Vice President, Patient Access and Digital Engagement

Hackensack Meridian Health • Edison, NJ

3d

About The Position

Our team members are the heart of what makes us better. At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community. Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change. The Vice President of Patient Access and Digital Engagement provides leadership in, and is accountable for, the development and growth of a centralized Patient Access Center (PAC). The role has oversight across scheduling and verification for all network entities, including ambulatory, home health care and inpatient scheduling, referral management, care coordination, capacity management and performance management. The VP, Patient Access, Dig Engmnt will lead the strategy, design, and full-scale implementation of patient access across the clinical enterprise. This leader will collaborate with executive leadership and clinical and operational partners to identify and proactively mitigate both episodic and/or long-standing access constraints particularly in relation to capacity management. The VP, Patient Access, Dig Engmnt will leverage capacity and demand analyses to drive access improvement strategies that reduce delays to patient care. This role will also co-lead efforts to increase satisfaction of the referring provider community to ensure that HMH specialties are the preferred referral destination. Improve the ease of referring patients to HMH in order to maximize new patient referrals. Identify and integrate with marketing opportunities to promote and grow strategically important service lines and locations. The VP, Patient Access, Dig Engmnt will communicate and collaborate with all organizational levels to deliver on the competitive imperative of access and championing access-related innovations, including adoption and optimization of tools and technologies. This person will drive functionality and efficiency of the centralized call management system to provide best-in-class patient experiences and service response standards. The VP, Patient Access, Dig Engmnt will oversee all aspects of the Patient Access Center, including information management, omni-channel contact management, training, quality assurance, workforce management, process improvement, financial management, and partnerships with stakeholders across the organization to create programs enhancing access to care.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 7-10 years of health care contact center (or care coordination) leadership experience.
• Experience in a complex and matrix environment such as an academic medical center or large integrated health system, with a strong physician component.
• Deep experience with Epic tools around registration, scheduling, billing and revenue cycle aspects including preauth, auth, and referrals.
• Subject matter expertise in developing and implementing Advanced Open Access models in inpatient and outpatient settings.
• Proven change agent who understands systems engineering and the use of data analytics to drive operational, quality, and financial levers to positively affect results.
• Experienced in leading and implementing innovative quality, safety, and performance improvement initiatives to achieve superior clinical quality, patient experience and employee engagement levels.
• High technical skills and knowledge, including in-depth understanding of call center technologies such as CRM, CTI, IVR, ACD, VoIP, Knowledge Management, workforce planning, and performance tracking systems.
• Ability to develop and implement voice activated AI, Agentic AI tools and other call deflection tools, like SMS.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the demonstrated ability to gain the confidence, respect and trust of faculty, senior executives and direct / indirect reports.
• Outstanding problem solving, organizational, communication, time management and analytical skills; must be able to organize, coach and lead a team deploying change under aggressive timelines and within budget.
• Exceptional patient focus and strong professional acumen with an ability to demonstrate genuine concern for patients and patient experience.
• Lead change by effectively building commitment and winning support for initiatives.
• Proficiency with standard computer software programs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Proficient computer skills including but not limited to Microsoft Office and Google Suite platforms.

Nice To Haves

• Master's Degree in Health Care or Business Management or other related field preferred.
• 10 years' experience in healthcare or clinical environment preferred.
• Experience with a healthcare organization would be a plus.
• Experience with PeopleSoft, Epic, Cisco, business intelligence tools would be a plus.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all operations of Patient Access Center including, but not limited to: capacity and data analysis management, customer service quality, performance management, workforce management, human resources, scheduling and access, workflow management, vendor and technology management
• Develop strategies for deploying an advanced access model across all care centers, which focuses on creating open access, one HMH experience, standardization and centralization of workflows.
• Measure all metrics, KPIs for effective access management and develop and share dashboard reports to executive leaders.
• Lead a multidisciplinary team of Patient Access Center managers and staff to ensure efficient and effective execution of operational activities and development of short and long-term strategic planning.
• Develop and implement effective employee engagement strategies to promote job effectiveness and satisfaction and reduce staff turnover within the Patient Access Center.
• Develop a culture of continuous improvement by establishing an environment where new ideas and solutions are encouraged, evaluated, quantified and implemented.
• Take responsibility for all Patient Access Center performance metrics including staffing models, customer satisfaction, clinical protocols, and efficiency performance levels.
• Manage vendor relationship(s) and contract(s) with supplier(s) to ensure business continuity and planning for disaster
• Maintain an in-depth knowledge of the patient access industry and an understanding of leading practices and technologies being deployed by other large national and regional health systems.
• Develops and manages annual operating and capital budgets for all areas of direct responsibility. Assists in identifying opportunities for expense savings and/or revenue enhancement.
• Partner with clinical and administrative client leadership to proactively enhance patient experience.
• Develop, implement and maintain internal and external quality assurance programs and feedback channels to set and meet or exceed Service Level Agreement performance targets agreed with administrators and practice managers
• Collaborate with IT in the design, adoption, and optimization of access-related tools and technology, such as: Epic optimization, provider template design, template management, referring provider portals, provider on-call systems, call center systems, and capacity management tools.
• Implement appropriate controls and guidelines to ensure that all services are performed in accordance with established customer service expectations, registration quality, and JCAHO regulations.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Benefits

• HMH is committed to pay equity and transparency for our team members.
• The posted rate of pay in this job posting is a reasonable good faith estimate of the minimum base pay for this role at the time of posting in accordance with the New Jersey Pay Transparency Act and does not reflect the full value of our market-competitive total rewards package.
• The starting rate of pay is provided for informational purposes only and is not a guarantee of a specific offer.
• Posted hourly rates may be stated as an annual salary in the offer and posted annual salaries may be stated as an hourly rate in the offer, depending on the level and nature of the job duties and credentials of the candidate.
• The base compensation determined at the time of the offer may be different than the posted rate of pay based on a number of non-discriminatory factors, including but not limited to: Labor Market Data: Compensation is benchmarked against market data to ensure competitiveness. Experience: Years of relevant work experience. Education and Certifications: Level of education attained, including specialized certifications, credentials, completed apprenticeship programs or advanced training. Skills: Demonstrated proficiency in relevant skills and competencies. Geographic Location: Cost of living and market rates for the specific location. Internal Equity: Compensation is determined in a manner consistent with compensation ranges for similar roles within the organization. Budget and Grant Funding: Departmental budgets and any grant funding associated with the job position may impact the pay that can be offered.
• Some jobs may also be eligible for performance-based incentives, bonuses, or commissions not reflected in the starting rate.
• Certain positions may also be eligible for shift differentials for work performed on evening, night, or weekend shifts.
• In addition to our compensation for full-time and part-time (20+ hours/week) job positions, HMH offers a comprehensive benefits package, including health, dental, vision, paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and retirement benefits.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive