Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer

Organization Summary

South Shore Health is an independent, not-for-profit, regional health system, based in Weymouth, Massachusetts, offering high-value, high-quality primary, secondary and tertiary care as well as specialty care, home health, community care, emergency, urgent care and preventative and wellness services.

At South Shore Health, we are committed to working toward the common goal of providing the highest-quality, exceptional, patient-centered care to all of our patients. We unite top-caliber talent, technology and service with the personal needs of patients and their families to develop individualized treatment plans.

South Shore Health is committed to providing all patients with equitable access to quality care regardless of race, ethnicity, preferred language, disability, gender identity and sexual orientation. Our health system includes the following entities:

South Shore Hospital is our region’s leading provider of emergency, acute and outpatient care. It is the first and only verified and designated Level II Trauma Center south of Boston, including the Cape and Islands. It is also one of only three hospitals in Massachusetts with a Level II license. It is also the only community hospital with a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) in Massachusetts, staffed 24/7 on-site by neonatologists from Boston Children’s Hospital.  We offer Level II maternity services with interventional radiology and onsite Maternal Fetal Medicine services to manage high-risk, complex obstetric conditions.  South Shore Health supports residents within its service areas with their cardiovascular care --emergent, inpatient, cardiac testing, and ambulatory care.  Our state-of-the-art critical care unit offers 24-hour access to life-saving heart treatment and the region’s busiest, modernized cardiac catheterization lab (cath lab).  The team performs 650 minimally invasive percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) annually with about 200 emergency interventions annually (Code AMI’s).  In total, they perform more than 3500 total procedures annually making South Shore Hospital the 3^rd busiest cath lab in the state as well as recipients of AMA’s “Gold Rating” for highest quality.

South Shore Hospital is consistently recognized for quality of care including being named one of the top 10 hospitals in Massachusetts by U.S. News and World Report and one of only two community hospitals in the top ten.  The hospital has also been recognized as part of the American Nurse Credentialing Center’s Magnet Recognition Program for the fourth consecutive time for its continuous demonstration of excellence in nursing services – a distinction only eight percent of U.S. hospitals achieve.  South Shore Health is one of only 14 organizations in the state to earn this honor, and one of only 128 organizations worldwide to be designated for the fourth straight time.  South Shore Health also launched one of the state’s first Hospital at Home programs providing hospital-level care to qualified patients who are well enough to be treated at home.

South Shore Medical Center (SSMC) has eight locations offering comprehensive primary and specialty care, including internal and family medicine, pediatrics, general surgery, dermatology, gastroenterology, cardiology, wound care, women’s health/OBGYN, along with on-site laboratory, physical therapy and radiology services. With more than 100 board-certified primary care practitioners in internal medicine, family medicine and pediatrics on staff, SSMC provides care for more than 57,000 patients on the South Shore.

• South Shore Urology offers high quality urological, advanced urological cancer, and urogynecology services.
• South Shore Cardiology, part of South Shore Health provides access to a full array of cardiac expertise and resources.
• The Women’s Center of South Shore Medical Center combines clinical excellence with state-of-the-art diagnostics to provide individualized care for women at every stage of their lives.

South Shore Visiting Nurse Association (VNA) is one of the state’s largest providers of Medicare-certified home health care and consistently receives the highest patient satisfaction scores from the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services. In addition, South Shore VNA has been named a “Top Agency of the HomeCare Elite®” for many years running, a recognition that ranks the organization among the top percentage of 10,000 home care agencies.

Health Express, part of South Shore Health has six urgent care locations from Braintree to Plymouth staffed by emergency room-trained practitioners equipped to treat a wide range of injuries and minor illnesses across the South Shore. X-ray and lab services are provided on site.

South Shore Hospital’s Center for Orthopedics, Spine and Sports Medicine offers convenient access to an extensive team of surgical, pain management, orthopedic, podiatric, diagnostic imaging, and rehabilitation experts who specialize in treating a broad range of musculoskeletal conditions.  South Shore Orthopedics’ surgeons, along with nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and home care providers work collaboratively in the diagnosis, management and treatment of disorders of the musculoskeletal system, including skeleton, joints, muscles, ligaments, cartilage and other connective and supporting elements that support mobility and range of motion.

South Shore Emergency Medical Services has more than 100 EMS professionals who follow a model of integrated care that ensures patients get appropriate medical services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. It serves as the Town of Weymouth’s EMS provider.

South Shore Health Foundation is the philanthropic arm of South Shore Health. Through the generosity and goodwill of our community, donations support technological advances, facilities improvements, caring for the underserved and expanding vital programs.

