Position Specification

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Chief Executive Officer, Mercy Medical Center

The Organization

Mercy Medical Center is a fully accredited Joint Commission, 25-bed Critical Access regional medical facility which serves approximately 50,000 people from Western North Dakota and Eastern Montana. The Medical Center was founded in 1920 by the Sisters of Mercy from Omaha through neighboring Devils Lake, North Dakota.  Since then, it has become a rural regional medical center offering a remarkably full array of services and programs for its size, such as a 24-hour emergency department, a Cancer Treatment Center (with IMRT and BAT), Home Health & Hospice, renal dialysis, rehabilitation services, and sophisticated imaging services, including MRI and 16-slice CT scanning.  Also, with almost 500 annual live births, Mercy is one of only a half a dozen North Dakota General Acute Critical Access Hospitals with a full service OB program.  

Mercy Medical Center has a net revenue budget of $40 Million and operates on a July 1 fiscal year.  There are approximately 450 employees making the Medical Center one of the largest employers in the region.  There are thirty (30) affiliated physicians, some who are part of the Cragan-Hagan Clinic – a six (6) physician and one physician extender, primary care group owned by the Medical Center.  

In 1996, Mercy Medical Center became part of Catholic Health Initiatives. Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) is a national non-profit corporation based in Denver, Colorado.
It is comprised of 75 hospitals, 22 Critical Access Hospitals, 40 long-term care, assisted, independent living, and residential facilities, and two Community Health Service Organizations. Catholic Health Initiatives serves 68 rural and urban communities, and has more than 66,000 employees. CHI is spread across 19 states, and it is united by a common mission, vision and core values.

CHI is a faith-inspired organization founded upon a spirit of innovation and a legacy of care. The organization is unique among health care systems in the U.S. as a national Catholic health care organization, sponsored by multiple congregations and governed by a religious-lay partnership, transforming health care delivery into integrated networks and creating new ministries to promote healthy communities. With approximately 66,000 employees and annual revenues of $8.6 billion, CHI ranks as the nation’s second-largest Catholic health care system.

In order to strengthen its long-term commitment to and advocacy for communities served; Catholic Health Initiatives recently re-aligned its structures and resources that support its market-based organizations, community health service organizations and joint operating agreements. This resulted in the opening of an office in Fargo, North Dakota in order to support the new operating division based there. Accordingly, Catholic Health Initiatives has selected the Fargo, N.D./Moorhead, Minn. area as the site of its newest Central Business Office (CBO).  It will support twelve (12) communities in Minnesota and North Dakota, each home to a Catholic Health Initiatives market-based organization (MBO), prior to the reorganization.  

For additional information about Mercy Medical Center, visit www.mercy-williston.org   and for Catholic Health Initiatives, please visit: www.catholichealthinit.org.  

The Position

Location
The city of Williston is a growing community located in the northwest corner of North Dakota, just 60 miles from the Canadian border and 18 miles from the Montana border. Its economy is enriched by the oil and gas industry, agriculture and the service sector. Williston is known as the "Western Star" of  North Dakota, which continually ranks as the Safest State (#1), the Most Livable State (#10), and the Healthiest State (#9).

There are a variety of nearby landmarks and activities in Williston that contribute to a remarkably high quality of life. The region boasts the famous Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site, Fort Buford State Historic Site, and the Missouri-Yellowstone River Confluence, which was discovered by Lewis and Clark. Williston is full of recreational opportunities with miles of new paved bike trails; six new USTA regulation-size tennis courts, a very large recreational lake full of water, some of the best golfing in the country (The Links of North Dakota is ranked one of America’s 100 best modern golf courses), great opportunities for hunting and fishing, and many historical and regional tourism venues to explore.  Williston ranked 24th in a recent edition of Outdoor Life Magazine for being one of the “Top 200 Towns for the Outdoorsman.”  Williston is also just an hour away from the scenic Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit of the Badlands.  Its schools, churches, parks and recreation, cultural opportunities, as well as Mercy Medical Center are the envy of other similar-sized communities.

The Williston community and parts of North Dakota are presently going through a rather significant economic boom, due to the Bakken Oil and Gas Field growth. North Dakota is one of the few areas in the U.S. where oil production is actually increasing. A recent Forbes article reported that North Dakota's oil production is expected to approach 350,000 barrels in 2010, an increase of more than 50 percent, supported by a major pipeline expansion and the anticipated startup of a shipping terminal near neighboring Stanley, North Dakota. The result of much of this is that unemployment is extremely low and the local economy is very strong.  This is expected to continue much into the early part of the Twenty First Century, so Williston and the surrounding area will continue to grow and develop into the foreseeable future.

For additional information about Williston and North Dakota, visit: www.cityofwilliston.com  or www.visitwilliston.com or www.nd.gov  or www.willistonchamber.com .

Reporting Relationships

The Mercy Medical Center CEO reports to Jeffrey Drop, the Senior VP, Division Executive Officer of Catholic Health Initiatives’ market-based organizations in North Dakota and Minnesota and to the local Board of Directors.  Direct reports include the Senior Executive Team, which along with the CEO, is made up of the Chief Financial Officer and the Vice President Patient Care/Risk Management; other direct reports include most of the clinical and support directors and managers for the medical center. There are shared matrix reporting relationships with the Chief Financial Officer and the Director of Human Resources, Vice President of Foundation and Regional Chief Information Officer.

