Associate Director, Behavioral Health Clinical & Operational Excellence - Open Rank

University of Colorado•Aurora, CO

1d•$125,000 - $200,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz seeks an experienced professional to serve as Associate Director, Behavioral Health Clinical & Operational Excellence. The role supports department-wide leadership in developing and implementing clinical practice strategies to improve practice efficiency, standardize scope of practice, optimize the revenue cycle, and promote faculty well-being among behavioral health clinicians. The position includes 0.20 to 0.30 FTE (8–15 hours per week) of protected administrative time. The remainder of the FTE is expected to involve clinical and patient-care activity supporting the Department’s clinical psychology services. The position is hybrid, with three days per week on campus and additional in-person attendance as needed for meetings. The position is open rank and may be categorized as Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor based on experience and qualifications. Applicants must hold a PhD or PsyD from an American Psychological Association-accredited program, be a currently licensed clinical psychologist and eligible for Colorado licensure, and meet the applicable clinical experience and faculty appointment eligibility requirements for the rank. Employment is conditioned on successfully passing a Children’s Hospital Colorado drug test and a national criminal background check.

Requirements

PhD or PsyD degree from a program accredited by the American Psychological Association.
Currently licensed as a clinical psychologist and eligible for licensure in Colorado.
Eligibility for a School of Medicine faculty appointment at the relevant rank: Assistant Professor or above, Associate Professor or above, or Professor or above.
For Assistant Professor: three years of clinical practice experience in a behavioral health-related field in the Department of Pediatrics.
For Associate Professor: five years of clinical practice experience in a behavioral health-related field in the Department of Pediatrics.
For Professor: ten years of clinical practice experience in a behavioral health-related field in the Department of Pediatrics.
Successfully pass a drug test through Children’s Hospital Colorado.
Be willing and able to pass a national criminal background check.
Demonstrated strong communication and problem-solving skills.
Knowledge of clinic workflows, staff scheduling, multi-site management, and standardizing medical or clinical administrative practices.
Understanding of state and federal healthcare mandates, HIPAA privacy laws, Medicaid/Medicare guidelines, and accreditation standards such as Joint Commission, CARF, and CMS.
Proficiency in electronic health record frameworks, clinical technology infrastructures, and data collection tools.
Knowledge of medical billing, auditing processes, resource allocation, and budget optimization in clinical environments.

Nice To Haves

Five or more years of clinical practice experience in a behavioral health-related field in a Department of Pediatrics or similar child-health-focused practice.
Demonstrated experience managing and leading clinical psychology programs, work units, or departments of sufficient scope and complexity.
Process, performance, or quality improvement experience or training, such as Lean certification or IHQSE.
Five or more years of experience and familiarity with behavioral health billing, coding (CPT, ICD-10), and behavioral health documentation requirements.
Leadership experience or training in team building.

Responsibilities

Support department-wide outpatient and inpatient initiatives to optimize behavioral health faculty practice using quality improvement and performance improvement methodologies.
Lead implementation of practice optimization efforts by engaging stakeholders, securing buy-in, addressing significant project barriers, and guiding communications affecting behavioral health faculty.
Identify opportunities to improve behavioral health clinical practice models, including scope-of-practice alignment, scheduling and template design, access, productivity, clinical effort expectations, and revenue optimization.
Advocate for and serve as a content expert on behavioral health clinical issues in department and hospital strategic discussions concerning practice scope, clinical time expectations, efficiency, and well-being.
Support the Department of Pediatrics clinical excellence team with project action plans and help define and implement project recommendations.
Participate as appropriate in Children’s Hospital Colorado, CU Medicine, and School of Medicine leadership committees.
Support development of behavioral health position requests (STAR) and workforce planning.
Support the Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs, when appropriate, in performance or disciplinary matters involving behavioral health faculty.
Serve as the departmental liaison to the School of Medicine Behavioral Health Executive Committee.
Support development and sustainability of postdoctoral psychology training programs within the Department of Pediatrics.
Provide clinical and patient-care services in support of the Department’s clinical psychology services.