Program Director Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety

Summary:

The Program Director of Clinical Risk Management and Patient Safety is responsible for leading initiatives to minimize risk and enhance patient safety across the healthcare system. This role oversees risk assessments, event investigations, regulatory compliance, and the development of safety programs. Additionally, this role serves as the administrator of the Safety Event Software for tracking, trending and reporting of safety event trends. The Program Director collaborates with clinical and administrative leaders to implement high reliability principles, evidence-based practices, ensures timely reporting and analysis of safety events, and fosters a culture of safety and continuous improvement. Strong leadership, communication, and analytical skills are essential. The ideal candidate will bring deep knowledge of clinical operations, clinical risk management principles, and patient safety strategies to drive organizational excellence. This role partners with the System Director for Clinical Risk Management from the legal and risk teams to coach and mentor ministry clinical risk managers through education and specialty resources, investigate events, analyze trends, and implement proactive strategies that mitigate liability and improve patient safety outcomes. This role will sit at the system office.

Responsibilities:

• Meets expectations of the applicable OneCHRISTUS Competencies: Leader of Self, Leader of Others, or Leader of Leaders.
• Leads the development and implementation of risk management and patient safety programs to minimize harm and improve clinical outcomes.
• Oversees investigations of adverse events, near misses, and safety concerns, ensuring timely resolution and reporting.
• Collaborates with legal, compliance, and quality departments to assess liability exposure and support regulatory compliance.
• Analyzes incident and claims data to identify trends and recommend risk reduction strategies.
• Develops and delivers education and training on patient safety, risk prevention, and reporting procedures.
• Serves as a subject matter expert for clinical risk management policies and procedures
• Guides root cause analyses (RCAs) and failure mode effect analyses (FMEAs) for critical events and high-risk processes.
• Leads safety committees and task forces, promoting a culture of safety across departments.
• Ensures organizational compliance with accrediting bodies and state/federal regulations related to patient safety and risk management.
• Reports key metrics and findings to executive leadership, recommending changes to improve safety performance and reduce risk.

Source: NAHQ Workforce Accelerator Competency Framework 2022: Eight Domains

• Quality Leadership and Integration - Advance the organization's commitment to health care quality through collaboration, learning opportunities and communication. Lead the integration of quality into the fabric of the organization through a coordinated infrastructure to achieve organizational objectives. Domain Level: Advanced
• Performance and Process Improvement - Use performance and process improvement (PPI), project management and change management methods to support operational and clinical quality initiatives, improved performance and achieve organizational goals. Domain Level: Advanced
• Population Health and Care Transitions - Evaluates and improve health care processes and care transitions to advance the efficient, effective, and safe care of defined populations. Domain Level: Proficient
• Health Data and Analytics - Leverage the organizations analytic environment to help guide data-driven decision-making and inform quality improvement initiatives. Domain Level: Advanced
• Regulatory and Accreditation - Direct organization wide processes for evaluating, monitoring, and improving compliance with internal and external requirements. Lead the organization's processes to prepare for, participate in, and follow up on regulatory, accreditation and certification surveys and activities. Domain Level: Advanced
• Patients Safety - Cultivate a safe healthcare environment by promoting safe practices, nurturing a just culture, and improving processes that detect, mitigate, or prevent harm. Domain Level: Advanced
• Quality Review and Accountability - Direct activities that support compliance with organization wide voluntary, mandatory, and contractual requirements for data acquisition, analysis, reporting, and improvement. Domain Level: Proficient
• Professional Engagement - Engage in the healthcare quality profession with a commitment to practicing ethically, enhancing one's competence, and advancing the field. Domain Level: Proficient

Job Requirements:

Education/Skills

• Bachelor's Degree of Science in Nursing, or of other clinical degree specialties required
• Master's degree with relevant clinical experience and evidence of additional training in patient safety or risk management or Juris Doctorate preferred

Experience

• 5 years of healthcare experience required
• 2 years of management experience required
• 3 years of clinical risk management experience required

Licenses, Registrations, or Certifications

• CPHRM (Certified Professional Healthcare Risk Management) or CPPS (Certified Professional Patient Safety) required or within 1 year of hire
• Active license if discipline requires licensure

Work Schedule:

8AM - 5PM Monday-Friday

Work Type:

Full Time