Rush University System for Health

Executive Director, RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center 
Job Description

Job Summary:

The Executive Director for Cancer will have overall responsibility for the successful development and implementation of a detailed RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center (RMDACC) business plan outlining the strategic, programmatic, and operational aspects of the subspecialty across RUSH. All strategic business units associated with Cancer will encompass RUSH University Medical Center (RUMC), RUSH Oak Park Hospital (ROPH), RUSH Copley Medical Center (RCMC), RUSH Oak Brook Surgical Center (ROBSC), and RUSH ambulatory sites. This position will be responsible for coordinating activities across the RUSH hospitals and growing satellite and affiliate operations. They will lead the strategic growth of Cancer, ensuring RUSH creates tools and processes to manage market and priorities in an effective and efficient manner. The Executive Director also exemplifies RUSH’s mission, vision and values and acts in accordance with RUSH policies and procedures.

RMDACC is a fully integrated Center of patient care, education, and research of national and international reputation for excellence in cancer care advanced through a partnership with MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) aligned in quality, research, and clinical trials. RMDACC is built around rapidly transferring evidence-based knowledge to practice to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer while improving the lives of cancer patients in a humane and caring environment. RMDACC has grown to over 80,000 annual patient visits with over 100 providers. Their annual overall patient satisfaction rate is nearly 95%. RMDACC is ranked in the top 3 for most services according to inpatient market share and is highly regarded in terms of patient preference. The new Executive Director will have the opportunity to be a critical part of shaping the future of RMDACC.

Reporting to the Vice President of RUSH Medical Group and the Director for RUSH MD Anderson Cancer Center (RMDACC), the Executive Director will be responsible for directing and overseeing the Center system-wide. The ideal candidate in this transformational position will be a visionary leader who desires to enhance clinical trials and research, recruitment, and market differentiation in Chicago, one of the country's most competitive healthcare markets. In addition, this person will possess the skill and vision to direct an integrated, high- performing, and interdisciplinary cancer center operating across multiple sites of care.

Successful candidates will demonstrate progressive leadership experience and a history of building integrated, successful multidisciplinary cancer programs and leading a broad clinical research portfolio. They will be able to inspire physicians, providers, and employees, execute strategically and tactically across a large, complex system, and possess clarity and vision about the rapid evolution of cancer care and how to prepare for the challenges and opportunities those changes will bring.

The Director will prioritize clinical cohesion, integration, and quality and possess a talent for creating dynamic cancer services driven by a relentless focus on clinical quality, outcomes, and ease of use for customers. They must demonstrate the ability to work collaboratively with colleagues in a complex, matrixed organization.

Job Responsibilities:

• Partner with physician leadership and practices, departmental, university, and health system leadership to drive the Cancer strategy.
• Collaborate with system and entity leadership to establish a leadership network including designated dyads and steering groups as appropriate.
• Oversee strategic and business planning processes including space, provider and staff recruitment.
• Provide operational oversight of ambulatory areas and align with hospital operations to ensure that the Cancer goals are achieved.
• Ensure the goals and scorecards align with RUSH’s strategic priorities.
• Manage Cancer staff.
• Manage and implement faculty and provider compensation.

Coordinate efforts of Cancer Executive Steering Committee to:

• Develop and maintain a charter, policies and procedures for the executive committee. Members of this committee include the Cancer Medical Directors, department Chairs, research leaders, entity and executive leadership, and department administrators.
• Work with entity leadership and RUSH Medical Group (RMG) leadership to develop and manage annual budgets including defining volume targets and resources necessary at RUSH operating entities to achieve service line goals.
• Manage and improve service line activity along key performance metrics for related clinical subspecialties including volume growth, patient satisfaction, access, quality measures, service line profitability and staff and physician engagement scores.
• Gain approval of budgets and initiatives from the Cancer Executive Committee.
• Develop and manage a shared service model that optimizes efficient use of staff in a manner which achieves the goals set forth by the Cancer Medical Director and RUSH executive leadership.
• Work with RUSH Clinical Chairs and Physician leadership to develop and administer annual incentives that include both inpatient and outpatient metrics.
• Monitor and report on progress for agreed upon annual goals and objectives.

