Director, Patient Safety

Provides strategic leadership for the Patient Safety program across the University of Maryland Medical Center's Downtown and Midtown campuses (UMMC). Leads the development, implementation, and continuous improvement of a hospital-wide Patient Safety program focused on reducing preventable harm, strengthening safety culture, promoting organizational learning, and advancing high reliability principles. Collaborates closely with the Maryland Medicine Comprehensive Insurance Program (MMCIP) to oversee patient safety event reporting, serious safety event review, root cause analysis, action plan oversight, and regulatory readiness.

Establishes goals and objectives aligned with the annual operating plan, including education, training, data management, and leadership. Effectively motivates and leads departmental staff and supports the professional development of a results-oriented team. Serves as the organization's designated Patient Safety Officer and ensures compliance with applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements related to Patient Safety.

Primary Responsibilities Direct the development, implementation, evaluation, and continuous improvement of the Patient Safety program at UMMC. Lead organizational strategies that reduce preventable patient harm through evidence-based patient safety practices, human factors engineering, systems thinking, Just Culture, and high reliability principles. Provide leadership for the review and analysis of patient safety events, collaborating closely with MMCIP to identify serious safety events, conduct root cause analyses and other event investigations, monitor corrective action plans, and promote organizational learning.

Partner with MMCIP and key stakeholders to review patient safety events, identify emerging trends, prioritize investigations, and ensure timely follow-up of serious safety events and other significant patient safety concerns. Analyze patient safety events, serious safety events, near misses, safety culture assessments, and other patient harm data to identify organizational trends, emerging risks, and opportunities to improve the safety of patients and teams.

Lead initiatives that strengthen safety culture, Just Culture principles, psychological safety, transparency, accountability, and continuous organizational learning. Serve as the organization's designated Patient Safety Officer and ensure compliance with applicable federal, state, and accreditation requirements related to patient safety, including standards established by The Joint Commission, the Office of Healthcare Quality (OHCQ), and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Represent Patient Safety on organizational committees, executive workgroups, regulatory surveys, and system-level patient safety initiatives. Develop departmental goals, operational priorities, staffing plans, budgets, policies, procedures, and performance expectations aligned with organizational strategic priorities. Serve as a strategic advisor to executive leadership regarding patient safety risks, serious safety event trends, safety culture, regulatory findings, and emerging threats to the safety of hospitalized patients.

Perform all other duties as assigned. Work Experience Education & Experience - Required Master's degree in Nursing, Healthcare Administration, Public Health, Health Sciences, Human Factors, or another related healthcare field. Registered Nurse or other allied health-related field professional with current license to practice in Maryland Minimum of five years of progressively responsible experience in Patient Safety, healthcare quality, risk management, performance improvement, or another related healthcare field.

Minimum of three years of leadership experience with responsibility for personnel, program management, or operational oversight. Education & Experience - Preferred Certification as a Certified Professional in-Patient Safety (CPPS), Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Lean Six Sigma, or another related professional certification. Experience leading patient safety initiatives within a large academic medical center.

Experience with high reliability organizations, Just Culture implementation, serious safety event review processes, and patient safety science. Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities Advanced knowledge of patient safety science, systems thinking, human factors engineering, Just Culture principles, and high reliability organizational practices. Knowledge of serious safety event review methodologies, root cause analysis, apparent cause analysis, failure mode and effects analysis, and organizational learning principles.

Comprehensive knowledge of federal, state, and accreditation requirements related to patient safety. Demonstrated ability to analyze complex patient safety data, identify trends, and develop evidence-based harm reduction strategies. Strong leadership, change management, coaching, and organizational influence skills.

Ability to lead multidisciplinary teams and build collaborative relationships with physicians, nursing leaders, executives, Risk Management, Infection Prevention, Quality Improvement, and operational leaders. Excellent verbal, written, presentation, and facilitation skills. Ability to manage multiple priorities within a complex healthcare environment Proficiency with patient safety reporting and data systems, electronic health records, Microsoft Office applications, and data analytics tools.

Demonstrated commitment to fostering a culture of safety, accountability, transparency, and continuous improvement. Ability to effectively lead organizational change through multidisciplinary collaboration and evidence-based patient safety practices.

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