Senior Counsel, Medical Risk Management

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center; Dallas (TX); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PPO medical plan (day one)

100% coverage for preventive care

Paid Time Off (PTO)

Retirement Programs (TRS)

Paid Parental Leave

Wellness programs

Tuition Reimbursement

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Job summary

The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center seeks a Senior Counsel, Medical Risk Management to join a mission-driven legal team that advances patient safety and mitigates organizational risk. The role oversees the health system's patient complaint and grievance program within the Office of Legal Affairs and partners with executive leadership and clinicians.

The Senior Counsel will lead a team of nurse risk managers, guide on CMS Participation standards, and provide strategic legal

Qualifications

• J.D. degree from an accredited law school.
• Minimum 5 years as a practicing attorney in medical malpractice, risk management, or health law.
• Must hold or be eligible for license to practice law in at least one U.S. jurisdiction; Texas licensure required within six months.
• Preferred: degree or certificate in nursing, healthcare, health administration, or similar field.

Responsibilities

• Supervises nurse risk managers to administer the patient complaint/grievance process under CMS Conditions of Participation.
• Assess complaints and implement risk reduction strategies to resolve potential claims.
• Collaborates with clinical staff and management to identify and mitigate risk liabilities.
• Provides guidance as senior legal advisor on health system policies and compliance.
• Serves on medical committees and leads education on liability and risk reduction.

Skills

Healthcare law

Risk management

Leadership

Legal judgment

Interpersonal skills

Education

J.D. degree

Job description

WHY UT SOUTHWESTERN?

With over 75 years of excellence in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, UT Southwestern is committed to excellence, innovation, teamwork, and compassion. As a world-renowned medical and research center, we strive to provide the best possible care, resources, and benefits for our valued employees. Ranked as the number 1 hospital in Dallas-Fort Worth according to U.S. News & World Report, we invest in you with opportunities for career growth and development to align with your future goals. Our highly competitive benefits package offers healthcare, PTO and paid holidays, on-site childcare, wage, merit increases and so much more. We invite you to be a part of the UT Southwestern team where you'll discover a culture of teamwork, professionalism, and a rewarding career!

JOB SUMMARY

Join a mission-driven legal team that plays a critical role in advancing patient safety, supporting healthcare excellence, and mitigating organizational risk. This position offers the opportunity to work directly with executive leaders, physicians, and multidisciplinary stakeholders on complex and impactful healthcare matters while shaping risk management strategies across a leading healthcare organization.

The Senior Counsel, Medical Risk Management is an experienced attorney-leader who oversees the health system's patient complaint and grievance program within the Office of Legal Affairs. This in-house counsel position offers the opportunity to provide strategic legal guidance and operational leadership in a collaborative healthcare environment. The role is responsible for leading a team of nurse risk managers that administer a high-volume patient complaint and grievance process in compliance with applicable federal and state laws, regulations, accreditation standards, and CMS Conditions of Participation.

Reporting directly to the Assistant Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Medical Risk Management, the Senior Counsel is responsible for assessing and resolving patient complaints, grievances, and potential claims, with a focus on achieving favorable outcomes during the pre-litigation stage. The position serves as a trusted advisor to clinical, operational, quality, compliance, patient experience, and executive leadership, providing guidance on matters involving patient rights, patient safety, quality of care concerns, professional liability exposure, healthcare regulatory compliance, and risk mitigation.

The ideal candidate will possess strong legal judgment, along with exceptional interpersonal and conflict resolution skills. Candidates with prior leadership experience are preferred.

This position is currently designated as an on-site role. Employees may be eligible for a hybrid work arrangement in the future based on successful completion of an initial onboarding and training period.

Candidates are strongly advised to provide a cover letter along with application.

BENEFITS

UT Southwestern is proud to offer a competitive and comprehensive benefits package to eligible employees. Our benefits are designed to support your overall wellbeing, and include:

• PPO medical plan, available day one at no cost for full-time employee-only coverage
• 100% coverage for preventive healthcare-no copay
• Paid Time Off, available day one
• Retirement Programs through the Teacher Retirement System of Texas (TRS)
• Paid Parental Leave Benefit
• Wellness programs
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Qualified Employer
• Learn more about these and other UTSW employee benefits!

EXPERIENCE AND EDUCATION

Required

• Education J.D. degree from accredited law school
• Experience 5 years of experience as a practicing attorney in the areas of medical malpractice, personal injury litigation, risk management, or health law
• Licenses and Certifications Must be licensed and in good standing in at least one U.S. jurisdiction and eligible for admission to the State Bar of Texas, with full Texas licensure required within six (6) months of hire

Preferred

• Education Degree or certificate in nursing, healthcare, health administration, public health, or similar field
• Experience 2 years of experience successfully leading productive, high-functioning teams in a legal or healthcare setting

JOB DUTIES

• Directly supervises, mentors and develops nurse risk managers to administer the patient complaint/grievance process in compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation. Tracks productivity and proactively identifies trends and opportunities for improvement. Advises health system leadership on potential quality and safety risks that may be identified through the complaint/grievance process.
• Assesses patient care complaints and grievances, within the context of applicable legal defenses, immunities, and indemnities, and implements risk reduction strategies and favorably resolves potential legal claims.
• Regularly interacts and collaborates with clinical staff and management to identify, quantify, and mitigate risk liability; strategic thinker who helps clinical staff navigate through legal obligations, potential liabilities, and compliance requirements. This may include real-time and after-hours consultation with physicians, hospital operations managers, and nursing staff to appropriately respond to immediate concerns relating to hospitalized and ambulatory patients.
• Serves as senior legal advisor in medical risk management matters and provides guidance to clinical staff on relevant UT Southwestern health system policies, in the context of applicable laws and regulations.
• Functions as a trusted, visible leader and senior member of Legal Affairs; serves on various medical committees including but not limited to Professional Liability Advisory Committee, Patient Review Committee, and Grievance Committee.
• Provides education and training regarding professional liability and risk reduction strategies within the Health System.
• Responsible for independent litigation management and support as lead University counsel on complaints, agency investigations, audits, and surveys.
• Handles professional liability claims and lawsuits in partnership with the UT System Office of General Counsel, the Office of the Attorney General, and private counsel to ensure University interests are protected.
• Oversees special initiatives, training programs, and projects, as delegated by the Deputy General Counsel.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

SECURITY AND EEO STATEMENT

Security

This position is security-sensitive and subject to Texas Education Code 51.215, which authorizes UT Southwestern to obtain criminal history record information.

EEO

UT Southwestern Medical Center is committed to an educational and working environment that provides equal opportunity to all members of the University community. As an equal opportunity employer, UT Southwestern prohibits unlawful discrimination, including discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, disability, genetic information, citizenship status, or veteran status.