Position: Chief Administrative Officer, HUP PeriOp ServicesEntity: Hospital of the University of PennsylvaniaDepartment: CAO HUP PeriOp ServicesLocation: Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, 3400 Spruce StHours: Full TimeSummary:The Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for HUP PeriOp Services will have overall responsibility for the successful development, implementation and alignment of operational, strategic and programmatic initiatives for HUP PeriOp Services. This scope includes ALL procedural/operative services being provided on the HUP license, representing one of the Health System's most complex, high-volume, and revenue-critical service lines.
In addition, the CAO role has evolved to include enterprise-level accountability for critical infrastructure, system integration, and operational performance that directly impact surgical access, patient safety, quality outcomes, and financial performance across multiple entities.
The core responsibilities will include:
- Provide administrative leadership for the HUP PeriOp Executive Committee and the HUP OR Executive Committee, overseeing the coordination and performance of outpatient, inpatient, and post-acute care of operative/procedural patients across a highly complex, multi-setting environment.
- Provide administrative oversight and executive leadership for the Interventional Support Center (ISC), including enterprise sterile processing and instrument management services. The CAO is accountable for system-level strategy, standardization, quality, regulatory readiness, and integration of instrument processing operations across HUP, Pennsylvania Hospital, and associated entities, ensuring reliable support of surgical and procedural care and enabling system-wide procedural capacity.
- Serve as the executive owner of enterprise sterile processing and the ISC, with accountability for system-wide reliability, instrument capacity, capital strategy, and operational performance, all of which are essential to surgical access, growth, and patient safety across all perioperative and procedural platforms.
- Develop and oversee the quality and performance improvement programs in HUP PeriOp Services and ensure full integration and alignment with Health System priorities, with a focus on measurable outcomes in efficiency, safety, access, and patient experience.
- Provide direct administrative leadership for all Directors of Perioperative and Procedural Services under the HUP license and the ISC, with full accountability for operational performance, strategic alignment, talent management, and execution of enterprise priorities.
- Lead capital planning and resource allocation strategies related to perioperative services, sterile processing, and procedural infrastructure to support current operations and future growth across the Health System.
- Partner with Department Chairs, Division Chiefs, Department COOs, Executive Directors, and entity leadership to manage and align the complex and often competing needs of stakeholders, serving as a key integrator in advancing system-wide perioperative strategy and growth.
The CAO of HUP PeriOp Services reports directly to the HUP Associate Executive Director, a member of the HUP Executive Team.
The CAO will participate on hospital and faculty practice leadership teams and will work closely with clinical and administrative leadership across entities to drive strategic alignment, operational excellence, and sustained growth in perioperative and procedural services.
Responsibilities:- Clinical Operations Management Oversight:
- Lead clinical operations at the HUP PeriOp Service including HUP licensed PeriOp Services at PMR & ISC in optimizing the advancement of disease-based planning within day-to-day clinical operations.
- Coordinate the clinical programs on the campuses of each of the owned hospitals (HUP, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center and Pennsylvania Hospital, CCH, LGH, Princeton) and ambulatory facility locations such as Valley Forge, Radnor, and Cherry Hill to ensure that the Penn Medicine goals are achieved.
- Ensure that the HUP PeriOp meets operating guidelines as established by PeriOp & OR Executive Committee from time to time, including but not limited to: OR utilization, patient access, revenue cycle, patient satisfaction and quality goals.
- Using benchmarking and relevant market data, develop, advance and deploy appropriate dashboard and other management tools across all PeriOp sites within Penn Medicine, ensuring relevant adjustments as needed for various locations.
- Promote patient engagement and ensure a consistently outstanding experience for patients.
- Performance & Optimization:
- Provide executive leadership in ensuring successful execution of quality, cost and process variation management with operations.
- Ensure that instrument processing capacity, readiness, and performance at the ISC and site-based locations directly support surgical access, case volume growth, and patient safety goals across the HUP & PAH license.
- Utilize performance dashboards, benchmarking, and analytic tools to monitor instrument availability, turnaround times, quality events, and service-level reliability.
- Partner with Perioperative, Surgical, and Procedural clinical leadership to proactively address system constraints related to instrumentation, sterilization capacity, and case complexity.
- Planning and Budgeting:
- Work with Strategic Decision Support to develop and track progress of comprehensive Penn Medicine PeriOp business plan(s) - updated annually in accordance with Penn Medicine budget process.
- Manage and improve periop activity along key performance metrics for related clinical subspecialties including volume growth, patient satisfaction, access, quality measures, service line profitability and staff and physician engagement scores.
- Working with CPUP Departments, develop and administer annual incentive goals for eligible managers.
- Lead, monitor, and report on progress for agreed upon annual goals and objectives for all subcommittees (Operations, Quality, and Network & Market Development) of the PeriOp Executive Committee.
