Operations Director, Health Equity

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Operations Director of Health Equity is a key leadership position at Boston Medical Center Health System (BMCHS).  Boston Medical Center Health System is a ~$7B system whose mission is to provide Exceptional Care without Exception. The Health System includes a tertiary academic medical center, a network of community health centers, a health plan and an affiliated accountable care organization.  

In 2021 BMC launched the “Health Equity Accelerator” with the purpose of ‘transforming healthcare to deliver health justice and well-being’. The Accelerator is developing an innovative multi-disciplinary approach that combines clinical operations, community engagement, health-related social needs programs, and research assets to address racial health inequities.  

The Operations Director of Health Equity will jointly report into the Population Health team and Hospital Operations and will lead: (1) the MassHealth Health Equity Incentive Program, including overseeing disparity reduction initiatives (e.g., diabetes care, pregnancy care), and (2) operations of BMC’s core tool for social needs screenings and referrals (THRIVE).  

As part of the 1115 Medicaid waiver launched in 2023, MassHealth created a new health equity-focused incentive program to encourage hospitals to advance health equity. This program includes initiatives such interventions specifically designed to address health disparities, health-related social needs screening in inpatient and outpatient settings, expanding access to language services, improving care for patients with disabilities, and providing health equity-focused staff training. The incentive program is worth tens of millions of dollars a year for BMCHS. The Operations Director of Health Equity will be responsible for managing all components of this incentive program to fully realize its population health and financial potential, and will work closely with departments and business leaders across the hospital to develop and implement relevant initiatives, monitor performance and introduce remediation plans where necessary, report to and liaise with MassHealth, and coordinate with other relevant hospital projects. 

Position: Operations Director, Health Equity      

Department: Population Health

Schedule: Full Time

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES / DUTIES:

Works in partnership with senior hospital leadership, leadership of the Health Equity Accelerator, and operational leaders to maximize MassHealth Health Equity Incentive earnings, meet all MassHealth requirements for BMC related to health equity, and implement high-impact initiatives designed to advance health equity. 

Overall program management and leadership engagement  

• Engage with senior system leadership to align on goals, eliminate bottlenecks, escalate major performance issues and ensure timely decision making 
• Translate requirements into high-level priorities and continuously evolve governance / working team structure to align with changing priorities  
• Ensure that resourcing and IT prioritization align with program goals, and support new business cases / escalation where needed  
• Monitor performance on health equity-related metrics (e.g., receipt of interpreter services, RELDSOGI data completeness, quality metrics by sub-populations) and take action to improve performance in line with goals. 

Stakeholder management 

• Identify and convene stakeholders to make workflow decisions; build relationships with key clinical and operational leaders to facilitate decision-making and implementation  
• Engage with external vendors as necessary (e.g., for follow-up after a positive screen for health-related social needs) 
• Ensure coordination of requirements with other system ongoing priorities (e.g., department strategy, value-based care) 
• Work with specific BMC departments to develop and implement strategies, initiatives, and approaches to advance health equity  
• Coordinate with relevant subject matter experts at BMCHS including the Health Equity Accelerator, Value Based Care and Analytics 
• Facilitate the collection and sharing of best practices around health equity topics across hospitals in Massachusetts to advance shared learning and performance improvement  
• Represent BMC at external forums related to health equity  

Performance Management 

• Write, receive feedback on and edit disparity reduction performance plans both for internal BMCHS audiences and regulators 
• Manage and interpret for a range of audiences healthcare quality disparity data and leading indicators of program performance  
• Understand the intersection of program and financial data, including how completion of various program requirements relate to financial incentives and whether the program is on or off track in reaching its equity, operational and financial goals  

Supervising Direct Reports: hire, develop, and/or manage selected staff focused on the Health Equity Incentive and THRIVE implementation 

(The above statements in this job description are intended to depict the general nature and level of work assigned to the employee(s) in this job. The above is not intended to represent an exhaustive list of accountable duties and responsibilities required).

JOB REQUIREMENTS

EDUCATION:

Bachelor’s Degree of Arts or Science or equivalent work experience.  

Master’s Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Public Health, Public Policy, Public Administration or related fields strongly preferred. 

EXPERIENCE:

Requires a minimum of 5-7 years of experience in a healthcare business environment with 2-4 years’ management experience.  Preferred experience includes: experience in healthcare or strategy, experience managing an outpatient clinical setting, and knowledge of the MassHealth 1115 waiver. Ideal candidates will have a proven track record of organizational and project management, strong writing skills, the ability to lead multiple, complex projects, and experience in analyzing and interpreting complex data and information in a planning and decision-making process.  

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Confidence and adaptability to tackle complex and unstructured problems 
• Positive attitude and willingness to own all aspects of a project 
• Team Work: Ability to lead collaborative teams for larger projects or groups and across functional areas.  
• Deep operational experience. Ability to translate a conceptual project into a detailed operational workplan including workflows, staffing needs, logistical needs, budget, and stakeholder engagement  
• Ability to communicate well and present findings both verbally and in writing with diverse audiences, including and especially with public payors and state agencies. 
• Ability to work professionally and successfully with staff at all levels of the organization, including executive leadership, physicians, nurses and other clinical staff.   
• Ability to successfully engage with external community partners 
• Excellent organizational and project management skills, including ability to multi-task, set priorities, and meet timetables while managing several simultaneous projects 
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to establish supportive, collegial relationships
• Advanced MS Excel, Word, and PowerPoint skills.   
• Skilled at translating and communicating key analyses and assumptions in concise fashion to Senior Management for decision making purposes 
• Highly analytical thinking with demonstrated talent for identifying, scrutinizing, improving, and streamlining complex work processes  
• Demonstrates an entrepreneurial, innovative and flexible approach 
• Ability to work in a multi-cultural, diverse, decentralized environment. 

Equal Opportunity Employer/Disabled/Veterans