System Medical Director, Pre-Surgical Optimization

AMN Healthcare; Chicago (IL); Hybrid; USD 500,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Northwestern Medicine seeks a System Medical Director for Pre-Surgical Optimization, a full-time anesthesiologist to lead the system-wide clinic and perioperative initiatives. You will drive clinical and operational excellence across multiple sites, improving utilization, safety, and OR efficiency.

The role emphasizes collaboration with surgical, anesthesia, and administrative leaders, data-driven quality improvement, and teaching.

Qualifications

• Board-certified physician with experience in perioperative medicine or pre-surgical optimization.
• Proven leadership in clinical operations and quality improvement.
• Academic accomplishment and teaching experience required.
• Strong communication, management, and process improvement skills.
• Prior leadership experience; academic rank of Assistant Professor or higher required.

Responsibilities

• Lead system-wide pre-surgical optimization efforts and align clinic operations with perioperative strategy.
• Improve preoperative clinic utilization, reduce elective case cancellations, and enhance operating room efficiency.
• Develop triage policies and clinical criteria for patient prioritization.
• Collaborate with surgical, anesthesiology, and administrative leaders to resolve issues.
• Support quality improvement, patient safety, and data-driven process enhancements.
• Provide remote and on-site clinical support across local preoperative clinics.

Skills

Leadership experience

Quality improvement

Perioperative medicine

Communication skills

Data-driven decisions

Education

Assistant Professor or higher

Job description

Job Description & Requirements

System Medical Director, Pre-Surgical Optimization
StartDate: ASAP Pay Rate: $500000.00 - $600000.00

Northwestern Medicine is seeking a physician leader to serve as System Medical Director for Pre-Surgical Optimization. This full-time anesthesiologist will provide clinical and administrative leadership for the system-wide Pre-Surgical Optimization Clinic, supporting perioperative excellence, patient safety, and operational performance across Northwestern Medicine.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead system-wide pre-surgical optimization efforts and align clinic operations with perioperative strategy.
• Improve preoperative clinic utilization, reduce elective case cancellations, and enhance operating room efficiency.
• Develop triage policies and clinical criteria to ensure appropriate patient prioritization.
• Collaborate with surgical, anesthesiology, and administrative leaders to resolve clinical and operational issues.
• Support quality improvement, patient safety, and data-driven process enhancements.
• Provide remote and on-site clinical support across local preoperative clinics.

Qualifications

• Board-certified physician with demonstrated experience in perioperative medicine, pre-surgical optimization, or a related area.
• Proven leadership in clinical operations, quality improvement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
• Academic accomplishment, scholarly productivity, and teaching experience required.
• Strong communication, management, and process improvement skills
• Prior leadership experience required; academic rank of Assistant Professor or higher required.

The ideal candidate is a respected clinician-leader with a strong record of improving systems, advancing perioperative care, and working effectively across multidisciplinary teams.

Facility Location

Situated on the banks of Lake Michigan, this Midwestern metropolis combines global high-style with a friendly, down-home soul. Along with its superb medical facilities, visitors to Chicago relish the city’s 29-mile long lakefront park, fabulous shopping districts, multicultural neighborhoods and world‑class arts and entertainment.

About the Company

At AMN Healthcare, we strive to be recognized as the most trusted, innovative, and influential force in helping healthcare organizations provide quality patient care that continually evolves to make healthcare more human, more effective, and more achievable.

Anesthesiologist, Anesthesiology, Anesthesia, Physician, Healthcare, Patient Care, Hospital, Medical, Doctor, Perioperative Medicine, Perioperative, Md, ANES AMN Healthcare is a digitally enabled workforce solutions partner focused on solving the biggest challenges affecting healthcare organizations today. We offer a single-partner approach to optimize labor sources, increase operating margins, and provide technologies to expand the reach of care.