The Client: Stamford Hospital is an Integrated Delivery Network with a reputation for providing high quality clinical services as well as academic and educational excellence. It has a 305 bed not-for-profit teaching acute care hospital offering services in medicine, obstetrics & gynecology, general and specialized surgery, including open heart surgery. The Hospital is a member of the New York Presbyterian Health Care System, and an affiliate of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons. Stamford Hospital also includes the Tully Health Center, a 240,000 sq. ft. outpatient facility which houses an immediate care center; a Cyberknife Center, an outpatient facility, which has physician offices; a same-day surgery center, an endoscopy center, The Center for Integrative Wellness, plus broad imaging capabilities including a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence, as designated by the American College of Radiology, physical therapy, fitness programs, cardiac rehabilitation and nutrition services.
Stamford Health Integrated Practices Network (SHIP) is Stamford Hospital’s Physician Enterprise which encompasses over 50 physicians representing specialties in pediatric neurology, surgery, breast surgery, orthopedics, obstetrics and gynecology, and primary care. SHIP physicians see patients both in the hospital and in a variety of locations around Fairfield County, CT and Westchester County, NY. Other system members include, the Darien Imaging Center which received “Breast MRI” certification in 2010, The Bennett Cancer Center, The Women's Breast Center which is the first in the nation to be recognized by the American College of Surgeons as a National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).
The Position: The President of the Stamford Health Integrated Practices (SHIP) leads, organizes, and directs the operational and business affairs of the Stamford Hospital’s physician network. The President is the lead [physician] executive responsible for leading, developing, managing and growing their physician network, as well as their health integrated practices. As such, the selected candidate will be responsible for the overall direction of the physician practices in the network, including physician recruitment, professional contracting, clinical services, office staff employment, strategic planning, marketing, and all aspects of financial and operational performance. This individual reports directly to a Senior Vice President and directly supervises the SHIP executive staff which includes a Vice President as well as the Directors of Finance, Human Resources, Information Services, Decision Support and this complement is expected to expand as the network grows. Also, this individual will be a member of the executive staff of the Stamford Hospital System. Some of the more critical responsibilities/accountabilities are these:
- S/he will direct and manage the physician practices that are owned by and/or affiliated with the Stamford Health System. Those duties will include:
- Recruitment, selection, orientation, and retention of physicians.
- Practice management.
- Operational improvements within physician practices.
- Performance monitoring.
- Revenue cycle operations.
- Compensation plan execution.
- Compliance monitoring.
- S/he will assist in the development and implementation of SHIP’s physician affiliation strategies and programs. This will involve maintaining effective communication and reporting relationships with physicians in the practices that are currently part of the network, as well as developing relationships with physicians and practices that indicate an interest in establishing formal relationships with them.
- S/he will work with Human Resources to support newly hired physicians, and their their clinical staffs, while effectively integrating them into the daily operations of the Stamford Hospital. This may include planning for and implementing, new practice sites as necessary.
- S/he will provide leadership in integrating the employed physician enterprise with various hospital functions as appropriate.
- S/he will assist practices with their growth efforts by offering/providing leadership in creating practice development objectives and plans.
- S/he will work collaboratively with senior leadership colleagues with respect to provider growth strategies and the employed physician enterprise’s operational, clinical, and financial issues.
- S/he will work closely with the relevant members of the system support services departments such as financial operations, clinical management, information technology services, and employed physician credentialing to ensure the provision of efficient and effective physician services.
- S/he will serve as the liaison between the employed physicians and Stamford Hospital’s leadership and develop a forum for discussing and resolving operational, clinical, and financial issues.
- S/he will develop a third-party contracting strategy for the physician organization and drive the physician employment contracting component of the operation.
- S/he will work closely with the SVP Medical Affairs, the Chief Quality Officer, medical staff leadership and others, as appropriate, to participate in building and maintaining productive relationships with independent community physicians.
- S/he will actively participate in Stamford Hospital committees, as appropriate, and be active in local and national professional associations. S/he will meet with members of the community to promote positive public relations.
- S/he will actively participate in the hospital’s performance improvement process: selecting, training, developing and evaluating direct reports in accordance with Human Resource policies and the organization’s philosophy and values. S/he will actively champion change throughout the organization and act as a role model for staff.
