Quality Improvement Engineer, CMO

The University of Iowa; Iowa City (IA); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 115,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Paid vacation

Sick leave

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Disability insurance

Retirement contributions

Job summary

The University of Iowa is seeking a Quality Improvement Engineer for UI Health Care to lead and operationalize patient flow and quality initiatives across the system. The role requires 3+ years in administrative or program management within academia and strong skills in communication, organization, and change management.

Responsibilities include managing Lean/Six Sigma projects, coordinating multiple initiatives such as PARS/CORS, and developing educational activities for clinicians and staff.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Health Administration, Business Administration, or Public Health.
• Minimum of 3 years in administrative and/or program management in an academic setting.
• Highly organized with the ability to enact change within the institution in a positive way.
• Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Experience working effectively in a welcoming and respectful workplace environment.

Responsibilities

• Lead process improvement initiatives using Lean and Six Sigma.
• Manage projects from initiation to completion within scope, schedule, and budget.
• Support executive projects for UI Health Care Senior Leadership and the Office of the CMO.
• Improve core clinical processes, patient quality and safety and throughput across the organization.
• Coordinate programs such as PARS, CORS, and related systems.
• Develop sustainable quality/performance improvement educational activities for physicians and staff.
• Conduct analyses and develop simulation models to assess feasibility of new initiatives.

Skills

Program management

Administrative experience

Communication skills

Independent work

Change management

Education

Master's degree in Health Administration or related field

Tools

Epic Reporting Workbench

HEDI

MS Access

Excel

Analysis Services cubes

Power Pivot

EPSI

SQL Server

Job description

The Office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) at UI Health Care has an opening for a full-timeQuality Improvement Engineer.This position will lead, coordinate and operationalize activities related to patient flow, quality improvement, safety, and patient satisfaction metrics across UI Health Care. This position will support and oversee programs, projects, and initiatives for the Office of the CMO, as designated.

The successful applicant will demonstrate:

• 3 or more years of administrative and/or program management experience in an academic setting.
• Be highly organized and have the ability to work independently.
• The ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Exceptional people skills and the ability to enact change within the institution in a positive way.
• Experience working effectively in a welcoming and respectful workplace environment.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITES

Operational and Project Management

• Be knowledgeable of process improvement methodologies, including Lean and Six Sigma
• Lead operational improvement teams as needed. Be accountable to ensure projects are managed through entire life cycle (or to endpoint as directed by the CMO) within approved scope, schedule and budget.
• Assists with multiple executive projects assigned by UI Health Care Senior Leadership and the Office of the CMO. These projects will vary in focus based on the strategic focus of the institution.
• Responsible for leading and operationalizing performance improvement projects impacting core clinical processes, patient quality and safety and patient throughout the organization (Projects may include Optimal Length of Stay, Optimal Discharge Time, Optimal Transfer of Patients from referring hospitals, etc.).
• Manages, oversees and coordinates the administration of selected programs within the Office of the CMO including daily operational oversight, understanding and overseeing financial commitments, and continuously evaluating the program goals and evaluating strategies for ongoing optimization through necessary change. Programs may include: Peer Review Program, Patient Advocacy Reporting System (PARS®) and Co-worker Observations Reporting System (CORS), Blind Spots reporting system, Medical Director Program, etc.
• Responsible for supporting the creation of sustainable quality/performance improvement educational activities for the physicians and staff (Programs may include New Provider Orientation, New Resident Orientation, the Executive Leadership Academy, Just Culture sustainment, etc.)
• Conduct basic and advanced analyses prioritize and drive change to improve processes, performance, and outcomes.
• Assist with development and analysis of simulation models to determine feasibility of new initiatives in the Office of the CMO.

Strategic Planning

• Be innovative and suggest key actions and strategic implications, develop, and assist in execution of improved processes to allow for routine analytical reviews of financial and operational performance.
• Work collaboratively with physicians, nurses, and other clinical professionals to identify and improve clinical issues including, but not limited to, patient flow, observation status tracking, care coordination, hand off communication and inter departmental collaboration.
• Assists CMO in process improvements in specific areas (based on the needs of UI Health Care). This includes evaluation of present process through data collection and interpretation, determining improvement strategies, and assists in implementation of improvements throughout UI Health Care.
• Drives process improvement by maintaining institutional communications to sustain forward progress. Includes but is not limited to distribution of the “Quest” newsletter, Patient Safety Alerts, and CMO broadcasts.
• Assist in the development and implementation of novel communication strategies to support the missions of UI Health Care
• Serves as Leader/Manager of assigned projects. Collaborate with the Administrative Director, Office of the CMO, Associate Chief Medical Officer and other institutional leaders to accomplish assigned projects. Lead the organization in achieving a culture focused on quality.
• Facilitates the coordination of CMO Office events, including but not limited to, Medical Director events, external speakers, and vendor on-site visits.
• Presents and promotes information on programs (e.g., PARS/CORS, etc.) in the Office of the CMO, to departments and staff.
• Serves as a liaison between the office of the CMO, and the faculty, staff, and trainees.
• Maintains a high level of discretion and professionalism with sensitive data.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Work schedule: Some flexibility between the hours of 7:00 AM and 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday.Occasional requests outside these hours will occur.

Location: This position is located at the UI Health Care university campus at 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA.This position is eligible to participate in partial remote work after the initial training and onboarding has been completed. Remote work must be performed at a location within the state of Iowa and will require a work arrangement form to be completed upon the start of your employment. Per policy, work arrangements will be reviewed annually, and must comply with theremote work program and related policies andemployee travel policy when working at a remote location .

Benefits Highlights:

• Fringe benefit package including paid vacation; sick leave; health, dental, life and disability insurance options; and generous employer contributions into retirement plans. Complete information regarding the full benefits package may be viewed at:https://hr.uiowa.edu/benefits .

QUALIFICATIONS

Experience Required

• A master’s degree in Health Administration, Business Administration or Public Health, or an equivalent combination education in a related field and experience is required.
• Minimum of 3 years in administrative and/or program management experience in an academic setting is required.
• This position requires the individual to be highly organized, have exceptional people skills, and be able to enact change within the institution in a positive way.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently, the ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
• Demonstrated experience working effectively in a welcoming and respectful workplace environment.

Desirable Qualifications

• Prior experience with the following data analysis tools: Epic Reporting Workbench, Hedi, MS Access, Excel, Analysis Services cubes, Power Pivot, EPSI, and SQL Server is highly desirable.
• 3 to 5 years of data analytics experience and demonstrated ability to use data to drive change is highly desirable.
• 1 to 3 years Project Management experience is highly desirable.
• Prior experience in an academic hospital setting and/or knowledge of UI Health Care operations is highly desirable.

Compensation

Contact Information

Equal opportunity employer

The University of Iowa is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment free from discrimination on the basis of race, creed, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, pregnancy (including childbirth and related conditions), disability, genetic information, status as a U.S. veteran, service in the U.S. military, sexual orientation, or associational preferences.

Persons with disabilities who need assistance or accommodations with the application or interview process may contact University Human Resources/Faculty and Staff Disability Services, [phone] or [e-mail] . For jobs in UI Health care, please contact UI Health care Leave & Disability Administration at 319-356-7543 .