The health system is also one of the only regional health systems that offers clinical affiliations with Boston-based academic medical centers offering world-leading medical care to the community as well as community-based partnerships. Our Partners include:

• Boston Children’s Hospital: Neonatal intensive care, pediatric emergency, inpatient pediatric services and outpatient pediatric clinics are provided in association with practitioners from this world-leading children’s hospital.
• Mass General Brigham: We partner with Brigham and Women’s Hospital to provide advanced surgical specialties including general surgery, neurosurgery, breast surgery, acute care/trauma surgery, thoracic surgery, colorectal surgery, vascular surgery and bariatric surgery. South Shore Health’s Breast Care Center, Reproductive Endocrinology, and Surgical Residency Program are all provided in association with practitioners from Brigham and Women’s Hospital.  The Department of Neurology at Brigham and Women's Hospital provides general and specialized neurology clinical services at South Shore Hospital, including outpatient evaluation and management, second opinions for complex cases, diagnostic testing, and comprehensive neurological care for diseases of the brain, spine and peripheral nerves, including movement disorders, cerebrovascular disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, post-concussion syndrome and sleep disorders.  Brigham and Women’s Neurosurgery at South Shore Health program cares for patients with a variety of neurological disorders including brain and spine tumors, trauma, degenerative spine disorders and hydrocephalus.

• Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at South Shore Health: Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center at South Shore Health provides residents south of Boston with the highest level of advanced cancer care and support in the region. Experts from Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and South Shore Hospital collaborate to offer many advanced treatments locally, including radiation therapy, medical oncology, surgical oncology, clinical trials, advanced diagnostic imaging, a Multidisciplinary Clinic and Breast Care Center.

• Aspire Health Alliance: Through collaborative planning, development and implementation, South Shore Health and Aspire Health Alliance are working together to provide integrated and innovative behavioral health programs for the community. 

South Shore Health’s Mission, Vision and Values:

• Our Vision: Your Health. Our Passion. One Community
• Our Mission: We will be the first place our community turns to for health and wellness.
• Our Values: We put the patient first. We act with courage and compassion. We are ONE team. We never stop learning, never stop improving. We know our employees are the best thing about our organization. We love the community we serve.  We love our work.

This is an amazing opportunity for a senior healthcare executive to serve as a member of a senior leadership team that is high performing and quality focused within a system that has a reputation for exceptional care throughout the communities we serve.

Visit http://www.southshorehealth.org for more information about the organization.

Position Summary

Reporting to the President/CEO, the Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer (COO) will be a trusted and respected leader with widespread responsibility across the health system.  The COO has overall operational responsibility for all clinical and support services provided by South Shore Health including: South Shore Hospital, 2 Pond Park Surgical Center, South Shore Medical Center, Health Express Urgent Care, South Shore VNA, and Emergency Medical Services. The COO will ensure that the organization meets its short and long-term operational and performance goals.   The COO will partner with the President/CEO and other SSH senior leaders and key stakeholders to assure the highest quality care, safety, and patient experience as well as colleague (employee) experience and well-being.  They will also advance an operating framework that aligns with the organization’s strategy and accomplishes the system goals, preparing it for continued success in a rapidly changing, dynamic healthcare environment. This role oversees clinical, administrative, and support service operations utilizing performance management methods to reduce unwarranted variation, engage colleagues, and transform services. The COO advances system integration, reduces costs where feasible, and promotes seamless care in support of better patient care and value-based care goals.  The COO partners with other system executives, including the President/CEO to support strategic and external activities with new and potential affiliates and partners.

