Performance Improvement Coach

General Description of the Job Class

At Duke Health, we're driven by a commitment to compassionate care that changes the lives of patients, their loved ones, and the greater community. No matter where your talents lie, join us and discover how we can advance health together.

This position supports the Duke Quality Network efforts related to the execution of the Duke Quality Program for Quality affiliates and the Duke LifePoint Hospitals. The position provides coaching to multidisciplinary teams in continuous improvement, change management and lean leader behaviors using basic high-reliability organizing and advanced process improvement principles and thinking. This position applies continuous improvement (CI) tools and change leadership methodologies to drive specific initiatives and improvement efforts that are critical to safe, timely, effective, equitable, efficient, and reliable patient-centered care; and to ensure that strategies are implemented and principles / practices are embedded into daily practice.

The Performance Improvement Coach supports and mentors leaders in the deployment and sustainment of the Duke Quality System. This includes supporting the development of leader standard work for aligning executive through front-line strategy; and managing the balanced scorecard, reporting key quality performance metrics, and analyzing for improvement. This position does not directly manage but must influence through collaboration and provide direction, guidance, and mentoring to leadership teams.

Duties and Responsibilities of this Level

• Utilizes expertise in improvement methodologies to provide training, advisement, mentoring, coaching, support, and direction to Senior Leaders, Process Owners, Directors (or management) and front-line teams to appropriately use data-driven, scientific, problem-solving methodology to identify the correct design and approach for initiatives on continuous improvement, including Value Streams, Kaizen / Rapid Improvement Events, A3 and managing for daily improvement. The Performance Improvement Coach also supports the deployment of the Quality Management System, including teaching, coaching and other support as needed. Teaches and coaches Leaders, Caregivers and Providers on A3 thinking, PDSA, and lean tools and methodologies to effectively identify, address and eliminate process related obstacles and to drive process improvement.
• Advises and coaches leaders at various levels within the organization on lean leadership skills required to lead in a participative, team-oriented culture.
• Creates and delivers education on continuous improvement to all levels of the organization. Identifies areas in need of on-going training. Assists in the development of curriculum tools and supporting materials.
• Partners with leadership in analysis of processes across the organization, identifies gaps in the process, determines impact to the organization, recommends and coaches action plans and timeline to address issues.
• Independently facilitates continuous improvement teams, follows up on action plans, and assists all assigned teams as needed to ensure improvements are made and sustained.
• Builds relationships with leaders and stakeholders to manage effective processes and programs to improve the value of the patient care experience, reduce waste and ensure compliance according to established standards and measures.
• Tracks and analyzes key performance indicators to identify focus areas needed for improvement.
• Acts as a change agent in a fast paced and "ever changing" environment leveraging his / her strong collegial, service-oriented, interpersonal skills.
• Supports the deployment of a focused daily quality management system to help leaders ensure the adoption and implementation of improvements into the daily operations and culture of the organization, preventing regression back to prior methods and beliefs.
• May perform additional duties of similar complexity, as required or assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities