Chief Operating Officer St. Mary’s Medical Center

COMPANY BACKGROUND:

Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) is a diversified healthcare services company headquartered in Dallas with more than 100,000 employees. Through an expansive care network that includes United Surgical Partners International, we operate 60 hospitals and approximately 460 other healthcare facilities, including surgical hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers and imaging centers and other care sites and clinics. We also operate Conifer Health Solutions, which provides revenue cycle management and value-based care services to hospitals, health systems, physician practices, employers and other clients. Across the Tenet enterprise, we are united by our mission to deliver quality, compassionate care in the communities we serve. For more information, please visit www.tenethealth.com.

MARKET SUMMARY:

PALM BEACH GROUP 

St. Mary’s Medical Center, West Palm Beach, Florida

Founded in 1938, St. Mary’s Medical Center is a 420-bed, acute care hospital that provides medical, surgical, obstetrical, pediatric, trauma and emergency services to a five-county area. What started as a small 50-bed facility founded by the Franciscan Sisters of Allegany, has grown into a dynamic institution, known for its innovation and award-winning programs, as well as a legacy of excellence that began more than three generations ago.

A leader in critical care medicine, St. Mary’s treats more than 70,000 emergency and trauma patients each year. With advanced diagnostic and imaging services, we are the only GE Show site in the Southeastern United States for neurointerventional imaging technology. Our dedicated team of physicians and staff has helped us achieve top quality awards through The Birthplace, our level I trauma center, comprehensive stroke center, level III NICU and more. St. Mary’s Medical Center has many specialized programs, including a state-designated Regional Perinatal Intensive Care Center and Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. 

The Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center is the only dedicated pediatric hospital between Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando. As members of the national Children’s Hospital Association, we provide highly specialized services to more than 50,000 children each year. Our campus is also the home of Quantum House, a hospitality home for families of pediatric patients. Our numerous employees and affiliated physicians have dedicated themselves to healing our community.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Chief Operating Officer has responsibility for day-to-day operations of the facility and related services, ensuring that staff delivers high-quality, cost-effective care and services with a positive margin.  The Chief Operating Officer will promote the facility’s position and image; reflective of the mission, standards and values of the facility, Tenet and the communities served.

FUNCTIONAL EXPECTATIONS & REQUIREMENTS: 

The Chief Operating Officer is responsible for providing strong leadership, direction, and assistance in setting strategy with clearly defined expectations.  He/she leads the development of progressive physician/facility strategies and executes plans to optimize the long-term potential of the facility. 

Other specific challenges include:

• Display strong business acumen, a sophisticated knowledge of healthcare funding, and experience in competitive marketplaces with the ability to make complex and difficult decisions.
• Establish a plan to address productivity, operational performance, staff retention and satisfaction.
• Partner with medical staff to foster quality, efficiently provided care.  Emerge as respected leader and decision-maker.
• Establish trust and emerge as a leader in key initiatives and strategies to continually improve the quality and level of services provided.
• Create an environment that supports employee satisfaction, improved service and quality. Initiate a strategic process that addresses continuous measurable improvement.
• Exhibit strong communication, presentation and listening skills to ensure facility-wide collaboration and coordination, especially as concerns physicians, employees and the community.
• Assure the highest standards of healthcare delivery and outcomes, ensuring a constant patient focus.
• Ensure positive employee relations and trust through communication, education, consistency and dependability.

ORGANIZATIONAL LEADERSHIP - EXPECTATIONS & REQUIREMENTS:

As a leader in healthcare, Tenet is committed to providing the best possible care to every patient, with a clear focus on quality and service.  Strong leadership is essential to delivering on this commitment, and we believe that the quality of our leaders can give us a significant long-term competitive advantage.  We want to ensure every current and future leader in Tenet is successful, and we support that through our selection and hiring process and by providing coaching and training to our leaders.

In this regard, we have identified core competencies that will enable a leader to succeed at Tenet, and have defined them within the following five areas critical to performance: 

Optimize Execution

• Establishes realistic and aggressive team/individual goals, and action plans that deliver results (e.g., tasks that lead to the renovation of patient rooms).
• Demonstrates high visibility, consistently interacting with key stakeholders to inform, advise, listen, encourage, and challenge (e.g. routinely rounds with employees, physicians, patients, etc.).
• Optimizes facility’s financial and human resources by overseeing day-to-day operations in a high quality and cost-conscious manner (e.g. maintains appropriate staffing ratios, oversees throughput in ER and other high-volume departments, actively manages quality initiatives, leads successful supply cost initiatives).
• Clearly understands and communicates the Balanced Scorecard metrics and targets to the organization (e.g., reviews BSC performance and builds action for lagging areas with Department Directors).