Responsibilities

• The COO is responsible for providing health system leadership, strategic guidance, and operational direction and oversight for all clinical services and programs as well as the associated support services such as ancillaries, facilities, security, etc. They ensure operations are efficient, cost effective, system-oriented, and consistent with the organization’s mission, vision and values with emphasis on quality of care.
• Serves as the system thought leader and overall voice in achieving operational excellence in spite of often constrained resources and space for the growing volume of patients in our community that seek care at South Shore Health.
• In partnership with senior team members, the COO develops, implements, and manages operating and capital budgets for assigned services, demonstrating effective stewardship of resources and ability to achieve annual goals.
• Collaborates with a dynamic group of leaders and practitioners to formulate strategies and/or initiatives, to advance clinical quality and operational excellence to achieve best practice in patient experience, patient safety, clinical outcomes, practitioner and caregiver engagement and satisfaction, operational alignment, and financial value.
• Keeps the Board of Directors and Senior Leadership team informed about the operations of SSH, in a collaborative and proactive fashion.
• Applies current knowledge and understanding of regulations, industry trends, current best practices, new developments, and applicable laws regarding assigned departments for operational and financial effectiveness. Works with the VP of Compliance and other senior leaders to ensure regulatory compliance for all areas of responsibility. Follows all local, state, federal law, and hospital and/or medical group policies as applicable.
• Advocates for the desired culture in high-level planning and decision making. Works in concert with Human Resources to develop workforce strategies including all leaders, staff, practitioner and caregiver engagement, as well as workforce competency and development.
• Actively participates as a critical voice in the strategic planning of the health system. Integrates the long range plans with shorter-term operational plans and capital priorities. Provides leadership in determining clinical and organizational goals and develops processes to achieve these goals. This includes long-term master facilities planning as well as being part of the teams who work with our external strategic partners.
• Develops and executes the operational plan to achieve established goals and measures for clinical excellence, financial performance, and highly engaged practitioners and caregivers.
• Partners with the SVP/Chief Quality and Safety Officer (CQSO) to advance South Shore Health’s High Reliability Organization (HRO) journey, integrating HRO principles into operations to drive safety, quality, and operational excellence.
• Works closely with the SVP/Chief Financial Officer to assure that financial and operational performance and objectives are met in an environment of continued external pressure on health care costs and value.
• Works with the SVP/Chief Digital and Information Officer to leverage technology to identify ways of improving clinical outcomes to include AI, innovations and processes, as well as data and analytics to support decision-making throughout the health system.
• In conjunction with the VP/Chief Medical Officer (CMO), assesses the goals of our clinical services and capabilities. Partners with the VP, Chief Medical Officer (CMO), the President/CEO, and others to foster a productive, mutually respectful relationship with our physicians and advanced practice clinicians.
• Supports the VP/Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) in our pursuit of an evidence-based best-practices environment while helping achieve system goals for hiring and retention of nurses, nursing assistants and medical assistants.
• Partners with the population health management team, aligning operational strategies with value-based care objectives to improve outcomes while reducing costs.
• Collaborates with behavioral health leaders and community partners to advance innovative care models that integrate behavioral health services within clinical operations.
• Works in partnership with SVP/Chief Human Resource Officer (CHRO) to develop a culture of trust and excellence at all levels, ensuring that work is organized effectively and the right people are in the right roles, including leadership positions. Works with fellow executives to proactively identify and develop short and long term talent pipeline strategies and resources at all levels.
• Leads collaborative and effective regularly scheduled operational meetings that assess our day-to-day as well as longer term resources with the goal of meeting our patient and financial needs in the best way possible.
• Identifies and implements operational initiatives that result in improved patient flow and increased volumes throughout all areas to improve care and optimize services.
• Advances processes and methods that focus on improving both colleague engagement and patient experience.

Education & Experience

• Master’s degree in business, healthcare administration or similar discipline is required.
• Previous operational and administrative experience in hospital and/or healthcare delivery system with emphasis on hospital inpatient and ambulatory operations within a patient centered care framework required.
• 12+ years of experience, with at least 8 years in an executive leadership role.

Leadership Competencies

• A successful influencer and trusted partner who can interact effectively with diverse groups of stakeholders such as practitioners, clinical professionals, healthcare administration, and staff.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, and leadership skills.
• Expertise in building multidisciplinary teams with emphasis on building trust, influencing people, and driving outcomes.
• Results oriented and patient centered.
• Leverages data analytics and emerging technologies to inform decision-making processes that enhance operational efficiency, clinical outcomes, and patient experience.
• High tolerance for a complex, ambiguous, and ever changing external environment.
• Cultivates an environment that promotes the mission, vision, values, and culture of South Shore Health.
• A change agent who has high expectations of direct reports and other colleagues while fostering productive long-term relationships built on trust and psychological safety.
• Critical thinker, decision maker, and problem solver.
• Highly valued thought leader for the President/CEO, the Board of Directors, and other senior leaders.
• Exceptional customer service and patient and colleague experience advocate.
• A strategic big picture thinker with the ability to operationalize and implement actionable and measurable goals to meet strategic objectives.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to delegate effectively.
• Exhibits calm leadership during crises or emergencies, ensuring continuity of operations while prioritizing patient safety and staff well-being.
• Takes accountability and responsibility for their own actions with the utmost integrity.
• A team player who can build collaborative relationships across the organization.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion with emphasis on personal development and growth of colleagues.
• Serves as coach and mentor. Experience motivating and building strong leadership teams as well as succession planning for a hospital or health system.