The Quality Outcomes RN supports Flagstaff Medical Center and Verde Valley Medical Center to provide safe, effective, patient-centered, timely, efficient and equitable care through continuous monitoring of key metrics and interdisciplinary collaboration. Responsibilities of the role include chart abstraction, data submission for external reporting, concurrent and retrospective review of assigned metrics, maintaining registry databases, clinical case review of harm events, supporting daily triage of reported safety events, and conducting performance improvement activities. The Quality Outcomes RN leads and/or participates in committees as assigned and conducts rounding on nursing units to support key patient safety or compliance initiatives. The Quality Outcomes RN possesses the ability to interpret and convey clinical data to multidisciplinary care teams and clinical leadership in a manner that creates a sense of urgency to improve processes and enact meaningful, evidence-based change.

Professional Engagement
* Integrate ethical standards into healthcare quality practice.

* Engage in activities that enhance competence as a healthcare quality professional such as attending webinars, reading journals, list-serve participation, and ensuring that knowledge of nursing practice remains up-to-date.

* Protect confidentiality of privileged information in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory requirements.

 
Quality Leadership and Integration
* Advance healthcare quality throughout the organization through collaboration, learning opportunities, and communication.

* Participate in processes that engage stakeholders and promote interprofessional teamwork.

* Assist with learning opportunities that advance healthcare quality throughout the organization such as preparing presentations for department level meetings and rounding on nursing units to provide just-in-time education.

* Communicate effectively with nursing staff, providers, patients, and leadership to achieve quality goals.

 
Quality Review and Accountability
* Promote compliance with voluntary, mandatory, and contractual reporting requirements for data acquisition, analysis, reporting, and improvement.

* Provide support to peer-protected processes such as Ongoing Professional Practice Evaluation (OPPE), Mortality and Morbidity (M&M) committees, Clinical Outcomes Review Committee (CORC) review, and Infection Prevention (IP) review.

* Implement processes to facilitate practitioner performance review activities.

* Assemble informational resources that will most appropriately and accurately reflect the intent of the quality review outcomes.

* Communicate accountability reporting requirements and criteria (e.g., measures, benchmarks, thresholds) to stakeholders.

* Manage performance improvement opportunities from accountability reports and ensure follow-through.

* Demonstrate knowledge of the impact of healthcare payment models as they apply to quality measurement and improvement programs.

* Analyze the appropriate utilization of healthcare services.

 
Performance and Process Improvement
* Evaluate process improvement methods (e.g. LSS, PDSA) and apply those best suited to achieving successful outcomes.

* Use a range of quality improvement tools and techniques (e.g. 5 Whys, Value Stream Mapping, Failure Modes Effects Analysis, and Root Cause Analysis) and evaluate the output to successfully redesign processes toward improved performance.

* Access and use information resources (Electronic Health Records, registries, databases, comparative and benchmark data, and published research) to demonstrate current practice, identify opportunities for improvement, and strive toward improved outcomes.

* Apply project management methods to track progress on key quality initiatives and quality-led projects.

 
Clinical Data Abstraction and Registries
* Identify and enter encounters that qualify for the assigned registry or metric.

* Complete data collection per regulatory and organizational protocols.

* Apply regulatory or registry abstraction guidelines and maintain knowledge of all relevant laws, regulations, policies, procedures, and standards.

* Ensure that data is validated prior to submission and submitted by the deadlines established by the organization and/or regulatory bodies.

* Leverage data abstraction and registries to drive quality improvement efforts and reduce variation.

 
Health Data Analytics
* Utilize analytics to help guide data driven decision making and inform quality improvement initiatives.

* Collaborate with Data Analysts to design data collection plans and acquire data from internal and external source systems.

* Demonstrate a basic understanding of analytical and statistical tools and techniques.

* Communicate results using narrative and visual tools (e.g., graphs, dashboards, and scorecards), providing a comprehensive context appropriate to the audience.

 
Compliance/Safety
* Responsible for reporting any safety related incident in a timely fashion through the Midas/RDE tool; attends all safety related training programs; performs work in a safe manner; monitors work environment for possible safety issues and ensures others are also performing work in a safe manner.

* Stays current and complies with state and federal regulations/statutes and company policies that impact the employees area of responsibility.

* If required for position, ensures all certifications and/or licenses are up-to-date and valid prior to expiration dates.

* Completes all company mandatory modules and required job specific training in the  specified time frame.

* Collaborate with organizational partners to analyze patient safety risks and events.

* Apply safety science principles and methods to identify root causes and potential solutions when safety risks and events are discovered.

Education
Bachelor's Degree- Required

Masters in Nursing or Healthcare Related Field- Preferred

Certification & Licensures
Active, unrestricted, Arizona RN License - Required

Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)- Preferred

Lean Six Sigma Healthcare Course/Certification- Preferred

Experience
3 years clinical practice in acute care, ambulatory care, healthcare related evidence-based practice, research, or quality – Required
Experience as formal or informal leader in local or system process improvement initiatives- Required

Experience mentoring and motivating colleagues to achieve practice excellence- Required

Experience networking with multiple healthcare professionals and identifying stakeholders when planning practice change- Required

Experience with data management and ability to interpret data and implement change based on factual information- Required

Healthcare is a rapidly changing environment and technology is integrated into almost all aspects of patient care. Computers and other electronic devices are utilized across the organization and throughout each department. Colleagues must have an understanding of computers, and competence in using computers and basic software programs.