Chief Quality Officer for University of Texas Medicine - Texas

Merritt Hawkins is proud to partner with the University of Texas, which is seeking a talented, visionary physician to lead our quality, performance improvement, patient outcomes, and safety efforts.

The Chief Quality Officer (CQO) will work collaboratively with the Senior Medical Director (SMD) and other clinical and institutional leaders to guide the comprehensive, strategic, and tactical planning and implementation of quality and safety programs across our clinical enterprise. The CQO will provide leadership and direction for the development of a culture of safety and the measurement of quality of care that identify opportunities and strategies for performance improvement. You will have a critical role in ensuring that the practice documents quality metrics, such as PQRS, and meets or exceeds all standards. The CQO will report directly to the Vice Dean for Clinical Affairs, School of Medicine/Executive Director of UT Medicine. As part of the UT Medicine leadership team, the CQO will develop a collaborative relationship with the chairs of all clinical departments and directors of our various service lines and centers as well as the clinic directors and managers of our ambulatory clinics.

Key Roles: 

• Contribute to the development and support of a patient-centered model of care delivery at all UT Medicine locations
• Lead the development of a quality strategic plan that utilizes inter-professional collaboration, use of evidence and best practices that will lead to recognition of UT Medicine as a leader in quality health care by patients, payors, and peers
• Actively participate in data governance toward systems such as an enterprise data warehouse that will provide clinicians and administrative leadership with information to assess quality, gaps, and identify actions needed to improve care throughout the enterprise
• Working with the CMIO, ensures that the EMR and clinic processes support accurate collection of key data and indicators necessary for reviewing and analyzing potential quality and performance measures.
• Integrates a patient safety program as a component of UT Medicine’s services to improve the safety of patients, visitors, and employees
• Evaluates services of UT Medicine affected by safety/regulatory issues, and identifies problems, makes recommendations for improvement, and monitors to ensure that safety/regulatory recommendations are implemented and the desired results obtained

Qualifications

• MD, completion of ACGME accredited residency, and member of ABMS certification in a medical specialty
• Evidence of Quality career development activities, such as membership in quality professional societies (ASQ, IHI, NAHQ, etc.) and/or certifications in healthcare quality (e.g., CMQ)
• Respected and experienced clinician, with outstanding professional credibility and personal integrity
• Proven ability to provide leadership to physicians and other health care professionals. Must have skills to help train, and educate physicians and non-physician personnel
• Familiarity with clinical IT and electronic health records, preferably EPIC
• Must have proven ability to take ownership for initiatives, achieve goals, and deliver results
• Demonstrated ability to effectively develop and lead teams and seek collaborative problem-solving using an analytical and systematic approach. Possess experience in successfully leading people and work at all levels of an organization to achieve intended results

Management and Leadership Activities

• Clinical Safety and Effectiveness - standardize documentation, communicate quality measures to clinics and providers, address deficiencies, and establish training programs
• Performance measurement and reporting: formalize procedures, Stay abreast of regulatory matters, Develop reporting initiatives and measures, oversee system surveys, Establish metric documentation protocol, Monitor data reported by external entities, Disseminate quality improvement/clinical performance reports, Communicate about quality, patient safety, and other reporting initiatives and also MU, PQRS, and HEDIS
• Customer Experience: Assess performance of UT Medicine based on NRC Picker survey results and work with clinics to improve key deficiencies
• Establish credibility and a strong presence in the UT Medicine ambulatory clinics
• Establish expectations and model behaviors that demonstrate service excellence to staff and focus on the patient as the primary customer
• Assist in the development and implementation of protocols and standard clinic procedures, and participate in the periodic review of policies and procedures
• Work with medical informatics staff and ensure collection and availability of data necessary for quality and outcome monitoring reporting