Director of Surgery Scheduling

Healthcare Outcomes Performance Co. (HOPCo)•Phoenix, AZ

11h

About The Position

The Director of Surgery Scheduling leads surgical and procedural scheduling operations across multiple sites, including the specialty hospital. The role owns block and template governance, manages operating room and procedure room capacity, and partners with surgeons and operational leaders to align schedules with organizational growth while maximizing access and utilization and protecting service quality. The Director establishes scheduling and readiness standards, directs daily scheduling operations, and works with perioperative, anesthesia, pre-admission testing, clinic, Patient Access, and Revenue Cycle teams to improve case readiness, on-time starts, cancellations, and denials. The role defines and reports performance measures, audits scheduling accuracy, addresses root causes, and develops and maintains policies, procedures, systems, and workflow improvements. The position leads and develops scheduling managers, leads, and staff, including training, coaching, performance management, and disciplinary actions. It also maintains working knowledge of payer and regulatory requirements affecting scheduling and authorization and ensures records are handled securely in compliance with HIPAA. Regular presence at surgical, procedural, and clinic sites and travel between sites or for training may be required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, business, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 10 years of experience in surgical or procedural scheduling or perioperative operations, including at least 5 years in a leadership role.
Experience managing block and template allocation and utilization, including working directly with surgeons.
Ability to travel between sites and for training as business needs require.
Deep knowledge of surgical and procedural scheduling, block and template management, and OR capacity planning.
Strong knowledge of perioperative workflow, including pre-admission, clearance, authorization, and case-readiness processes.
Working knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance, and managed care requirements affecting scheduling and authorization.
Strong knowledge of operational management, workflow design, and performance measurement across multiple locations.
Understanding of physician practice and ambulatory surgery operations and their impact on growth and access.
Analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to use utilization and scheduling data to make and defend decisions.
Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills, including facilitating discussions among diverse perspectives.
Negotiation and influence skills with surgeons, physicians, and executive leaders.
Ability to develop, coach, and lead high-performing teams in a technology-enabled environment across multiple locations.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 and scheduling or electronic health record systems.
Ability to hold surgeons and leaders accountable to agreed standards with credibility and professionalism.
Ability to exercise sound judgment and make timely decisions based on accurate analysis.
Ability to motivate teams and drive sustained performance improvement.
Must acknowledge and adhere to HOPCo Mission, Vision, and Values.

Nice To Haves

Experience scheduling across multiple sites and care settings, such as clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, procedure centers, or a hospital.
Experience with Epic or a comparable scheduling and practice management system.

Responsibilities

Own block and template governance, including allocation, release, reallocation rules, and surgeon-facing adjustments based on utilization data.
Plan and manage operating room and procedure room capacity across all sites, including the specialty hospital.
Establish standards for add-ons, urgent cases, cancellations, and reschedules, and resolve scheduling conflicts among surgeons and sites.
Partner with surgeons, practice leaders, and service line leaders to align schedules with growth plans, new providers, and new service offerings.
Hold surgeons and leaders accountable to agreed block, template, and scheduling standards using utilization data.
Present performance results and recommendations to executive, physician, and operational leaders.
Direct daily surgical and procedural scheduling operations to meet targets for time to schedule, scheduling accuracy, and case-booking completeness.
Establish scheduling readiness standards with perioperative, anesthesia, pre-admission testing, and clinic teams, covering clearances, orders, authorization status, and instrument, implant, and equipment needs.
Partner with perioperative leaders to improve first-case on-time starts, reduce day-of-surgery cancellations, and resolve recurring scheduling-related delays.
Coordinate with Patient Access and Revenue Cycle leadership to reduce denials related to authorization, demographic, and insurance errors originating in scheduling.
Establish and report performance measures, including block and template utilization, first-case on-time starts, cancellation rate, time to schedule, and scheduling-related denial rate.
Audit scheduling accuracy and adherence to standards, identify root causes, and implement corrective action.
Develop, implement, and maintain scheduling policies and procedures, and evaluate and recommend scheduling systems and workflow improvements.
Lead, develop, and evaluate scheduling managers, leads, and staff, including training, coaching, performance management, and discipline; exercise hiring, disciplinary, and termination authority or make weighted recommendations.
Hold regular team and cross-functional meetings that produce clear decisions, owners, and deadlines.
Maintain working knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, commercial, and managed care requirements affecting scheduling and authorization, and ensure compliance with payer and regulatory requirements.
Ensure records are securely stored and handled in compliance with HIPAA privacy and security requirements.
Perform other related duties as assigned.