Associate Vice President Quality​/Patient Safety Officer

Position Title:

Associate Vice President Quality/Patient Safety Officer Job Description Summary

The Associate Vice President, Quality & Patient Safety serves as VHC Health’s designated Patient Safety Officer and is the enterprise leader responsible for shaping and advancing a culture of safety, high reliability, and regulatory excellence across the organization and VHC Medical Group practices. This is a pivotal executive role with system-wide influence, driving the strategy that ensures every patient experience reflects the highest standards of quality and accountability.

Reporting to the Chief Medical Officer, the AVP partners closely with nursing, medical staff, operations, service line leaders, and risk management to translate vision into measurable results. This leader sets the direction for enterprise-wide quality and safety initiatives aligned with CMS Conditions of Participation, Joint Commission standards, Leapfrog measures, and national benchmarks, elevating performance in CMS Star Ratings, accreditation readiness, clinical outcomes, and patient experience.

Success in this role requires more than regulatory expertise. It demands executive presence, strategic foresight, analytical rigor, and the ability to lead transformational change in a complex healthcare environment. The AVP will serve as both a catalyst and steward of excellence, ensuring VHC Health continues to set the standard for safe, high-quality, patient-centered care.

The Associate Vice President (AVP), Quality & Patient Safety serves as the organization’s Patient Safety Officer (PSO) and is responsible for leading, coordinating, and advancing the hospital’s quality, safety, performance improvement, and regulatory readiness strategies within the hospital and associated VHC Medical Group Practices. This executive leader partners closely with clinical, operational, nursing, medical staff leadership, and risk management to ensure delivery of safe, high-quality, patient-centered care aligned with CMS, Joint Commission, Leapfrog, and other regulatory and accreditation standards while supporting the hospital’s strategic objectives related to quality, safety, and patient experience.

.The AVP reports to the Chief Medical Officer and works collaboratively with nursing, operations, service line leaders, and the medical staff.

Master’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Nursing, or Public Health is required

Graduation from an accredited school of nursing is preferred.

Five years of healthcare, nursing, or patient care experience is required.

Demonstrated leadership ability is required.

Data interpretation/presentation experience is required.

Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ)

Lean/Six Sigma certification preferred

Licensed as a Registered Nurse by the Virginia Department of Health Professions or Compact State Licensure in Nursing is preferred.

• Executive presence and exemplary communication skills
• Strong analytical capability
• Ability to manage conflict in safety investigations
• Systems thinking
• Change management expertise
• High emotional intelligence
• Demonstrated success improving CMS Star Ratings and regulatory performance.

• CMS Conditions of Participation
• Joint Commission standards
• Quality measurement methodologies

Located in Arlington, Virginia, VHC Health is a 548-bed, independent, not-for-profit health system and nationally recognized teaching hospital serving the Washington, DC metropolitan region for more than 75 years.

VHC Health has earned national recognition for clinical excellence and patient safety, including:

• 2025 World’s Best Hospital recognition by Newsweek
• 5-Star Overall Hospital Quality Rating from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
• Magnet® designation for nursing excellence
• “A” Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group
• Level II Trauma Center designation

At VHC Health, you’re more than an employee, you’re part of a team that values collaboration, respect, and growth. You’ll work alongside highly skilled professionals in a supportive environment where your voice…