- S/he will work collaboratively with Stamford Hospital’s marketing, communications, and physician referral services to assure that proper communication channels are established and that directories and websites are up-to-date.
- This President also will work with departments to assure that financial benchmarks are achieved and initiate programs that assist in improved coding and CMS pay-for-reporting programs.
- S/he will seek opportunities to collaborate effectively with Stamford Hospital’s strategic and medical teaching partner: Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.
- The President of SHIP will lead efforts to create differentiators and innovations in care through practice redesign.
QUALIFICATIONS: The selected candidate will be able to demonstrate a considerable record of seasoned leadership and line management accomplishments in a complex physician group setting, preferably within an integrated health system. The candidate must also have experience managing both primary care and specialty care physician practices. It is particularly important that s/he have had specific (and extensive) experience in creating and recruiting a network of aligned physicians that have significantly contributed to the overall business objectives of their organizations. This individual will have shown that s/he can grow an organization’s revenues and profits, and also its quality and excellence in terms of both patient care and customer service. More specifically, the candidate will be able to demonstrate success in physician group strategic planning and in improving operational and financial performance through revenue generation, cost control, productivity enhancements, and clinical outcome improvement strategies, along with a high level of patient and physician satisfaction. A solid understanding of the financial issues facing an integrated healthcare delivery system and a strong grasp of the clinical and technical aspects of operations are also requirements. It is further expected that the candidate will have had substantial exposure to both third party payor and physician contracting and compensation outcomes. Also required is a high level of proficiency with computers, the Internet, and computer software such as MS Office or its equivalent. Knowledge of computer programs such as SPSS, MS Project, or Solucient is required. Experience with identifying and implementing EMR systems would be of real value, also.
This person’s record will demonstrate that they are a change agent with the ability to manage the conflict surrounding that change. Furthermore, s/he will be community/stakeholder responsive, with the charisma and political skills to influence with integrity both internal and external constituencies. S/he will be persuasive, patient, a good listener, nurturing of process and cultures, yet enough of a time manager to distinguish between, and respond to, the difference between activity and productivity. S/he will be able to demonstrate effectiveness in working with physicians…and enjoy doing that. It is taken-for-granted that s/he will also be able to deal with multiple issues at the same time, accepting of uncertainty/ambiguity and delivering results with optimism and enthusiasm. Furthermore, this individual will have a demonstrated record of developing new programs or services; including the necessary strong skill set to do so: effective at analysis, design, and the communication skills to obtain approval and implement new initiatives. Implicitly, s/he will be capable of functioning as a productive member of the senior management team of the Stamford Hospital and at SHIP. For example, s/he must be able to articulate and defend operational goals, strategies, and accomplishments in a persuasive manner, yet be adaptable and flexible in the face of changes in order to address the greater organizational challenges.
This person is someone who understands interdependency: standing on their own yet inviting information, criticism, and cooperation from others. They know how to leverage themselves (and others) such that they can welcome the dual role of leading others, yet having a subset of “hands on” responsibilities that are their own, personally. Axiomatically, this is someone who thrives on the dynamism of change implicit in multispecialty groups today, and has the personal vigor/stamina, perseverance, organizational skills, and integrity to make-a-difference.
In terms of education: an advanced degree in business, hospital or health administration, professional certifications (ACMPE, CHE) are preferred. Experience with performance improvement programs such as Lean, PDCA, 6 Sigma would be an asset too. Competency with statistics and statistical analysis is preferred. Physicians meeting the management experience criteria will also be considered. A Medical Degree is strongly preferred but this is not a requirement. Clearly the key emphasis will be placed on the individual's record of effectiveness. The intellectual premium here is on quantitative (business) skills exhibited in an entrepreneurial setting. The specific style that will succeed here is one that is “balanced:” a good listener, calm, mature, thoughtful and articulate, able to manage up and down, with grace, tact, diplomacy and authority.
COMPENSATION: The total compensation package for this position will be competitive taking into account the selected candidate’s background, location factors, and the content of the role. Suffice to say, for the right person, compensation will not be an obstacle.
CONTACT IN CONFIDENCE:
Peter A. Rabinowitz, President
P•A•R• Associates, Inc.
250 First Avenue
Boston, MA 02129
617-337-5578 (office)
617-680-6162 (cell)
617-830-8882 (fax)
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