Director - Risk Management

Evergreen Healthcare•Kirkland, WA

41d

About The Position

Responsible for leading the EvergreenHealth risk program across all hospitals, clinics, and service areas. Works in close partnership with senior administrative leaders and medical staff leadership to foster a culture of safety, accountability, and patient-centered care. Serves as a liaison on risk-related issues. Maintains strong, collaborative relationships with the medical staff and department leaders while overseeing the self-insured general and professional liability programs, claims management, and the Patient Relations Department. This role ensures alignment between patient feedback, service recovery, and risk management priorities. Responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating strategies that protect patients, support providers, and strengthen organizational resilience.

Requirements

Master's degree in healthcare administration, nursing, social work, risk management, or related field.
5 years progressive leadership experience in healthcare, with responsibility for risk management, patient relations, or quality/safety functions.
3 years of progressive exposure to risk management in a hospital or health system.
Demonstrated expertise in patient relations, grievance management, liability claim management, and regulatory compliance.
Facilitation, conflict resolution, problem-solving and analytical skills.
Performs work within strict quality, budget, and timing guidelines, striving for efficiency and efficacy, and identifies opportunities for process improvement.

Nice To Haves

8 years of hospital or health system leadership in risk management.
Experience managing self-insurance programs and actuarial processes.
Familiarity with High Reliability Organization and Just Culture principles.
Certified Professional in Healthcare Risk Management (CPHRM) or ability to obtain within 3-5 years of hire.

Responsibilities

Directs the system-wide risk management program across acute, ambulatory, and specialty services, ensuring alignment with organizational mission, vision, and regulatory requirements.
Leads the claims management lifecycle, including investigations, negotiations, and resolution of general and professional liability matters. Serves as primary liaison with in-house counsel, external counsel, insurers, and third-party administrators to optimize outcomes and minimize financial exposure.
Ensures continuous executive availability for urgent incidents, coordinating timely assessments, decision-making, and communications in collaboration with senior leadership.
Oversees the grievance and complaint resolution process to ensure compliance with CMS, Joint Commission, and state regulations. Promotes patient-centered service recovery.
Monitors evolving laws and standards, updates policies, and ensures organizational compliance. Prepares and presents regular risk management reports and claims data to senior leadership, the Board of Commissioners, and other governance bodies.
Analyzes incident and claims data, identifying trends and insights that drive improvements in patient safety, care quality, and experience while mitigating organizational risk.
Partners with Quality, Patient Safety, Compliance, and Medical Staff leadership to participate in root cause analyses. Shares lessons learned, implements risk mitigation, and strengthens system-wide safety initiatives as appropriate.
Develops and delivers risk management education for leaders, providers, and staff. Champions Just Culture and high reliability principles to advance safety and accountability.
Develops and manages departmental operating and capital budgets. Monitors financial performance of claims reserves and insurance programs, ensuring effective allocation of resources.
Recruits, mentors, and evaluates departmental staff. Fosters a high-performing team that supports organizational priorities and professional growth.
Actively participates in organizational committees, including Clinical Advisory Boards and risk-related committees or workgroups. Represents the health system's risk management perspective.
Develops and maintains risk reporting dashboards to visualize trends, claims, and system vulnerabilities.
Performs other duties as assigned.