<p>Position Summary:</p> <p>The System Director, Access Center provides strategic and operational leadership for the health system's centralized access functions, including scheduling, clinical triage, and care coordination. This leader is responsible for designing and maintaining an integrated, patient-centered access model that improves care continuity, supports clinical operations, enhances provider satisfaction, and delivers a consistent, high-quality experience across all entry points into the health system. The System Director ensures operational excellence through standardized workflows, technology optimization, staff development, performance measurement, and cross-departmental collaboration.</p> <p>Key Responsibilities:</p> <p>Strategic Leadership:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Develop and implement the system-wide strategy for centralized access, including scheduling, triage, and care coordination services.</p> </li><li> <p>Lead initiatives to streamline patient access, reduce variability, and improve the patient journey from first contact through follow-up.</p> </li><li> <p>Partner with executive leadership to align access center goals with the health system's strategic plan and ambulatory growth priorities.</p> </li><li> <p>Drive innovation in digital access tools, self-service capabilities, AI-supported triage, communication platforms, and workforce models.</p> </li></ul> <p>Operational Management:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Provide oversight of daily operations for centralized scheduling, RN/MA clinical triage, and care coordination/post-discharge support teams.</p> </li><li> <p>Ensure staffing models meet demand, service-level agreements, provider preferences, and patient needs across all service lines.</p> </li><li> <p>Lead optimization of call routing, queue management, documentation, and workflow standardization.</p> </li><li> <p>Establish and monitor operational policies, procedures, and KPIs to ensure consistent performance and compliance.</p> </li><li> <p>Oversee vendor relationships (technology, telephony, AI tools, EHR enhancements) as applicable.</p> </li></ul> <p>Quality, Compliance & Patient Experience:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Ensure all access center functions meet regulatory, payer, and organizational standards.</p> </li><li> <p>Implement continuous quality improvement programs using data-driven insights.</p> </li><li> <p>Enhance patient and provider experience through service recovery, escalation workflows, and consistent communication standards.</p> </li><li> <p>Partner with clinical leaders to ensure evidence-based triage protocols and safe disposition guidelines.</p> </li></ul> <p>Financial & Resource Management:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Develop and manage annual budgets, including staffing, technology investments, and operational expenses.</p> </li><li> <p>Analyze productivity, staffing efficiency, call volumes, clinical triage acuity trends, and care coordination outcomes.</p> </li><li> <p>Lead initiatives to improve financial performance, including reducing leakage, optimizing scheduling utilization, improving referral conversion, and minimizing unnecessary ED use through effective triage.</p> </li></ul> <p>Collaboration & Relationship Management:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Build strong relationships with ambulatory clinics, inpatient departments, service line leaders, IT, nursing leadership, and revenue cycle partners.</p> </li><li> <p>Serve as the system's subject matter expert for patient access operations and best practices.</p> </li><li> <p>Ensure seamless handoffs between call center, care teams, triage nurses, and care coordinators.</p> </li><li> <p>Communicate regularly with executive leadership regarding operational performance, risks, and improvement opportunities.</p> </li></ul> <p>People Leadership:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Lead, mentor, and develop a management team that oversees supervisors, team leads, clinical staff, and access specialists.</p> </li><li> <p>Foster an engaged, high-performing workforce through coaching, recognition, and accountability.</p> </li><li> <p>Champion a culture of service excellence, teamwork, and innovation.</p> </li><li> <p>Oversee recruitment, training, competency development, and succession planning.</p> </li></ul> <p>Required Qualifications:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Nursing, Business, or a related field.</p> </li><li> <p>7+ years of progressive leadership experience in healthcare operations, patient access, call center management, or ambulatory operations.</p> </li><li> <p>Experience managing large teams across multiple functional areas.</p> </li><li> <p>Proven record of improving operational metrics, service levels, and patient experience.</p> </li><li> <p>Strong understanding of clinical workflows, ambulatory scheduling, triage protocols, and care coordination models.</p> </li><li> <p>Demonstrated ability to lead change, optimize processes, and implement new technologies.</p> </li></ul> <p>Preferred Qualifications:</p> <ul> <li> <p>Master's degree (MHA, MBA, MSN, MPH, or related).</p> </li><li> <p>RN license.</p> </li><li> <p>Experience with Epic or other major EHR scheduling/triage platforms.</p> </li><li> <p>Prior leadership of a multi-site or system-wide access center.</p> </li><li> <p>Experience with telephony systems, CRM platforms, and digital access technologies.</p> </li></ul>