Director, Hospital Based Programs

El Camino Health

$170K — $200K *
Hospitals & Medical Centers
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 7+ years of progressive healthcare leadership experience in a hospital or health system
  • 3+ years in director-level or senior management role with operational and financial responsibilities
  • Experience developing, launching, or optimizing healthcare programs and services
  • Strong background in hospitalist programs or inpatient clinical services
  • Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field; Master's preferred in related discipline
  • Proven relationship management with physicians and cross-functional teams
  • Solid financial acumen with emphasis on budgeting and revenue-cycle management

Responsibilities

  • Partner with leadership to execute strategic initiatives across El Camino Health Medical Network
  • Identify and develop new hospital-based programs based on market opportunities and patient needs
  • Lead the redesign and continuous improvement of existing programs for better outcomes
  • Cultivate relationships with hospitalist physicians and advanced practice providers
  • Align medical network operations with hospital teams for standardized workflows and communication
  • Monitor quality goals and performance standards to drive improvement initiatives
  • Oversee operational and capital budgets for hospital-based programs

Benefits

  • On-site work environment with a collaborative healthcare team
  • Opportunity to directly influence patient care quality and program growth
  • Engagement with clinical leadership to enhance operational efficiency
  • Participation in strategic initiatives within a well-established medical network
  • Access to ongoing professional development and educational opportunities
Full Job Description
El Camino Health Medical Network is currently seeking a talented Director of Hospital Based Programs to join our growing healthcare team!

  • Pay: $170,000-$200,000/ annually
  • Location: Los Gatos, CA
  • Shift: Days, M-F (On-Site)


The Director of Hospital Based Programs manages the non-clinical business operations, financial strategies, quality initiatives, and programmatic growth for programs based in the hospital setting (initially Hospital Medicine and Palliative Care). This non-clinical leader partners closely with clinical leadership to optimize patient throughput, drive financial performance, support high-reliability practices, and foster strong provider alignment. Reporting directly to the Vice President of Clinic Operations and Physician Relations, the Director ensures the delivery of high-quality, cost-effective care across inpatient and community-based settings while identifying opportunities to develop and expand programs that meet evolving patient and community needs.

Essential Functions:

Strategy, Program Development & Physician Relations
  • Executive Collaboration: Partner with Operations leadership and El Camino Health hospital leadership to execute strategic initiatives across the El Camino Health Medical Network.
  • Program Development: Identify, evaluate, and develop new hospital-based programs and services based on patient needs, market opportunities, clinical priorities, and organizational strategy.
  • Program Growth & Optimization: Lead the expansion, redesign, and continuous improvement of existing programs to enhance access, quality, patient outcomes, provider experience, and financial sustainability.
  • Physician Engagement: Cultivate strong, collaborative relationships with hospitalist physicians and advanced practice providers (APP's) to enhance engagement, alignment, and retention.
  • Practice Integration: Align medical network operations with hospital inpatient teams to ensure standardized workflows, effective communication, and shared strategic goals.
  • Business Planning: Develop business cases, operational plans, and implementation strategies for new or expanded services, including staffing models, financial projections, performance targets, and resource requirements.

Quality, Patient Experience & Performance Improvement:
  • Quality Leadership: Partner with clinical and operational leaders to establish and monitor quality goals, performance standards, and improvement initiatives across hospital-based programs.
  • Continuous Improvement: Identify operational and clinical process opportunities and lead initiatives that improve safety, efficiency, patient outcomes, and the overall patient and provider experience.
  • Patient Experience: Support initiatives designed to improve patient satisfaction, communication, care coordination, and HCAHPS performance.
  • Outcome Management: Monitor key quality and operational indicators, identify performance gaps, and implement corrective action plans in partnership with clinical leadership.
  • High-Quality Care: Promote consistent adherence to evidence-based practices, standardized workflows, and organizational quality standards while supporting a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.

Financial Management & Revenue Cycle:
  • Budget Accountability: Oversee the operational and capital budgets for hospital-based programs within the network.
  • Financial Performance: Analyze monthly financial statements, manage productivity targets, and execute variance-correction plans.
  • Revenue Optimization: Collaborate with network billing and coding teams to optimize provider documentation, maximize revenue capture, and minimize claim denials.
  • Financial Sustainability: Evaluate program performance, resource utilization, staffing models, and growth opportunities to ensure long-term financial sustainability.

