VP, Risk Management

Memorial Hermann Health System•Houston, TX

About The Position

The VP, Risk Management provides collaborative leadership and administration of Memorial Hermann’s enterprise-wide clinical risk management function. The role develops and monitors strategic objectives, initiatives, performance metrics, and program coordination, and leads system-level risk management professionals while providing direction and support to facility-based clinical risk management personnel. It provides strategic advice and tactical direction to proactively address enterprise clinical risks and protect the organization. The VP collaborates with legal counsel, loss prevention, regulatory compliance, patient safety, quality, medical staff, nursing, infection prevention, and clinical operations to identify and reduce risks and improve care quality. The role works under the direction of the Chief Legal Officer in support of the Enterprise Risk Management Program and provides staff support to the Enterprise Risk Council. Availability outside regular business hours and on weekends is required as needed.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree required.
Current State of Texas license to practice professional nursing.
CPHRM designation or ability to obtain it within two years of placement in the role.
Minimum ten years of progressive experience in a clinical risk management or clinical quality role.
Extensive progressive clinical risk management experience in a hospital-based environment.
Strong program management experience and subject matter expertise in healthcare, including risk management and current healthcare regulatory issues.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex and/or controversial information to people at all organizational levels, including executive leadership.
Ability to work collaboratively with health professionals at all levels to achieve established goals.
Demonstrated ability to lead and positively influence others to achieve results while building support for change.
Computer proficiency.
Demonstrated interpersonal, organizational, and communication skills.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree (MSN, MHA, MBA, or MPH).
Juris Doctor (JD).

Responsibilities

Establish and oversee proactive identification, assessment, and mitigation of clinical risks across hospitals and ambulatory settings.
Develop enterprise standards, policies, procedures, and tools for clinical risk management practices.
Provide executive oversight of the event reporting system and ensure timely investigation of significant adverse events.
Advise executive leadership on significant clinical risks and serve as the senior clinical risk advisor during significant patient safety events.
Lead initiatives to reduce high-risk clinical practices and improve patient outcomes.
Develop and monitor risk management strategic objectives, initiatives, and key performance metrics.
Oversee disclosure processes for adverse events and support communication with patients and families following serious events; resolve concerns within authority when appropriate.
Direct and support facility-based Risk Managers, including orientation, collaborative policy and procedure development, loss prevention initiatives, and professional development; directly supervise ambulatory-based Risk Managers.
Control costs, ensure controllable expenses align with the budget, and participate in preparing the operational budget.
Oversee development of metrics to measure program efficacy and efficiency.
Identify trends in serious safety events, near misses, and adverse events, and present trends and recommendations to executive committees and Board Quality Committees.
Develop executive dashboards tracking key metrics, including serious safety events, malpractice claims, near misses, and event reporting, and provide leadership with information and tools about clinical risk trends.
Develop clinical risk education for internal risk managers and targeted training for physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses.
Collaborate with the Vice President of Litigation and/or external legal counsel on high-exposure claims and litigation; use claims analytics to identify clinical improvement opportunities and partner with legal colleagues to prepare reports.
Implement learning feedback loops so key claims learnings reach facility leaders and facility-based risk managers and support continued improvements in quality and patient safety.
Monitor claims trend data and recommend loss prevention or mitigation strategies to reduce risks and improve safety.
Initiate proactive enterprise clinical risk assessments with other functional areas to improve risk identification and prioritize initiatives.
Develop clinical risk management education initiatives in collaboration with Quality and Patient Safety functions.
Use risk data analytics and risk mapping tools to assess future risk areas and potential impact, and plan appropriate responses.
Interface with the insurance function for timely claim notification as needed and with loss prevention and mitigation functions to support continued quality improvement and risk mitigation.
Provide timely updates to the Chief Legal Officer on matters of interest to the Executive Leadership team.
Provide staff support to the Enterprise Risk Council.
Be available for duties outside regular business hours and on weekends as required.
Ensure safe care for patients, staff, and visitors and adhere to organizational policies, procedures, and standards, including budget, time, supply, productivity, and service-quality requirements.
Maintain professional growth and development through mandatory and continuing education and skills competency; support department goals and serve as a preceptor, mentor, and resource to less experienced staff.
Model service standards and demonstrate commitment to compassionate, personalized, safe, and efficient experiences for patients and colleagues.
Perform other duties as assigned.