Senior Director - Operations-Training-Quality Improvement

Senior Director - Operations-Training-Quality Improvement

Location : Chicago, Illinois

Business Unit : Rush Medical Center Hospital : Rush University Medical Center Department : Access Center

Work Type : Full Time (Total FTE between 0.9 and 1.0)

Shift : Shift 1

Work Schedule : 8 Hr (8 : 00 : 00 AM - 4 : 30 : 00 PM)

Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits. Pay Range : $63.10 - $106.01 per hour.

Summary

The Senior System Director of Access Operations, Training & Quality is a senior leadership role responsible for the strategic oversight, development, and execution of enterprise-wide access operations, training, and quality programs across the ambulatory enterprise. This includes patient scheduling, referral intake, registration, capacity management, knowledge management, and staff development. This role provides vision, leadership, and direction for frontline operations, ensuring that patients have timely and seamless access to care while optimizing workflows, capacity, and staff performance. The Senior System Director partners closely with executive leadership, physicians, clinic administrators, IS, HR, and revenue cycle leaders to design innovative strategies, implement standardized workflows, and deliver measurable improvements in patient experience, operational efficiency, and financial performance. He / she serves as a conduit between executive leadership, physicians, and clinical and operational leadership to drive change leading to growth and access as measured by budget, access metrics, and productivity. This role is instrumental in developing data-driven strategies to improve appointment availability, referral turnaround time, and registration accuracy while embedding accountability at every level of the access infrastructure. The position oversees managers and consultants responsible for both Access Operations and Training / Quality functions, embedding accountability and continuous improvement across all teams.

Required Job Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, Business, Public Health, or related field; or equivalent work experience.

At least eight years of relevant experience required.

Strong knowledge of Epic Cadence, template management, scheduling, referral workflows, and telephony / CRM platforms.

Demonstrated success in leading enterprise-level projects, operationalizing strategies, and achieving measurable improvements in access and quality.

Proven ability to operationalize strategies.

Broad knowledge of healthcare trends, challenges, and opportunities applicable to academic medical centers.

Ability to build successful teams utilizing strong interpersonal skills.

Strong communication, interpersonal, and presentation skills with the ability to work effectively with executives, physicians, and frontline staff.

Excellent project management, organizational, and analytical skills; ability to manage competing priorities in a complex environment.

Excellent communication and presentation skills.

Leadership.

Integrity

Strategic thinking.

Results driven decision making.

Self-motivation and self-direction.

Preferred Job Qualifications

Master's degree (MHA, MBA, MPH, or related field).

Professional certification such as Lean Six Sigma or PMP.

Experience within an academic medical center or large, integrated healthcare delivery system.

Demonstrated success in access improvement, referral optimization, and training / quality program development.

Responsibilities

Lead the strategy, design, and execution of system-wide access operations, including referral intake, scheduling, registration, payment collection, and capacity management.

Oversee enterprise-wide training and quality programs, ensuring consistent onboarding, continuous education, and sustainable process improvement across Access and front-end clinic staff.

Partner with Vice President of Access Center and other senior leaders to establish and monitor key access performance metrics; proactively identify gaps and implement corrective strategies.

Partners with division and practice administrators, nurse managers, and physician leaders to develop and operationalize the access program; as well as subsequent innovations to enhance patient satisfaction, focus on new patient growth, and meet goals related to improving revenue performance and patient access.

Serve as a subject matter expert on Epic Cadence, CRM, telephony, capacity management, and scheduling workflows; collaborate with IS and operations to ensure alignment with best practices.

Directs the implementation of strategic and tactical access plans and initiatives including pilot projects, transition strategies, and full-scale implementation. Identifies and directs the training necessary for success.

Direct managers, supervisors, and consultants within Access Operations and Training / Quality, ensuring effective recruitment, development, coaching, and performance management.

Translate policies, workflows, and standards into training curricula and reference materials, both live and electronic, to drive consistency across departments.

Lead quality assurance programs; monitor error trends, root causes, and operational gaps; implement strategies for continuous improvement and service recovery.

Oversee and enhance the deployment of Daily Management Systems (DMS) to cascade goals and ensure alignment with enterprise objectives.

Collaborate with clinical and administrative leadership to balance supply and demand, optimize scheduling templates, and strengthen referral conversion.

Develop and maintain budgets for functional areas; ensure effective use of resources while achieving performance and growth goals.

Build strong cross-functional partnerships with physicians, practice administrators, nursing, revenue cycle, and compliance to ensure seamless handoffs and enterprise alignment.

Lead and / or represent the organization in system-wide committees, task forces, and external forums related to patient access, training, and quality improvement.

Stay abreast of national trends, technologies, and innovations in access, training, and quality improvement; evaluate and implement best practices to maintain RUSH's leadership position.

Uphold and exemplify the RUSH mission, vision, and values in all activities and interactions.

Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.