Chief Operating Officer, UT Physicians

UTHealth Houston
Chief Operating Officer, UT Physicians

UTHealth Houston
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth Houston) is headquartered in the largest medical complex in the world, the Texas Medical Center. Each year, UTHealth Houston educates and trains more than 5,000 future physicians, nurses, biomedical researchers, dentists, public health professionals, and informaticians through its seven schools. Its students, faculty and staff deliver care through 1.8 million outpatient visits annually, and in partnership with the many affiliate hospitals across the region for complex, acute care. UTHealth Houston’s seven schools provide cutting-edge, innovative and integrated health education and attract top students from across the state and around the world.

UTHealth Houston – UT Physicians
UT Physicians is the clinical practice of McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston. Founded in 1994, the practice is now home to more than 2,000 physicians and providers; 80 specialties and subspecialties; over 2 million patient visits in FY24 and more than 100 clinical locations. UT Physicians providers are dedicated to patient quality and clinical effectiveness. Every McGovern Medical School clinical department has an advocate for patient quality and effectiveness in the role of a vice chair — a testament to our commitment to improving patient outcomes and ensuring quality.

Position Summary
The Chief Operating Officer (COO) serves as the business and operational leader of UTHealth Houston’s Faculty Practice Plan, called UT Physicians. In partnership with their dyad partner, the Chief Medical Officer of UT Physicians, the COO will help devise, execute and optimize ambulatory market strategy and ensure seamless integration of clinical excellence, operational performance and premier patient, provider and employee experience in a top academic medical environment. 

The COO will be responsible for advancing performance along these many domains while respecting the distinctive strengths of individual clinical departments. In partnership with many key clinical and administrative stakeholders across UTHealth Houston, the COO will provide enterprise-level leadership to help clarify operational roles, responsibilities, governance and accountability between the practice entity and the academic departments.

The COO will work with physician leaders and department chairs to understand current best practices across ambulatory practices, and desired areas for improvement and optimization in areas like access and templates, scheduling, revenue cycle, coding and billing, quality, and business discipline – while preserving high-performing models that exist already. With a strong commitment to regulatory compliance, operational integrity, and continuous improvement, the COO will leverage data analytics and emerging technologies to inform evidence-based decision-making and optimize patient outcomes. The COO will direct, administer, and coordinate the activities of the organization in support of policies, goals, and objectives established by the MSRDP Board of Directors

Over a multi-year horizon, the COO will be central to constructing the organization’s future-state operating model to define and implement a more aligned, efficient and integrated practice structure that supports community growth, financial sustainability and interdepartmental collaboration. Success in this role will be measured not only by operational outcomes, but by the COO’s ability to build relationships, earn trust and help guide the organization towards greater consistency, coordination and enterprise-thinking – without compromising the academic and clinical missions.

The ideal candidate has deep experience and credibility in academic medicine and operational excellence. They should possess the ability to lead through influence, build consensus, and guide change management in an environment where decision-making is shared, and physician engagement and partnership is essential to success. A forward-thinking strategist, the COO also oversees financial stewardship, including planning and budgeting, to ensure the long-term sustainability and fiscal health of the practice plan – including growth, integration, efficiency and alignment.

Education
Candidates must hold a Bachelor's degree in health care administration, business administration, or related field. A Master's degree is preferred.

Interested applicants should submit a resume here:
https://jobs.candidate.kornferry.com/go/ext/HR50S1/242