Shift:
Days

Location:
Singing River Ocean Springs Hospital, Singing River Pascagoula Hospital

Job Description Summary

Job Description

Position Overview:

The Chief Legal Officer oversees and directs the entirety of Singing River's legal function. The Chief Legal Officer provides legal advice and guidance to senior leadership and the Board of Trustees on strategic initiatives, business transactions and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. The Chief Legal Officer also oversees outside counsel engaged by Singing River and oversees litigation and risk management activities.

The Chief Legal Officer leads the Legal and Compliance Services Department, which oversees a variety of legal and compliance functions, including but not limited to policies, contract/leases, corporate governance, public records requests, compliance, risk management, and medical records. The Chief Legal Officer also serves as the Compliance Officer for regulatory purposes. The Compliance Service Department also oversees the operation of the Compliance and Quality Oversight and Physical Environment Committees.

The Chief Legal Officer coordinates all legal issues and responsibilities for ensuring that Singing River demonstrates compliance with Federal, State and County laws, rules and regulations, including but not limited to HIPAA, Stark Law, Anti-Kickback Statute, and other federal and state healthcare laws and regulations. He/She advises on a range of legal issues, including corporate, tax, real estate, subsidiaries, pension, employment, insurance, and reinsurance. The Chief Legal Officer provides oversight of the drafting and review of contracts and related documents for the procurement of goods and services; confidentiality of proprietary information; leases of space and equipment; software licenses; and analysis of a broad range of complex laws and regulations affecting the operations of Singing River including those arising from corporate structures and business models.

The Chief Legal Officer reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer, with a dotted line to the Audit and Compliance Committee of the Board of Trustees. He/She represents Singing River in all matters and negotiations, including on-going management and maintenance of contractual relationships with employed and contracted physicians.

The Chief Legal Officer serves as Corporate Secretary of Singing River's wholly-owned companies.

The Chief Legal Officer provides training and guidance to other employees of Singing River on legal issues and best business practices; coordinates and supervises the legal functions of Singing River; manages workloads, provides advice and guidance for projects; assigns, supervises, trains and critiques legal services provided by in-house attorneys. He/She works closely with finance, human resources, and compliance in relation to reviewing business practices, corporate structures, training and investigations.

DISCLAIMER: This is not necessarily an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, efforts, requirements or working conditions associated with the job. While this intends to be an accurate reflection of the current job, management reserves the right to revise the job or to require that other or different tasks performed as assigned.

Education:
A Juris Doctorate degree from a law school approved for accreditation by the American Bar Association is required; must be a member in good standing of the Bar of the supreme court of the state in which he or she practices law; and must have the prompt eligibility and complete the process for such license and standing in Mississippi.

License:
Mississippi Bar Association license required or immediate application and acceptance with the Bar Association.

Certifications:
N/A

Experience:
A minimum of eight (8) years' experience preferred practicing law that includes a background in healthcare, health insurance or managed care law. Experience with some or all of the following: copyright and trademark law, employment and contract law, privacy; experience working on matters of corporate governance and with a board of directors is preferred.
A minimum of five (5) years' experience in supervising or managing other attorneys and supervising support staff in a corporation is required. Must have experience with cost effective management of outside legal resource. Must have a track record of strategically outsourcing work to other individuals and firms and managing the results; and a track record of progressively responsible positions.
Must have experience triaging legal threats; must have a verifiable record of exercising excellent judgment on behalf of clients including large and complex organizations and issues.

Reports to:
Chief Executive Officer

Supervises:
Legal Services Department staff and other personnel as assigned, including Singing River's Risk Manager, Privacy Officer, and Public Records Officer.

Physical Demands:
Work is moderately active: involves sitting with frequent requirements to move about the office, move about the facility, and to travel to another facility within the SRHS service area. Work involves exerting a negligible amount of force frequently to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body.

Work involves using many physical motions in performing daily work activities; subject to exposure of body fluids, sputum and tissues, which may carry the hazard of infectious disease. Work involves using repetitive motions: substantial movements of the wrists, hands, and or fingers while operating standard office equipment such as computer keyboard.

Work involves being able to perceive the nature of sound at normal speaking levels with or without correction; the ability to make fine discriminations in sound. Work requires close visual and acuity and the ability to adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus, i.e. shift gaze from viewing a computer monitor to forms/printed material that are closer to compare data at close vision.

Must be able to be active for extended periods of time without experiencing undue fatigue. Must be able to work schedules assigned with the understanding that changes may be instituted according to the needs of the hospital for off days, shifts or weekends.

Mental Demands:
Must demonstrate keen mental faculties/assessment and decision making abilities. Must demonstrate superior communication/speaking/enunciation skills to receive and give information in person and by telephone. Must demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills. Must possess emotional stability conducive to dealing with high stress levels. Must demonstrate ability to work under pressure and meet deadlines.
Attention to detail and the ability to multi-task in complex situations is required. Must have the ability to maintain collaborative and respectable working relationships throughout SRHS and other organizations.

Special Demands:
Must possess superior customer service skills and professional etiquette. Must possess proficient knowledge and ability to use a computer (must be keyboard proficient) and other office technology (i.e., telephone, fax, etc.), MS Outlook and Word.

Must be able to demonstrate appropriate clinical judgment and apply appropriate professional skills to a patient population of all ages.

Work requires the ability to function independently, adapt to workload demands, set priorities, and understand and set goals. Must possess highly developed organizational, planning and management writing skills. Must understand the fundamentals of automated data processing, and be able to quickly gain a detailed understanding of complex computerized and non-computerized information. Must possess proficient knowledge of budgeting, general ledger and financial statement preparation. Job requires traveling throughout the service area - with the employee providing his/her own transportation. Frequent travel within a radius of 50 miles, with occasional travel beyond, is required. Work may include local or overnight business travel.

Work involves maintaining ready availability in person or electronically to the CEO and senior administrators in case of emergency. Must demonstrate a sense of urgency and responsiveness in dealing with clients, and an ability to handle multiple tasks in a timely manner.

Must demonstrate a commitment to the highest ethical and professional standards; personal and professional integrity beyond reproach; unquestioned discretion in maintaining confidentiality.