Sutter Health

Physician, Medical Director, Patient Experience (San Francisco, CA)

Sutter Health$250K — $300K *
Healthcare
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • MD or DO with board certification in a relevant specialty
  • Active medical staff member or eligible for appointment
  • Minimum of 5 years clinical practice experience
  • Experience in patient experience or quality improvement initiatives
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Responsibilities

  • Lead the development and execution of patient experience strategy
  • Collaborate with operational leaders on service excellence initiatives
  • Establish policies and best practices for patient-centered care
  • Identify and enhance the patient journey through care delivery improvements
  • Champion a culture of empathy and responsiveness to patient needs
  • Monitor patient experience data and address performance gaps
  • Coach physicians on communication and patient engagement

Benefits

  • Opportunity to drive innovation in patient care
  • Collaborative work environment with operational leaders and clinicians
  • Access to ongoing professional development and training programs
  • Engagement in initiatives that shape the future of healthcare delivery
  • Living in San Francisco's vibrant culture and strong healthcare innovation hub
Full Job Description
Opportunity Information

The Medical Director of Patient Experience provides physician leadership to advance a culture of exceptional patient-centered care across the medical group. This role partners with operational leaders, physician chiefs, and clinic medical directors to improve the patient experience across ambulatory settings while aligning efforts with organizational quality, access, and service goals.

The Medical Director champions initiatives that enhance communication, patient engagement, care coordination, and service excellence. Through collaboration, coaching, and data-driven improvement strategies, this role supports clinicians and care teams in delivering consistently high-quality patient experiences.

Role is 0.2 FTE administrative/0.8 FTE clinical

Key Responsibilities

Strategic & Operational Leadership
• Provide physician leadership for patient experience strategy across the medical group.
• Partner with operational leaders to implement system-wide service excellence initiatives.
• Support development of standards, policies, and best practices that promote patient-centered care.
• Identify opportunities to improve the patient journey across access, care delivery, and follow-up.

Clinical Engagement & Culture
• Serve as a physician champion for patient-centered care and service excellence.
• Partner with Chiefs and Medical Directors to promote provider engagement in patient experience initiatives.
• Support development of a culture of empathy, communication excellence, and responsiveness to patient needs.
• Lead peer-to-peer engagement and coaching to support improvement in patient experience metrics.

Performance Improvement
• Monitor and interpret patient experience data (e.g., CAHPS, Press Ganey, or equivalent surveys).
• Collaborate with clinical and operational leaders to address performance gaps and implement improvement plans.
• Support implementation of best practices that improve patient communication, care coordination, and service reliability.
• Promote integration of patient experience goals with quality, safety, and operational performance initiatives.

Provider Coaching & Development
• Provide physician-to-physician coaching related to communication, professionalism, and patient engagement.
• Partner with Chiefs and Medical Directors to support performance feedback when patient experience concerns arise.
• Contribute to training and educational programs focused on communication skills and patient-centered care.

Growth & Innovation
• Support innovative approaches to improving patient experience, including digital tools, access improvements, and care navigation models.
• Collaborate with population health and care delivery teams to enhance continuity and coordination of care.

Collaboration & Communication
• Maintain strong partnerships with physician leadership, clinic operations, nursing leadership, and patient experience teams.
• Communicate patient experience priorities, trends, and improvement strategies across the medical group.
• Represent physician leadership in system-level patient experience initiatives when appropriate.

Qualifications
• MD or DO with active board certification in an applicable specialty.
• Active member of the medical staff or eligibility for appointment.
• Minimum of 5 years of clinical practice experience.
• Demonstrated interest or experience in patient experience, quality improvement, or physician leadership.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and facilitation skills.

Organization Details

Sutter West Bay Medical Group (SWBMG) is a fast-growing, premier, physician led, multispecialty medical group with nearly 500 physicians and advanced practice clinicians serving patients in San Francisco, Northern California and beyond. SWBMG delivers integrated, patient centered care across primary through quaternary care, grounded in clinical excellence, collaboration, and innovation, and is a key partner within Sutter Health's regional care delivery network.

Community Information

San Francisco offers a unique combination of professional opportunity, intellectual energy, and quality of life for physician leaders drawn to innovation and impact.

As a global hub for healthcare innovation, life sciences, and research, the city attracts forward-thinking clinicians and collaborators shaping the future of medicine. Its strong academic environment and commitment to equity and access create a compelling setting for advancing cancer care.

Outside of work, San Francisco offers an exceptional lifestyle, with world-class dining, arts, and culture alongside easy access to Northern California's natural beauty, from coastal trails to wine country. The region's diverse communities support both personal fulfillment and professional growth.

About Sutter Health

Sutter Health is a not-for-profit health system in Northern California, headquartered in Sacramento. It includes doctors, hospitals and other health care services in more than 100 Northern California cities and towns. Major service lines of Sutter Health-affiliated hospitals include cardiac care, women’s and children’s services, cancer care, orthopedics and advanced patient safety technology.
Learn more about Sutter Health
Size
58,000 employees
Industry
Founded
1981

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