Director of Operations, Surgical Services

Washington, DC, United States

The GW Medical Faculty Associates (MFA) was incorporated in July 2000 as a not-for-profit, physician-led practice group. The organization functioned as an independent organization in support of The George Washington University School of Medicine and Sciences as a multi-specialty physician practice group. The GW MFA has grown to become the largest independent academic physician practice in the Washington, DC metro region with more than 500 physicians and nearly 200 APP providers. In 2018, the MFA bylaws were revised to allow The George Washington University to serve as the sole corporate member while the MFA retained independent 501c3 status. The purpose of the change was to ensure alignment between the MFA and The George Washington University.

MFA physicians provide comprehensive patient care, offering one practice for the whole person with 52 medical and surgical specialties. As members of the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences faculty, MFA providers are teachers and mentors for medical students, residents, fellows, and researchers preserving the rich tradition of academics, research, and healing. In addition to maintaining a closely integrated alliance with The George Washington University and The George Washington University Hospital (GWUH), separately owned and operated by Universal Health Services (UHS), the GW MFA has active referring relationships with 12 area hospitals.

The GW MFA’s leading healthcare presence in the DC metro region is complemented by a network of community-based practices in DC, Maryland, and Virginia. Given its geographic location in central NW Washington, DC, and proximity to more than 175 resident embassies, the MFA continues to evolve its international clinical outreach.

Position Summary

Reporting to the Executive Director of Surgical Specialties, the Operations Director provides overall leadership and support to clinical operations for four departments, Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Urology, and Neurosurgery within GW’s academic physician practice group known as the Medical Faculty Associates (MFA).

As an operations director within the surgical departments, this role has direct responsibility for leading complex operations, managing a team of staff, interfacing with partners at the George Washington University Hospital and affiliated clinical sites, and leadership to drive budget management and financial performance results. In the support of clinical operations, this role works with centrally managed MFA departments for budgeting, financial planning and analysis, decision support, provider compensation plan administration, and information technologies.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. Other duties may be assigned.

Strategic Planning and Management

The Operations Director will work closely with the Executive Director and other leaders to develop business strategies for the division and manage their implementation. This includes the following responsibilities:

Actively partners and closely collaborates with key constituents to leverage opportunities and goals;

Collaborates with the MFA’s internal and external key stakeholders to develop business plans, monitor operational results, and suggest alternative courses to meet financial expectations;

Serves as division leadership in the assessment, design, and implementation of the MFA’s strategies related to value-based, accountable care;

Ensures that department and divisional leadership fully understands the financial implications of these strategies and leads the development of financial operations to support these initiatives;

Collaborates with department, division, academic, and clinical leaders (internally and externally) to develop opportunities for business innovations that enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the department/division management.

Financial Oversight

The Operations Director will be expected to apply skills, experience, acumen, and an understanding of the business of academic healthcare in all decision-making and strategic planning for growth, revenue enhancement, and expense rationalization, among others. This includes the following responsibilities:

Works collaboratively on financial planning, projections, and budgets that focus on long-term fiscal sustainability for the division;

Considers new financial or operational circumstances when planning and projecting;

Work with a Financial Analyst to provide insightful analysis of financial results and forecasts that will allow for informed decision-making and resource optimization;

Assists in promoting a culture where the faculty and staff understand their individual fiduciary roles and responsibilities;

Monitors the departments’ financial performance to identify trends and safeguard assets;

Analyzes rolling forecasts, actual-to-budgeted variances, and unusual trends and proactively communicates with the Executive Director and Department Chairs.

Operational Oversight

Working closely with division and department leadership, the Operations Director manages the clinical, administrative, and financial operations in alignment with the goals of the departments and MFA, all while adhering to all institutional and departmental policies. This includes:

Oversees and maintains an organizational structure to effectively and efficiently accomplish the division’s goals and objectives while appropriately segregating duties and mitigating risk;

Works collaboratively with clinical and non-clinical leaders to support fact-based decision-making to ensure efficient clinical operations are maintained;

Acts as a change agent, assisting the division with the successful implementation of new clinical and administrative procedures and systems;

Serves as a major point of contact for problem resolution in operational matters;

Works with leadership to develop new policies and procedures for improved clinical operation, and ensures compliance with established policies and regulatory guidelines;

Monitors patient satisfaction data and addresses any unfavorable patterns via workflow adjustments or individual performance improvement efforts;

Reviews and monitors operational metrics associated with space utilization, template utilization, patient encounters, and collections to then provide improvement recommendations to the Executive Director.

Partners with departments and MFA stakeholders to support provider recruitment efforts;

Builds and retains a high-performing administrative and clinical team through recruitment, development, and effective management;

Determines appropriate division staffing levels based on best practice metrics;

Communicates openly with staff, faculty physicians, and administration;

Creates, models, expects, and reinforces a purpose-driven culture with high standards of service and performance; and

Develops yearly personnel goals reflecting individual needs and departmental and divisional priorities.

The Operations Director reports directly to the Executive Director. For the purposes of management, performance assessment, and span of control, the Operations Director directly supervises the clinical, financial, and administrative operations for the departments of Surgery, Orthopaedic Surgery, Urology, and Neurosurgery.

Specific titles reporting to the Operations Director:

Registered Nurse Manager

Practice Plan Manager

Minimum Qualifications

Education

A Bachelor's degree or an equivalent combination of training and experience.

Experience

A minimum of 8 years of relevant healthcare experience

A minimum of 4 years of operational leadership experience in a healthcare setting or a comparably complex environment.

Physical Requirements

Walk, bend, twist, and reach above shoulder frequently in an office setting

Must be able to occasionally lift, carry, push, or pull up to 20 lbs. as part of the role

Regularly exposed to healthcare settings that may require personal protective equipment

Requires manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, calculator, copier machine, and other equipment

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