Director Quality & Health Equity

Department Overview

OHSU Health Services manages value-based arrangements spanning full-risk/capitated models, shared savings, shared risk, and pay-for-performance across Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and commercial populations. Success under these programs requires improving health and quality, managing cost, advancing health equity, and enhancing the experience of patients, providers, and staff in support of the Quintuple Aim.

The Director, Quality & Health Equity–Value-Based Programs is responsible for developing and implementing the quality and health equity strategy for OHSU Health Services. The Director leads programs that monitor, analyze, stratify, and act upon clinical, claims, demographic, social, and other relevant data to improve outcomes, reduce disparities, decrease cost, and improve overall value for populations served through value-based contracts. The position provides oversight and management of quality improvement staff and serves as a strategic leader for health equity across the OHSU Health Services network.

The Director works closely with the Chief Administrative Officer and Health Services leadership, clinical and operational leaders, analytics and IT teams, payers, community partners, and network providers to implement and maintain quality improvement and health equity programs. Central to this work is using data to identify disparities and variations, design targeted interventions, improve performance on quality measures, promote equitable access and outcomes, and support appropriate utilization of services. The Director also works with department leadership to establish strategic vision, implement organizational change, and serve as a resource on quality, value-based care, and health equity. 

Candidates must reside within the Portland metropolitan area and be able to regularly attend in-person meetings, events, or office activities as required.

Please attach a Cover letter when applying. See instructions below. 

Function/Duties of Position

Strategy development and health equity leadership

• Identify opportunities and develop strategies to improve health outcomes and quality, decrease cost, improve value, and advance health equity across Medicaid, Medicare, Medicare Advantage, and commercial populations.
• Lead development, implementation, and evaluation of OHSU Health Services’ quality and health equity strategies, including multi-year strategic plans and annual work plans.
• Use data and analytics, including stratification by race, ethnicity, language, disability, geography, and other available demographic or social factors, to identify disparities, variation, and opportunities for targeted improvement.
• Collaborate with internal and external partners to develop quality improvement, health equity, and transformation programs that advance the Quintuple Aim.
• Work with OHSU Health Services leadership to assess feasibility, impact, sustainability, and resource needs of proposed strategies.
• Interface with health system leaders, network providers, payers, community partners, and other stakeholders to align quality and health equity priorities.

Quality improvement and health equity program oversight

• Provide oversight and leadership of OHSU Health Services’ quality improvement and health equity programs. 
• Establish and monitor performance goals for quality measures, health equity priorities, disparities reduction, and value-based contract requirements.
• Develop and implement performance improvement initiatives to meet quality, cost, value, and equity targets. 
• Integrate a health equity lens into quality improvement activities, including identification of populations experiencing disparities and development of interventions designed to close gaps.
• Support culturally responsive, patient centered approaches and strategies addressing clinical, social, and structural barriers to health.
• Represent OHSU Health Services on internal and external quality, health equity, transformation, and value-based care committees and workgroups. 

Data, analytics and reporting

• Collaborate with IT and analytics teams to develop and maintain regular and ad hoc reporting and analytics supporting quality, value, transformation, and health equity programs.
• Ensure quality and equity data are accurate, actionable, and distributed to appropriate stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Promote stratification and analysis of performance data to identify disparities, inequities, and variation across populations, clinics, systems, and lines of business.
• Translate data into actionable insights for clinical and operational leaders and support evaluation of interventions.
• Follow all HIPAA compliant policies and applicable laws, regulations, and organizational requirements.

Staff oversight and development

• Train, supervise, coach, and evaluate assigned staff responsible for quality improvement, clinical transformation, analytics, and related program work.
• Ensure employee productivity, timely completion of deliverables, and quality assurance.
• Provide oversight of recruitment, onboarding, professional development, performance management, and annual reviews. 
• Foster an inclusive team environment that supports professional growth, collaboration, accountability, and equitable decision-making.

Compliance, policy and regulatory requirements 

• Maintain knowledge of current federal, state, payer, and contractual requirements related to quality metrics, health equity, performance improvement, cost, and value-based care.
• Develop annual Quality & Health Equity Strategy and work plan in collaboration with OHSU Health Services leaders and stakeholders.
• Create and revise quality, value, transformation, and health equity program policies and procedures as necessary.
• Support alignment with Medicaid and Medicare quality and health equity requirements and evolving payer expectations. 

Other Duties as Assigned

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in healthcare field, business administration or related field.
• Quality improvement training, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of three (3) years of progressive leadership experience, including leadership in healthcare settings.
• Minimum five (5) years of relevant experience in healthcare quality improvement, population health, value-based care, health equity, or closely related work. 

Job Related Knowledge, Skills and Abilities (Competencies):

• Strong analytical skills with knowledge of electronic medical records, clinical and claims data, quality measurement, and data analysis.
• Knowledge of effective performance improvement strategies, change management, and team building.
• Ability to apply a health equity lens to strategy, measurement, program design, and evaluation.
• Knowledge of health disparities, social drivers of health, culturally responsive care, and methods for stratifying and interpreting population level data.
• Experience building collaborative relationships across health systems, payers, providers, and community organizations.
• Advanced written, oral, and interpersonal communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex or sensitive findings to executive, clinical, and community audiences. 
• Experience with project, team, and budget oversight. Computer proficiency with the ability to utilize MS Word, Excel and Power Point.
• Self-motivated, self-driven, flexible person who can flourish in an office setting with colleagues as well as in a self-structured independent setting. 

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in healthcare field, business administration or related field.
• Health plan, clinically integrated network, accountable care, or value- based contracting experience.
• Experience developing and implementing health equity strategies and disparity-reduction initiatives.
• In-depth experience with systems/process improvement and cross-system transformation. 
• Working knowledge of Epic.
• Knowledge of ambulatory and acute care operations and workflows.
• Experience with Medicaid and Medicare quality programs, payer quality measures, and health equity requirements. 
• Quality management, improvement, public health, or health equity-related certification preferred. 

Additional Details

Moderate business-office noise (i.e. business office with computers, phones, printers, light traffic). Monday through Friday work schedule, variable daytime hours to accommodate meeting schedules and availability to members. The duties of this job require virtual and in-person interaction with providers, leaders, payers, community partners, and other internal and external stakeholders, with occasional local travel.

Cover Letter Instructions: In order to be considered for the position, please attach a Cover Letter specific to this role at Health Services. Please label your file as follows: [Your Name, Director, Quality & Health Equity Cover Letter). You can attach it in the “Additional Documents” section of the OHSU application portal.

Why apply to OHSU?

We are Oregon's only public academic health center. In addition to caring for patients, we lead groundbreaking research. We also train the next generation of health care professionals. As Portland's largest employer, we give you opportunities to learn and advance in a system of hospitals and clinics across Oregon and Southwest Washington. All are welcome. OHSU welcomes people of all ages, ethnicities, genders, national origins, religions and sexual orientations. We are striving to build an anti-racist, multicultural institution and encourage people with diverse backgrounds to apply. To request reasonable accommodation, contact [email protected]