Operations & Care Throughput:
  • Throughput Optimization: Partner with leadership to streamline inpatient admission, transfer, and discharge processes to reduce emergency department boarding and manage length of stay (LOS).
  • Palliative Care Expansion: Drive the operational expansion of palliative care services.
  • Staffing & Coverage: Oversee hospitalist and APP staffing models, shift scheduling, and coverage plans to ensure consistent, sustainable 24/7 program coverage.
  • Operational Excellence: Establish standardized processes, workflows, and performance expectations that support efficient, reliable delivery of hospital-based services.
  • Data Analytics: Generate and track key performance metrics including relative value units (RVUs), provider productivity, patient satisfaction scores, length of stay, readmissions, access, and other program-specific indicators.
  • Capacity Management: Partner with hospital and clinical leadership to evaluate capacity, staffing, and resource utilization and develop strategies to meet changing patient volumes and service demands.


Compliance, Quality & Risk Management:
  • Quality Alignment: Support network initiatives that improve patient experience (HCAHPS), reduce readmissions, enhance care coordination, and improve clinical and operational outcomes.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all program activities comply with CMS guidelines, California state healthcare regulations, and The Joint Commission standards.
  • Policy & Standards: Partner with clinical and compliance leaders to maintain appropriate policies, procedures, documentation, and operational controls.
  • Risk Management: Identify operational and compliance risks and collaborate with appropriate leaders to develop mitigation strategies.
  • Accreditation Readiness: Support ongoing readiness for regulatory surveys, audits, and accreditation requirements.


Minimum Requirements:
  • Minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible healthcare leadership experience in a hospital, health system, medical group, or integrated delivery network.
  • Minimum of 3 years in a director-level or senior management role with responsibility for operational performance, financial management, and strategic planning.
  • Demonstrated experience leading hospitalist programs, inpatient medicine service lines, or other hospital-based clinical programs.
  • Bachelor's Degree Required: Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field.
  • Master's Degree Preferred: Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA), Master of Business Administration (MBA), or closely related degree
  • Healthcare Leadership: Minimum of 5 to 7 years of progressive management experience within a healthcare medical network, medical group, or hospital setting.
  • Program Development: Demonstrated experience developing, launching, expanding, or optimizing healthcare programs and services.
  • Quality & Performance Improvement: Experience using operational, financial, and quality data to identify opportunities, improve performance, and drive measurable outcomes.
  • Physician Relations: Proven ability to establish effective working relationships with physicians, APPs, hospital leaders, and cross-functional stakeholders.
  • Financial Acumen: Experience with healthcare budgeting, financial analysis, productivity management, and revenue-cycle optimization.


Knowledge:

  • Knowledge of healthcare delivery systems, hospital operations, and medical group practice management.
  • Knowledge of healthcare reimbursement methodologies including Medicare, Medi-Cal, commercial payers, value-based care, and risk-based contracting.
  • Knowledge of healthcare financial management, budgeting, forecasting, and productivity measurement.
  • Knowledge of hospital throughput, length-of-stay management, discharge planning, readmission reduction strategies, and care coordination practices.
  • Knowledge of physician compensation models, provider productivity metrics, and RVU-based performance measurement.
  • Applicable federal and state regulatory requirements.
  • Knowledge of patient experience initiatives, including HCAHPS and service excellence methodologies.
  • Knowledge of quality improvement frameworks, performance improvement methodologies, and data-driven decision-making practices.


Skills:
  • Strong strategic planning and program development skills.
  • Exceptional physician relationship management and stakeholder engagement skills.
  • Advanced financial analysis and business planning skills.
  • Strong operational leadership and project management abilities.
  • Excellent analytical skills with ability to interpret complex operational, quality, and financial data.


Abilities:
  • Ability to collaboratively influence physicians, clinical leaders, and executives without direct reporting authority.
  • Ability to balance operational, financial, quality, and patient experience objectives simultaneously.
  • Ability to identify emerging healthcare trends and develop innovative program strategies.
  • Ability to lead multiple large-scale initiatives and manage competing priorities.
  • Ability to build high-performing teams and foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement.


Work Environment & Physical Requirements:
  • This position operates primarily in a professional office and healthcare administrative environment. The role routinely utilizes standard office equipment including computers, telephones, printers, copiers, and video conferencing technology. Work is primarily sedentary and performed in an indoor office setting with regular interaction with physicians, leadership, candidates, and staff. The position may require occasional travel between clinic or administrative locations for meetings, recruitment activities, onboarding, or operational support.


  • The role involves frequent communication and collaboration with physicians, executives, recruiters, compensation consultants, and operational leaders regarding physician recruitment, onboarding, compensation analysis, and related administrative functions. The work environment requires maintaining confidentiality, professionalism, attention to detail, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced healthcare setting.

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