JOB SUMMARY

Director of Inpatient Therapy Operations and Program Innovation has responsibility of administrative and operational oversight of inpatient therapy at the hospital to which they are assigned. Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy services provided by GSRN.

EDUCATION

• Assures continuing education and professional development opportunities for staff.

QUALIFICATIONS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION

• Master’s Degree required OR
• Bachelor’s Degree with planned enrollment in an advanced degree program is required

WORK EXPERIENCE

• 7-9 years of clinical experience required
• 3-5 years of prior supervisory experience required

Staff Education:

• Assures continuing education and professional development opportunities for staf

Academic & Clinical Education:

• Provides oversight for clinical education and academic education of Occupational & Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists and Therapist Assistant

Employees Satisfaction:

• Regularly meets with employees to improve communication and to build productive relationships.
• Continuously communicates to staff the importance of patient satisfaction, quality of care, and sound financial performance; and champions our successes and priorities for improving performance in meeting and exceeding patient and customer expectations.
• Analyze employee satisfaction data & identify opportunities for improvement.
• Collaborate with staff to develop action plans.
• Implement and follow through with action plans.
• Manage & eliminate process workarounds.
• Focus energy on collaboration and not blame.

Establish/update processes and work practices for the unit/department:

• Manage and eliminate process workarounds by appropriately and consistently sharing with organizational partners the issues, which require their attention.
• Analyze employee satisfaction data on a quarterly basis and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Share data with staff and mutually identify opportunities for improvement within the department’s span of influence.
• Collaborate with the staff to develop action plans for improvement.
• Implement and follow through with action plan.

Staff Education:

• Assures continuing education and professional development opportunities for staff

Academic & Clinical Education:

• Provides oversight for clinical education and academic education of Occupational & Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists and Therapist Assistants

Research:

• Promotes the research initiatives in OT, PT and ST.

Internal Partnerships:

• Works with GSRN leadership in developing programs, services and initiatives to anticipate future customer needs, build customer loyalty and generate profitable growth.
• Sets standards and drives operational integration of programs by ensuring alignment of communication to Leadership.

Manage team and individual performance in alignment with the GSRN vision of service excellence:

• Drive patient/client loyalty and physician referral by ensuring staff understand the GSRN commitment to service, their own work processes, and have the necessary skills to meet service expectations.
• Focus energies on collaborating in problem resolution rather than finding blame.
• Manage patient/client complaints and provide timely follow up to ensure satisfaction.
• Ensure that staff understand and demonstrate service recovery commitment.
• Establish/update processes and work practices for GSRN Therapy Services:
• In conjunction with all stakeholders involved in the patient care processes, institute operational changes based on data (e.g. Penn Safety Net, RL Solutions, , customized area operations data).
• Communicate, reinforce, and update as necessary environment of care procedures, (e.g. safety, security, hazardous materials, emergency, medical equipment, and utility management.)
• Continuously improve area operations to maintain and exceed internal/external regulatory compliance and achieve clinical excellence.
• Participates in and supports patient safety goals and initiatives (FMEA,RCA)
• Train staff in RL Solutions/Penn Safety Net and encourage and use as intended to capture patient safety trends.

Regulatory Compliance: (In partnership with Leadership Team)

• Ensures compliance with all federal, state and local regulatory standards and requirements, including TJC, Department of Health, funding agencies, FDA, HIPAA, HCFA, DPW and others.
• Ensures optimal condition of all equipment.
• Ensures order, safety, efficiency and cleanliness of clinical and office area.
• Participates in development of policies and procedures.
• Clinical Effectiveness and Quality Improvement:

Establishes performance measurement and management systems for key success elements: access, quality, service and value.

• Actively participates in entity CEQI initiatives. Participates in groups to developing action plans for achievement of CEQI goals
• Coordinates the development and establishment of best therapy clinical practices throughout the continuum of care
• Oversees and coordinates clinical outcomes management

Change Management:

• Proactively develops and implements change management strategy for major organizational activities and events
• Identifies and facilitates agreement of major messages which are consistent regardless of audience, credible and reflects GSRN core values
• Communication plans are effectively implemented
• Ensure appropriate follow-up of major issues
• Manage routine and crisis communications throughout the entity/community as they arise
• Demonstrates recognition of the systemic impact of employee communication and/or policy changes and solicits proactive feedback prior to implementation.
• Evaluates effectiveness of change and implementation plans.

Financial Management:

• Develops and implements capital and operating budgets in collaboration with Finance, and the VP of Inpatient Rehabilitation Services.
• Actively tracks and reports departmental revenue with goal of meeting budgeted targets.
• Trains and supports therapy managers/lead therapists as they exercise effective budget management and control for all OT / PT / SPT accounting units with respect to both expenses and revenue. Director of Therapy Services will have overall responsibility for the budget.
• Proactively corrects and explains budget variances.
• Monitors legislative changes that impact billing compliance for rehab therapy services and proactively manages these changes.
• Reports as needed on financial performance.
• Responsible for payroll and budgets for capital and minor equipment.
• Oversees development and maintenance of new and ongoing contracts.
• Submits monthly or more frequent reports as needed indicating the department’s financial status in relation to quantity and quality of services.

Planning and Organization:

• Strategic planning of Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Therapy development including practice planning, acquisitions, joint ventures and contractual arrangements.
• Actively participates in strategic planning with the GSRN Leadership Team and VP of Inpatient Rehabilitation Services
• Forecasts requirements for human capital, equipment, supplies and workload consistent with goals and objectives.
• Implements decisions and data-driven recommendations in a timely manner.
• Recognizes critical situations and responds effectively.
• Conducts regular managerial meetings (not less than monthly) and staff meetings (not less than quarterly).
• Maintains and improves clinical competence of all professional staff members, especially with regard to new technology, research and techniques.

Workforce Planning:

• Talent management plan in place for current and future staff
• Succession plan in place for critical positions

Attract/Recruit:

• Creates a positive and dynamic work environment that attracts others to GSRN.
• Recruitment of competent staff to meet operational needs (“scope of service” “products & services”) and who demonstrate the ability to be service orientated and align with the core values
• On-Boarding- proper orientation of staff to their roles, accountabilities and performance measures within probationary period
• Facilitates completion of recruitment activities in a timely fashion to minimize impact of staff turnover and minimizes staff vacancy rates throughout the year.
• Development:
• Development of staff - Encourages continuous growth and helps staff to realize full potential by identifying stretch objectives and creating learning plans
• Oversees the Therapy Promotion/Professional Development process and champions this program to new and existing staff.
• Effective and timely performance management such that:
• Clearly defines work expectations
• Recognizes and rewards individuals for a job well done.
• Addresses performance issues immediately and directly.
• Conducts performance appraisals annually

Retention:

• Employee retention strategy in place
• Positive employee relations
• Effective employee communications
• Employee total compensation is market based and competitive
• Employee recognition

Compliance:

• Ensures that Therapy leads/Managers follow consistent, effective processes that are utilized for establishing and monitoring the credentials of staff.
• Ensure continuous survey readiness
• Ensure department human resource management practices comply with labor law, state & federal requirements
• Employee safety
• Maintains current acute therapy policies
• Assures current contractual relationships with therapy agencies and academic institutions.
• Coordinates the development and maintenance of therapy position descriptions and performance appraisals.
• Ensures ongoing, progressive and sustainable clinical competency of therapy staff, in collaboration with the therapy Management Team.