Executive Director of Access

The Executive Director of Access serves as the senior operational leader responsible for designing, executing, and continuously optimizing the patient access strategy across the employed physician enterprise. This leader will oversee all centralized access functions — including call center operations, provider template management, referral management, and digital scheduling initiatives — ensuring patients can seamlessly connect with primary care and specialty providers across all sites and service lines.

Reporting to Vice-president of Operations for Health Partners, the Executive Director will partner closely with physician leaders, practice administrators, IT, and Marketing to deliver a patient-centered access experience that drives growth, reduces barriers to care, and advances the organization's mission.

Education:

Master's Degree MBA, MHA, MPH or equivalent training (required)

Experience:

Minimum of 7–10 years of progressive leadership experience in patient access, ambulatory operations, call center/access center operations, or healthcare administration, including significant experience in a senior leadership role.

Demonstrated ability to lead access operations using performance metrics and dashboards, with accountability for service levels, patient experience, and operational outcomes.

Strong working knowledge of ambulatory access workflows, including scheduling, referral management, call center operations, and front-end patient intake processes.

Experience overseeing access-related technology and tools, including telephony systems, IVR workflows, online scheduling, and patient portal access.

Proven track record of driving standardization, process improvement, and operational discipline across multiple access channels and sites.

Licensures,

Certifications:

Professional certification such as FACHE and/or FACMPE (preferred).

Skills:

Deep expertise in ambulatory access metrics, workforce management, and contact center best practices

Strong analytical and data interpretation skills, with the ability to convert complex datasets into actionable operational insights and compelling executive presentations

Exceptional leadership, communication, and relationship-building skills, including demonstrated ability to influence physicians, senior executives, and frontline staff

Proven ability to manage competing priorities, lead through ambiguity, and drive results in a complex, matrixed healthcare environment

Principal Duties and Responsibilities:

Access Strategy & Enterprise Leadership Accountable for the execution and ongoing performance of the physician enterprise access strategy, aligned with growth, quality, and health equity priorities. Establish enterprise access KPIs, monitor performance trends, and drive improvement actions in partnership with physician and operational leaders. Serve as the physician enterprise’s operational steward for access reliability and transparency.

Call Center Operations & Optimization Provide operational oversight of centralized access and call center functions, with accountability for workforce management, service levels, quality, and patient experience across phone and digital channels. Ensure access operations are consistently monitored, standardized, and optimized through effective use of performance metrics, quality assurance processes, and access technology.

Template Optimization & Capacity Management Own enterprise scheduling and capacity strategy across all specialties and practices, ensuring provider templates balance timely patient access with clinical workflow needs. Partner with physicians and practice leaders to standardize template governance, monitor utilization, and address access constraints using data-driven capacity planning.

Access Initiatives & Digital Transformation Lead enterprise access improvement initiatives focused on reducing wait times, improving patient experience, and enabling sustainable growth. Champion adoption and effective use of digital and self-service access tools, including online scheduling and patient portal workflows, to expand access options and reduce administrative friction.

Referral Management & Network Optimization Ensure access workflows…