Director of Quality and Patient Safety - Allegheny General Hospital

Highmark Health•Pittsburgh, PA

About The Position

The Director of Quality and Patient Safety is responsible for implementing Allegheny Health Network’s enterprise-wide quality and patient safety goals and objectives at the designated location. The role oversees local quality and patient safety functions in coordination with the QSV division—including infection prevention, regulatory preparedness, and pay for value—and corporate departments such as Risk Management, Legal, Privacy, and Compliance. The Director is accountable for achieving strong clinical, pay-for-value, and patient-safety outcomes, including hospital-acquired infections, Core Measures, Patient Safety Indicators, CMS/P4V program measures, and Culture of Safety. The position also drives or supports Lean Improvement efforts to improve efficiency and resource utilization. The Director manages department operations and staff, leads quality and safety initiatives, supports performance improvement and regulatory activities, and works with institute quality programs and data analytics teams to drive and communicate results. The role requires a master’s degree in a clinical or health administration field, relevant process improvement and patient safety experience, leadership and clinical experience, computer skills, and a CPPS or CPHQ certification to be obtained within one year of hire.

Requirements

Master’s degree in a clinical or health administration field.
At least 3 years of experience developing, implementing, and achieving outcomes in process improvement and patient safety initiatives.
At least 1 year of leadership experience.
At least 1 year of clinical experience in nursing, pharmacy, or another health-related field.
Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) or Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) certification, to be obtained within one year of hire.
Microsoft Office and computer skills.

Responsibilities

Manage staff, including hiring and termination decisions, coaching and development, rewards and recognition, performance management, and productivity.
Plan, organize, staff, direct, and control day-to-day department operations; develop and implement policies and programs; and exercise budgetary responsibility and authority as applicable.
Lead or facilitate quality and patient safety initiatives to achieve successful outcomes, minimize harm to patients and staff, and promote a Culture of Safety.
Implement Culture of Safety and pay-for-performance programs, focusing on improvement opportunities at the designated location or institute.
Liaise with Institute Quality Programs to support best practices, standardize process measures, and drive performance outcomes.
Partner with the Data Analytics Team to ensure timely reporting and communication that supports decision-making.
Lead multidisciplinary initiatives focused on safety reporting, root cause analysis, and development of improvement proposals.
Provide expertise in tools for assessing quality and safety risks and harm events, including RCA and FMEA.
Report safety events to PA-PSRS, MedSun, CMS, and TJC as appropriate and within legally established timeframes.
Ensure capture and management of ongoing professional practice evaluation (OPPE) information and reporting.
Oversee regulatory activities, including the Joint Commission PI chapter and the hospital-specific Performance Improvement and Patient Safety Plan.
Perform other duties as assigned.