Covenant Health

Manager, System Performance Improvement

Full Time, 80 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift

Covenant Health Overview:

Covenant Health is the region’s top-performing healthcare network with 10 hospitals, outpatient and specialty services, and Covenant Medical Group, our area’s fastest-growing physician practice division. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health is a community-owned integrated healthcare delivery system and the area’s largest employer. Our more than 11,000 employees, volunteers, and 1,500 affiliated physicians are dedicated to improving the quality of life for the more than two million patients and families we serve every year. Covenant Health is the only healthcare system in East Tennessee to be named a Forbes “Best Employer” seven times.

Position Summary:

To develop, manage, advise, and administer system level performance improvement projects in an effort to minimize waste, improve revenue, and streamline processes in a continual effort to improve patient safety and business operations. The Performance Improvement (PI) Manager in conjunction with the Manager, Management Engineering, will develop, train, and coordinate performance improvement educational sessions across Covenant Health. The PI Manager will establish, plan, and organize the Covenant Performance Improvement Council activities and functions. Advises and encourages facility/entity level performance/process improvement projects/sponsors and tracks project progress. Provides leadership to performance/process improvement experts at each facility/entity. Organizes activities to support the tenants of a highly reliable organization.

• Identifies opportunities for performance/process improvement across Covenant Health.
• Develops and implements process and performance improvement training tactics across Covenant Health.
• Proactively seeks opportunities to reduce waste and redundancy in the utilization of resources.
• Collaborates with key leaders and stakeholders including but not limited to: nursing, ancillary departments, service lines, risk management, and physician partners to identify areas of opportunity.
• Organizes and plans the Covenant Performance Improvement Council in collaboration with the System Chief Nursing Officer, and System Chief Medical Officer.
• Collaborates with the Covenant Management Engineers to facilitate performance improvement projects within the different facilities/entities.
• Work in partnership with the Covenant Director of Data Analytics to create, gather, and use data as necessary to drive performance/process improvement efforts.
• Uses the System Improvement Reports (SIRs) to analyze patterns and variances in near miss/good catches to identify opportunities for system-wide risk reduction and performance improvement.
• Guides and facilitates project teams with assigned system or facility lead in using data collection plans, data measurement tools, and data analysis to establish outcome, process, and balance metrics.
• Responsible for periodic review of project metrics to ensure and facilitate ongoing sustainment of project outcomes.
• Uses external comparisons, benchmarks, and internal standards as a comparative indicator of performance, when available.
• Manages the System Performance Improvement Share Point site.
• Facilitates performance improvement teams across the system by acting as a resource, providing tools, setting expectations, and directing each performance improvement team’s work.
• Leads, directs, and manages system level performance/process improvement projects.
• Prepares reports on system project progress for the Executive Leadership Team (ELT) in conjunction with the System Board Quality Committee on a routine basis.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:          

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Minimum Experience:         

A minimum of five (5) years’ experience in healthcare with at least three (3) years in a hospital setting.

Performance Improvement Experience highly preferred

Licensure Requirements:    

RN license required. Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) or Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) preferred. Employee must have a valid Tennessee driver’s license Class D.  Driving record must meet Covenant Health minimum standards at the date of hire and throughout employment tenure.