Performance Improvement Professional- Quality

University of Missouri Health Care; Columbia Township (MO); On-site; USD 68,000 - 111,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, vision and dental insurance

Paid leave and holidays

Retirement options

Tuition assistance

Employee discounts

Job summary

MU Health Care is seeking a Performance Improvement Professional (PIP) to design, implement, and maintain health care delivery programs across patient populations. You will lead strategic PI projects, collaborate with care leaders, and ensure alignment with the system’s strategic plan to deliver measurable improvements in patient safety and care quality.

The role emphasizes cross-department collaboration, evidence-based practice, and dissemination of findings.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in nursing, engineering, health management, business, or related field is required or a Bachelor’s with related certification.
• Black Belt certification in Lean/Six Sigma is required or CPHP/CPPS credential as alternative.
• Three years of experience in patient safety, quality improvement, or supervision is required.
• Healthcare quality improvement credentials (CPHQ or CPPS) are preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead performance improvement (PI) activities with team leaders to meet MU Health Care system goals.
• Review literature and assess feasibility for immediate adoption of best practices.
• Develop and implement process changes and train teams to change patient care processes.
• Establish evaluation plans and provide quarterly reports to health system leaders.
• Contribute to evidence-based improvement sharing through publications or presentations.

Skills

Black Belt certification in Lean/Six-S

Education

Master’s degree in nursing, engineering, health management, business, or related field

Bachelor’s degree and applicable certification

Job description

• Black Belt certification in Lean/Six Sigma; or

Shift: Monday – Friday, 8:00am – 5:00pm

Work Arrangement: On-Site

Department: Clinical Outcomes

Facility: University Hospital – 1 Hospital Drive, Columbia, MO

Compensation

• Base Pay Range: $68,266 - $111,426 per year, based on experience

About The Job

The Performance Improvement Professional (PIP) position is responsible for the design, implementation, and maintenance of specific health care delivery programs that lead to safe, efficient, effective, equitable, timely, patient-centered care across specific patient populations. Working collaboratively with patient care leaders, the PIP assures health programs are aligned with the health care system’s strategic plan, and that quantifiable patient care delivery improvements are realized. Leads strategic projects for the system and/or local departments.

About MU Health Care

MU Health Care is proud to be named one of Forbes’ Best-in-State Employers seven years in a row, and that’s largely a result of the incredible culture and team we’ve built. At MU Health Care, we have an inspired, hard-working and collaborative environment driven by our mission to save and improve lives. Here, we believe anything is possible and rally around solutions. We celebrate innovation and offer opportunities to be a part of something bigger — to have a voice and role in the work that is serving our community and changing the field of medicine.

Our academic health system — the only in mid-Missouri — is home to seven hospitals, including the region’s only Level 1 Trauma Center and region’s only Children’s Hospital, as well as over 90 specialty clinics. Here you can define your career among our many clinical and nonclinical positions — with growth, opportunity and support every step of the way.

Learn more about MU Health Care.

Learn more about living in mid-Missouri.

Employee Benefits

• Health, vision and dental insurance coverage starting day one


• Generous paid leave and paid time off, including ten holidays


• Multiple retirement options, including 100% matching up to 8% and full vesting in three years


• Tuition assistance for employees (75%) and immediate family members (50%)


• Discounts on cell phone plans, rental cars, gyms, hotels and more


• See a comprehensive list of benefits here.

Detailed Job Description

• Lead performance improvement (PI) activities in areas of responsibility in collaboration with team leader(s) to achieve MU Health Care system goals, informed by knowledge of external payment penalties and performance priorities associated with specific health programs. Develop briefs that persuade change based on urgency, evidence-based literature, current state, gap in actual and desired results, and confounding business factors. Establish and maintain cooperative working relationships in cross-departmental project teams.


• Review health care literature for best practices and perform an internal gap analysis to assess feasibility for immediate adoption. Collaborate with patient care leaders to review literature-based best-practice models for performance improvement and patient safety, and develop the plan and timeline to implement these practices.


• Develop and implement process changes based on best practices. Coach and refine process and behavioral changes within health care teams. Develop and deploy training plan for changing patient care/clinical team processes.


• Establish an evaluation plan to monitor the adoption rates by health care team members. Prepare results reports, with targets, for immediate feedback to the patient care team, aggregating for at least quarterly reports to health system leaders. Once targets are met, facilitate the sharing of improvements to spread change across other relevant patient groups/clinical teams as directed by senior leaders.


• Contribute to evidence-based improvement sharing by preparing publications or presentations among other health care systems and/or professional group conferences.


• May complete unit/department specific duties and expectations as outlined in department documents.

Required Qualifications

• Master’s degree in nursing, engineering, health management, business, or a related field; or Bachelor’s degree and certification:


• Black Belt certification in Lean/Six Sigma; or


• Certification for Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) by the National Association for Healthcare Quality (NAHQ); or


• Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI).


• Three (3) years of experience in patient safety, quality improvement, or supervision.

Preferred Qualifications

• Three (3) years of clinical experience in nursing, respiratory therapy, or a related healthcare field.


• Additional license/certification requirements as determined by the hiring department.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met with or without reasonable accommodation. The performance of these physical demands is an essential function of the job. The employee may be required ambulate, remain in a stationary position and position self to reach and/or move objects above the shoulders and below the knees. The employee may be required to move objects up to 10 lbs.

Equal Employment Opportunity

The University of Missouri is an Equal Opportunity Employer.