Planning and Budgeting:

• Create and obtain approval for an annual work plan and budget.
• Develop a strategic plan for the service line and define near, medium- and long-term goals and tactics to achieve them.
• Develop and track progress of the Cancer business plan(s) updated annually in accordance with the budget process.
• Review and provide input on annual budgets and resource allocation related to service line initiatives across RUSH.
• Review key performance metrics of key clinical subspecialties (volumes, patient satisfaction, access, quality measures, profitability).
• Review and monitor progress on agreed upon annual goals and objectives and provide/execute upon course correction where appropriate.
• Ensure service line expenditures are not unfavorable to budget with Steering Committee and/or Cancer leadership approvals. 

Marketing:

• Coordinate the development of annual marketing plan, in coordination with Rush’s Vice President of Marketing and marketing staff including digital strategies, consumer and physician marketing strategies, and community engagement.
• Serve as key administrative representative for Marketing Department to implement marketing campaigns, service promotions, and other events specifically designed to enhance reputation and build utilization of Cancer services.
• Oversee development and implementation of physician conferences, mailings, meetings, and programs designed to build and maintain relationships with external referring physicians, including coordination of CME and other regional and national educational events that promote the leadership position of services.

Operational:

• Provide oversight of the managers and directors in Cancer.
• Establish and implement staffing standards to align with RMG operational model and Cancer goals.
• Work closely with hospital operational leaders of inpatient and procedural areas to achieve goals.

Administrative Duties:

• Develop guidelines and measurement systems to ensure agreed upon quality and service level standards are implemented across the clinical services associated with Cancer (i.e., patient service standards including quality outcomes, access metrics, patient satisfaction, interdisciplinary communication standards, and referring physician communication standards).
• Manage staff in utilization support to develop qualitative and quantitative analyses.
• Collaborate with health system stakeholders to ensure accurate and efficient reporting to public and private “registries” occur as required.

Development:

• Facilitate the identification and prioritization of key strategies that can facilitate philanthropic support across key clinical programs.
• Work closely with development department to identify and implement strategies for fund-raising
• Provide knowledge, information and advice to development officers as requested
• As requested, work with donors in order to secure support and meet expectations of gifts
• Collaborate with Development Department to coordinate development related events related to Cancer.

Required Job Qualifications:

• A master’s degree in related area (hospital administration, public health, business administration, nursing)
• Minimum 10 years of experience in a hospital or ambulatory setting managing specific clinical services or related programs, with 7 years’ experience as a healthcare leader.
• Demonstrated record of maintaining medical care excellence and achieving performance and financial goals.
• Demonstrated marketing capability, financial and analytic skills, and business acumen necessary to assume responsibility for the service line.
• Experience with marketing and public relations strategy, financial planning specifically budget and capital planning.
• Ability to interact with and support the activities of a highly qualified, dedicated physician faculty, consulting, and primary care physicians.
• Ability to promote increased utilization of services through business development and to develop, present, implement, manage, and maintain meaningful and effective programs/services.
• Understanding of and appreciation for the culture and environment associated with managing a sophisticated program in a rapidly growing, highly competitive, market.
• Ability to lead and manage people including selecting, developing, motivating, and retaining people to meet clinical, financial, and service objectives.
• Personal characteristics which include outstanding interpersonal skills on the individual and group levels, excellent writing skills, flexible and patient, entrepreneurial spirit professional appearance and an executive demeanor, strong work ethic and enthusiastic demeanor.
• Leadership skills characterized as one who possesses 1) broad vision of the future of the health care industry, 2) assertiveness in presenting and selling ideas 3) sensitivity to the values and expectations of sponsors, medical staff, board, management, employee, patient, investor, and community constituencies.
• Willingness and ability to work in an organization with a diverse work force, medical staff and patient population housed in a complex academic environment.