Key Working Relationships

In order to be successful, the CEO will need to establish and maintain effective working relationships with a variety of persons and groups.  Principal among them are the Fargo Operations Team which is made up of the Sr. VP, Division Executive Officer, the VP of Finance, the Director of Human Resources Business Practices, the Chief Information Officer, the Director of Strategy/Business Development, the Para-Legal, and the VP of Mission Effectiveness, Division Attorney and Corporate Compliance Officer. Other important external relationships should be developed with the other 12 CEOs and Administrators in the Fargo Division.  It will also be important to become acquainted with local Chamber of Commerce, The Williston Economic Development Partnership, Williston State College which has a nursing school and some related allied health curricula, and with key players in the North Dakota Hospital Association.  The CEO will also be expected to collaborate with other CHI practice areas and CHI groups on the national level.

Responsibilities

The CEO is responsible for all of the administrative and operating functions of Mercy Medical Center.  This includes providing leadership, direction and management in the areas of strategic planning, finance, patient care, organization development, quality standards, human resources management, medical staff support and relations, network development, and other matters related to the CEO role or as defined. This person will ultimately ensure the overall operational and financial integrity of the organization through oversight of the day-to-day operation.   In this capacity, the CEO carries responsibility for integrating the Mercy Medical Center strategic plan with the operations and with overall Division and CHI strategic direction.

The following comprise the major expectations of the person who accepts the Mercy Medical Center Chief Executive Officer position:

• Strengthen and maintain successful trusting relationships with key service area physician leaders.  Carry through with the recently-initiated physician development planning and help maintain an alignment with physicians that is mutually beneficial and better serves the patients in the community. Continue the recent successes with physician recruitment.

• Continue to closely manage the financial aspects of this Critical Access Hospital and ensure optimum performance, and work to maintain a positive margin.

• Position the Medical Center to stave off competitive regional forces, such as those recently introduced from Minot. 

• Help forge a synergistic platform upon which Mercy Medical Center can remain a strong collaborative  and contributing entity within the Fargo/ Moorhead Division of CHI.

• Enhance the culture of Quality at Mercy Hospital.  Work to improve patient satisfaction throughout the organization.

• Strengthen morale in the Medical Center and improve employee satisfaction.  Build Esprit de Corps.  Manage by walking around (MBWA).

• Become actively involved in community activities and represent the organization to local and statewide community organizations.  Be extremely visible in the local community.

• Commit to remain in place with the organization and in the community long enough to strengthen and sustain the organization well into the 21st Century.

Opportunity

The CEO will have the unique opportunity to not only lead and manage a complex, and highly capable Critical Access Hospital located in a pleasant, safe small community, but this person will also be in a position to contribute to the formation of a unique strategic rural healthcare Division in a nationally-prominent faith-inspired health system. There will be multiple opportunities to grow and develop Mercy Medical Center to better serve the health needs of the community and carry on a long tradition of delivering faith-inspired healthcare to the region.

Compensation

An attractive, competitive compensation program will be tailored to the specific needs of qualified candidates. The final candidate will receive full relocation assistance and benefits, which are usual and customary for this level position in the organization. 

Education

A Bachelor’s degree is required. An MHA, MBA or MS in health care administration, business administration, public health administration or a related field is preferred.

Professional Qualifications

Seven to ten years experience with progressive leadership roles in a relevant healthcare setting with a track record of operational excellence.

• Specific knowledge of or experience with Critical Access Hospitals.

• Strong medical staff relations and physician development skills.  The ability to work collegially with medical professionals in partnership toward common objectives.

• A track record of community development and involvement.

• Strong team building skills. Able to strengthen, groom and develop an already seasoned team of healthcare professionals.

• Excellent communication and listening skills with the ability to motivate others toward common objectives.  A consensus builder.

• Outstanding Board relationship and development skills.  Demonstrated ability to work with Boards and committees.

• Knowledge and acceptance of the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Services, as they relate to the operation of a faith-inspired healthcare organization.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

• Grounded in operations and finance, but well versed with CA reimbursement and legislative issues. Especially someone with proven operational skills and abilities.

Personal Characteristics

• A genuine person who can quickly gain credibility within the organization and within the community.

• An individual of unquestioned integrity, honesty and high moral and ethical standards. A personal presence that is characterized by a sense of honesty, integrity and caring with the ability to inspire and motivate others to promote the philosophy, mission, vision, goals and values of CHI.

• Someone who exemplifies the Catholic Health Initiatives Leadership  Competency Model which includes:

• Reverence

• Diversity

• Collaborative Spirit

• Spirituality

• Stewardship

• Integrity

• Values-based

• Open Communication

• Humility

• Compassion

• Sensitive Advocate

• Excellence

• Strategic Thinking

• Organization Alignment

• Accountability

• Continuous Improvement

• Learning/Organization Development

• Someone with a relaxed open management style.

• Someone who is thick-skinned and straight forward, clear and concise in their approach.

• A participative leader with a strong work ethic who is not afraid to roll-up-the-sleeves to get the job done.

• A confident, courageous person who is poised and secure. 

• An inspired leader who has a genuine concern for people, particularly for those who work in the organization.

• An extroverted natural communicator with finesse.

• A creative and innovative person with a positive, optimistic and upbeat “can-do” attitude and demeanor.

• Someone who recognizes others for contributions and achievements.

• Someone with a balanced lifestyle as well as a good sense of humor. 

• An active community leader.

• Someone who enjoys and appreciates nature, hunting and the outdoors.

• A good listener.

• An organized person who demonstrates personal accountability while being both responsive and effective.

• Someone who is willing to commit to remaining with the organization and to reside in the community for a relatively substantial period of time.