.
• Attainment of CPPS (Certified Professional Patient Safety) within one year of hire.

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality or Certified Healthcare Quality Management or Quality Management Certification, or other related National Quality certification.

If you feel that the above description speaks directly to your strengths and capabilities, then please apply today!