Chief Quality Officer

Under direction of the Hospital's Chief Executive Officer, the Chief Quality Officer (CQO) is responsible for developing, implementing and monitoring the Hospital's quality assurance and performance improvement program in a manner that reinforces the Hospital's commitment to continuous quality improvement. The CQO has responsibilities requiring a high level of confidentiality including handling sensitive information and privileged communications. This position must be able to prioritize tasks based on necessity and rigorous data analysis, and identify practices or process improvements for efficient and effective Hospital operations that foster the Hospital's culture of safety and mission of providing quality patient care.
This position actively leads the preparation and implementation of data-driven quality, risk and utilization management plans for use in Hospital operations and maintaining programmatic compliance with licensing, CMS and Joint Commission Standards. The CQO manages multiple quality committees; oversees quality of care investigations; consults with the Chief Medical Officer and Medical Staff regarding the quality of medical care provided to patients; oversees the administration of the annual Culture of Safety and Patient Satisfaction surveys, including the data analysis and executive summaries of survey results; has direct oversight of the Patient Rights Advocate and engagement with external advocacy entities, in accordance with applicable regulations/agreements; facilitates an effective incident reporting system and review process to collect meaningful data and application of appropriate oversight; and routinely prepares and presents reports to the Hospital's Executive Management Team and Governing Body.

- In collaboration with the Executive Team, develops, implements and monitors a comprehensive quality assurance and performance improvement program in conformity with regulations specified by the State of Arizona, the Joint Commission, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
- Establishes and maintains cross-functional linkages with the administrative, clinical and non-clinical components of the Hospital through the management of various quality committees.
- Quality assurance activities include, but are not limited to: over and under utilization of services; quantitative and qualitative monitoring of programs; and risk management activities. Works with the Hospital's IT and visual analytics team to build complex dashboards to display adherence to key performance indicators.
- Continuously assesses the quality plans to determine if the plans are addressing known deficiencies and leading to program improvements that positively impact patient care and outcomes. The plans must set priorities and identify targeted goals through an objective analysis using evidence-based standards and review methods.
- Represents the Hospital in various external communications and meetings with key stakeholders, including the Independent Oversight Committee (IOC), AHCCCS, DES/DDD, Adult Protective Services.
- Other duties as assigned as related to the position (typically 5% - 10%)

Knowledge of:
- Must have knowledge of organization, procedures analysis and policy development, the state and federal rules and regulations governing the area of assignment.
- Knowledge of the performance management (PM) model and continuous quality improvement (CQI) methods in a public health setting.
Skill in:
- Must have exceptional written/oral communication skills; organizational analysis; word processing with a variety of software packages. Skills also include analytical, interpersonal, communication (written/oral) and project management.
Ability to:
- Ability to communicate verbally and in writing with a diverse group of employees, patients, residents and community members.
- Ability to evaluate programs objectively using research-based quantitative approaches to make substantive recommendations that drive improvement.

The preferred candidate will have a Bachelor degree (or higher) from an accredited college or university in public administration, health education, health care administration, or a related field. A strong preference will be given to individuals with previous experience leading quality improvement initiatives in an inpatient setting. Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)

A State Hospital employee must be able to obtain a valid Level One Fingerprint Clearance Card pursuant to A.R.S. 41-1758.07. Must have and maintain a current valid Arizona Driver's License.

If this position requires driving or the use of a vehicle as an essential function of the job to conduct State business, then the following requirements apply: Driver's License Requirements.

All newly hired State employees are subject to and must successfully complete the Electronic Employment Eligibility Verification Program (E-Verify).

The State of Arizona provides an excellent comprehensive benefits package including:
Affordable medical and dental insurance plans
Paid vacation and sick time
Paid Parental Leave-Up to 12 weeks per year paid leave for newborn or newly-placed foster/adopted child (pilot program)
10 paid holidays per year
Wellness program and plans
Life insurance
Short/long-term disability insurance
Defined retirement plan
Award winning Infant at Work program
Credit union membership
Transit subsidy
ADHS Student Assistance Pilot Program

Learn more about the Paid Parental Leave pilot program here. For a complete list of benefits provided by The State of Arizona, please visit our benefits page

To help you build a financially secure future, the State makes monthly contributions to finance your retirement benefit. The State will make a contribution to the ASRS in an amount equal to your contribution. In other words, you and the State will each pay 50% of the total cost of the benefit. New State employees have a 27 week wait period for contributions to begin.

The State of Arizona is an Equal Opportunity/Reasonable Accommodation Employer. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation such as a sign language interpreter or an alternative format by calling (602) 220-6462. Requests should be made as early as possible to allow sufficient time to arrange the accommodation. DHS is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All newly hired employees will be subject to E-Verify Employment Eligibility Verification.