- Participate in corporate and entity supply chain initiatives to manage the introduction of new technologies and devices in a fiscally responsible manner, balancing our need to advance our clinical quality, our market position and our financial performance.
- Work annually with PeriOp Executive Committee and COO of various departments in identify priorities, including recruitment, budgets, and development of new programs to ensure that planning is coordinated across departments and Health System Entities.
- Oversee enterprise capital planning, workforce planning, and technology investments related to the ISC and sterile processing services, including automation, tracking systems, and facility optimization.
- Clinical Portfolio Growth:
- Work with hospitals, physician leadership and Business Development teams to implement specific strategies for building clinical volume (IP and OP), market share, referrals and access management.
- Work with departments and administrators in other Entities to developing clinical faculty recruitment plans to meet and/or adjust for volume and financial pro forma on short and long term bases. Update long-term plans annually during budget process.
- Work with physician leaders, nursing leadership, other clinical and administrative leadership to ensure programmatic growth and advancement growth targets and quality goals are developed and achieved.
- The CAO along with the Director of HUP Procedural Services will provide high-level oversight of ALL procedural services on the HUP license in the domains of quality, patient safety, patient engagement, finance and patient flow or capacity optimization.
- Marketing:
- Coordinate the development of annual PeriOp marketing plan, in collaboration with Chief Marketing Officer and marketing staff including internet strategies, consumer and physician marketing strategies, etc.
- Serve as key administrative representative for the Marketing Department to implement marketing campaigns, community outreach and other events specifically designed to enhance reputation and build utilization of PeriOp Services.
- Development:
- As requested by the PeriOp Corporate Director, work with donors in order to secure support and meet expectations of major gifts.
- Collaborate with Development Department to coordinate development related events related to the HUP PeriOp Services.
- Interventional Support Center (ISC) & Enterprise Sterile Processing Leadership:
- Provide executive oversight for the Interventional Support Center (ISC), ensuring alignment with HUP PeriOp clinical, operational, financial, and growth strategies.
- Establish and lead a unified enterprise strategy for sterile processing and instrument management across HUP, Pennsylvania Hospital, and affiliated perioperative locations.
- Ensure high-reliability performance in sterile processing through the development and enforcement of enterprise standards for quality, safety, instrument availability, and turnaround times.
- Oversee compliance with regulatory and professional standards (e.g., AAMI, AORN, The Joint Commission), in close partnership with PeriOp Quality, Infection Prevention, and Supply Chain leadership, ensuring continuous survey readiness and adherence to internal policies.
- Sponsor and govern enterprise-wide standardization initiatives across instrument sets, tray configurations, workflows, technology platforms, and staffing models to reduce variation and improve efficiency.
- Drive measurable improvements in perioperative performance by ensuring sterile processing capabilities support surgical access, minimize case delays and cancellations, and enhance patient safety and provider satisfaction.
Education or Equivalent Experience:- Master's Degree in business or a clinical discipline such as nursing, health care administration, or similar is required.
- 5+ years experience with a highly integrated service line in a complex health care system required.
Skills & Abilities:- Must be strategic thinker. Strategy and Execution - The individual must possess strong intellect and a capacity for strategy and vision, but must also be highly disciplined in execution and process management and leadership.
- Ability to build consensus around a common vision.
- Possess a broad range of entrepreneurial talents and is success-driven.
- A thoughtful individual, politically astute with strong diplomatic skills.
- Outstanding management skills and the ability to hold a diverse constituency accountable to implementing transformative change.
- A demonstrated track record of success in creating an environment that facilitates an outstanding patient experience for each and every patient.
- Influence and Relationship Building - This person must have an exceptional ability to communicate at all levels of an organization.
- Comprehensive understanding of hospital operations including process improvement / optimization experience.
- Strong analytical skills, specifically with business and functional requirements development.
- Possess a broad range of entrepreneurial talents and is success-drive.
- Demonstrated ability to collaborate with individuals and influence in various roles and levels.
- Negotiating - This individual must have well developed strategic and negotiating skills.
- Ability to build consensus around a common vision.
- Ability to work in a highly matrixed structure and have the professional presence to make recommendations to senior leadership.
- Demonstrated organizational leadership skills.
- Strong communication skills in various methods, verbal, written and presentations. Must be able to clearly convey key messages in large groups and one-on-one settings.
- A strong business sense, with the ability to formulate goals and implement and execute on strategies.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, juggle competing priorities and meet concurrent deadlines.
- The ability to instill within the departments a rigorous approach to financial management in every aspect of their work.
- A passion and knowledge to inspire others to also introduce new perspectives to find the best solutions and understand how to evaluate effectiveness of these initiatives.
- Willingness to take risks and understand the benefits of getting it right.
- Emotional intelligence.
- Results-oriented with a bias toward action. Maintains high standards for oneself and her/his team.
- A mature professional who is focused and able to work well.