Use Astute Judgment

• Demonstrates high level complex problem-solving abilities (e.g., identifies drivers of service line losses).
• Uses highly developed expertise in quantitative analyses to define and support facility goals (e.g., builds a solid financial business case for expansion of ICU).
• Understands business development and physician recruitment strategies that lead to a competitive advantage.
• Working knowledge of patient care standards reflected in federal and state regulation (e.g. JC accreditation, HCAHPS, etc.). 

Lead Boldly

• Takes decisive operational action in high stakes situations or times of crisis and uncertainty (e.g., responds to local disasters, such as a hurricane).
• Promotes or asserts own position and ideas for operation improvement, quality care delivery, revenue, and volume growth (e.g., identifies and champions a new throughput process in the OR).
• Seeks and champions new ideas and initiatives that create operational/strategic advantage (e.g. forging a privileged relationship with local employers).
• Decisively confronts and resolves issues or barriers to success (e.g., actively addresses physician concerns about new clinical processes).
• Assumes CEO responsibilities in absence of CEO (i.e. Second in command).

Apply Financial Insights

• Understands financial indicators/levels and delivers year over year improved financial performance (e.g., actively contributes to ideas that curtail cost in the facility’s business plan).
• Uses financial and productivity analysis vs. anecdotes to make decisions (e.g., continually reviews cost and productivity reports and directs efforts for improvement in targeted areas of opportunity).

Drive Organizational Success

• Builds consensus and commitment across disparate facility managers, physicians and home office staff with often competing priorities, with short and long-term goals (e.g., hosts discussions to shape and align stakeholders on MPI goals and approach).
• Engages in team bench strength assessments and recruitment or promotion action plans that meet current/future talent needs (e.g., identifies and develops/mentors younger tenure talent).
• Is an effective team member with the facility’s CEO, CFO, CNO, and DBD to pursue new growth, implement new processes, and/or address new challenges (e.g., A-Team challenge to improve HCAHPS scores).
• Provides ongoing feedback, measurement and assessment process that measure performance to plan and cause course correction for direct reports (e.g., meets with staff weekly to discuss progress on key initiatives/operations).
• Partners effectively with medical staff to continually improve the quality and level of services provided (e.g., actively participates in MEC, meets frequently with Chief of Staff).

CANDIDATE EXPERIENCE, ATTRIBUTES AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS:

A minimum of ten years of successful progressive healthcare/facility management experience.  A demonstrable record of significant career progression, having culminated in a senior management position as either a Chief Operating Officer, Senior Operations Officer or Chief Executive Officer in a progressive, financially sound hospital system.

• High level, complex problem-solving abilities both in groups and in one-on-one situations.
• Demonstrated success in leading process improvement initiatives in a tertiary facility.
• First-hand successful experience as a Chief Operating Officer (or equivalent) in a highly competitive environment.
• Highly developed expertise in quantitative analysis to support definition and advancement for the facility’s goals and objectives.
• Decisive leader, with the ability to understand physicians’ viewpoints and needs, and work strategically in the best interest of patients and the facility.  A strong reputation for sustained, inclusive, trust-based physician relations.
• Proven success in balancing cost/quality issues and partnering with medical staff to address productivity improvements in non-labor reduction initiatives.
• Experience in a system with excellent employee, physician and patient satisfaction, quality and outcomes improvement programs.
• An understanding of information systems as they pertain not only to accounting but also to decision support, cost management and revenue enhancement.

Professional Attributes

• The ability to maximize revenue potential in a thoughtful manner, cognizant of potential compliance issues.
• Capable of working with staff and assisting them in their continued development, as well as enhancing their performance in a supportive team environment.
• One who is open to change and new information, adapting behavior and work methods in response to new information, changing conditions, or unexpected obstacles. Someone who adjusts rapidly to new situations warranting attention and resolution.
• A high orientation to detail with proven analytical and financial skills.
• One who encourages open dialogue and delegates authority and accountability comfortably.  Demands excellence and monitors outcomes.
• The capacity, maturity, stature and communication skills to eventually assume a more senior leadership role in a hospital system.
• An individual who has successfully driven initiatives that require coordination from multiple constituencies such as human resources, finance, information systems, lab, and pharmacy.

Personal Attributes

• An individual of highest personal and professional integrity, principle and knowledge, earning respect and support when making difficult decisions and choices. Able to establish immediate credibility with peers, senior leadership, and medical staff.
• Must listen actively and accurately, encourage input from others.  Provide clear directions.  Maintain an ongoing dialogue with employees to ensure continual progress.
• Excellent oral and written presentation skills.  Articulate, good conversationalist and possessing a gracious demeanor.
• A collaborative and operational manager who will give employees a voice and encourage full participation of all team members.

Education/Certifications

An undergraduate degree from a recognized and accredit institution is required and MBA/MHA or equivalent is preferred.

Compensation

A competitive compensation program will be tailored to the selected candidate.  Base salary will be supplemented by a performance bonus and comprehensive, well-rounded benefits program, which includes relocation assistance.

Travel

Minimal.

• Selected candidate will be required to pass a Motor Vehicle Records check.

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