Director of Patient Safety (Patient Safety Officer)

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or university in a healthcare field)
• Formal quality training as evidenced by certificate such as HCQM, CPHQ, CPPS or training conducted through an acknowledged quality organization (IHI, ASQ, AHRQ or NQF) or ability to obtain certification within two years of employment
• Minimum of three (3) years’ of clinical experience in a healthcare related field (i.e., but not limited to\: social work, psychology, physical therapy, dietary, emergency tech, nursing)
• Minimum of five (5) years’ experience in healthcare at a management level or above
• Minimum of three (3) years’ experience directly involved in healthcare quality, patient safety, performance improvement or regulatory/accreditation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous leadership role in quality or safety at a healthcare institution
• Intermediate proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite including Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook

Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Other Characteristics

• Knowledge of the regulatory environment, including CMS, Joint Commission, NCQA
• Experience working with Cerner Electronic Medical Record Systems is preferred
• Excellent leadership skills with operational experience in patient safety, care management and related fields
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Outstanding interpersonal skills allowing complex interactions with all staff levels in the healthcare setting
• Must be detail oriented and have high standards of accuracy
• Ability to function independently and under time constraints

Physical and Environmental Demands

This position is functioning within a healthcare environment.  The incumbent is responsible for adherence to all hospital and department specific safety requirements.  This includes but is not limited to the following policies and procedures:  complying with Personal Protective Equipment requirements, hand washing and sanitizing practices, complying with department specific engineering and work practice controls and any other work area safety precautions as specified by hospital wide policy and departmental procedures.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of the personnel so classified.

For purposes of the American with Disabilities Act, “Typical Duties” are essential job functions.

BENEFITS PACKAGE

• Medical, Dental, and Vision Coverage
• Basic Term Life Insurance
• Pension Plan and Deferred Compensation Program
• Employee Assistance Program
• Paid Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Time
• You may also qualify for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

 For further information on our excellent benefits package, please click on the following link\: http\://www.cookcountyrisk.com/

To receive Veteran Preference, appropriate discharge papers must be attached to the online   application or must be included with your emailed resume/CV.  Please refer to Veteran Preference document requirements listed on the bottom of this posting.

VETERAN PREFERENCE

PLEASE READ

When applying for employment with Cook County Health, preference is given to honorably discharged Veterans who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States for not less than 6 months of continuous service

 
To take advantage of this preference a Veteran must:

•  Meet the minimum qualifications for the position. 
• Identify self as a Veteran on the employment application by answering yes to the question by answering yes to the question, “Are you a Military Veteran?” 
• Attach a copy of their DD 214, DD 215 or NGB 22 (Notice of Separation at time of application filing.  Please note\:  If you have multiple DD214s, 215s, or NGB 22S, Please submit the one with the latest date.  Coast Guard must submit a certified copy of the military separation from either the Department of Transportation (Before 9/11) or the Department of Homeland Security (After 9/11). Discharge papers must list and Honorable Discharge Status.  Discharge papers not listing an Honorable Discharge Status are not acceptable

OR

A copy of a valid State ID Card or Driver’s License which identifies the holder of the ID as a Veteran, may also be attached to the application at time of filing.

If items are not attached, you will not be eligible for Veteran Preference

VETERANS MUST PROVIDE ORIGINAL APPLICABLE DISCHARGE PAPERS OR APPLICABLE STATE ID CARD OR DRIVER’S LICENSE AT TIME OF INTERVIEW.

MUST MEET ALL REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS AT TIME OF APPLICATION FILING. 

“Degrees awarded outside of the United States with the exception of those awarded in one of the United States’ territories and Canada muse be credentialed by an approved U.S. credential evaluation service belongings to the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE). Original credentialing documents must be presented at time of interview”.

*Please note all offers of Employment are contingent upon the following conditions\: satisfactory professional & employment references, healthcare and criminal background checks, appropriate licensure/certifications and the successful completion of a physical and pre-employment drug screen.

 *CCH is strictly prohibited from conditioning, basing or knowingly prejudicing or affecting any term or aspect of County employment or hiring upon or because of any political reason or factor.

        COOK COUNTY HEALTH IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.

Applicants may apply for this position by submitting a resume/ CV to the following email address\: mgmtrecruit@cookcountyhhs.org 

When submitting a resume/CV by email, you must include the job title and posting number in the subject line of your email. An application or resume/CV must be filed for each position which interests you.

This position is exempt from Career Service under the CCH Personnel Rules.

Job Summary

The Director of Patient Safety (Patient Safety Officer) will direct safety efforts throughout the health system and serve as the Cook County Health & Hospitals System’s (CCHHS) Patient Safety Officer (PSO).  Provides strategic direction and oversight of all efforts to improve patient safety. Provides oversight of the process of reporting and analyzing safety events (including sentinel and ‘never’ events) and the development and implementation of an annual patient safety plan.  Will collaborate with Medical Staffs, Risk Management, Compliance and other CCHHS executives to evaluate, develop and implement policy and programs to prevent and/or minimize risk, and monitor, analyze and report on patient safety events.  Prepares and delivers reports to System governance including the CCHHS Board of Directors. Performs other duties assigned by the Chief Quality Officer.

General Administrative Responsibilities

Collective Bargaining

• Review applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements and consult with Labor Relations to generate management proposals
• Participate in collective bargaining negotiations, caucus discussions and working meetings

 Discipline

• Document, recommend and effectuate discipline at all levels
• Work closely with labor relations and/or labor counsel to effectuate and enforce applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Initiate, authorize and complete disciplinary action pursuant to CCH system rules, policies, procedures and provision of applicable collective bargaining agreements

 Supervision

• Direct and effectuate CCH management policies and practices
• Access and proficiently navigate CCH records system to obtain and review information necessary to execute provisions of applicable collective bargaining agreements

 Management

• Contribute to the management of CCH staff and CCH’ systemic development and success
• Discuss and develop CCH system policy and procedure
• Consistently use independent judgment to identify operational staffing issues and needs and perform the following functions as necessary; hire, transfer, suspend, layoff, recall, promote, discharge, assign, direct or discipline employees pursuant to applicable Collective Bargaining Agreements
• Work with Labor Relations to discern past practice when necessary

Typical Duties

• Provides strategic direction and oversees the development of a comprehensive patient safety program
• Manages and utilizes an electronic event reporting system and other confidential reporting formats to identify serious safety events throughout the health system; oversees reporting of safety events to external agencies as required by law and regulation
• Develops and manages data sources to
• Maintains safety dashboards to track and trend all safety events and reports to governance and leadership (system board and medical staffs)
• Leads efforts to analyze serious safety events including oversight of the RCA (root cause analysis) process and reporting on events and action plans to committees and system leadership
• Works closely with the Executive Medical Director and the clinical Department Chairs to evaluate and facilitate efforts to enhance and improve patient safety in both inpatient and ambulatory environments
• Partners with Nursing, Pharmacy and other clinical departments to develop structures and processes which lead to a high reliability institution and forwards the patient safety agenda
• Facilitates performance improvement projects to improve patient safety
• Measures and develops a culture of safety based on transparency, reporting and respect.

Reporting Relationship

Reports to the Chief Quality Officer