Clinical Support Specialist

About the American College of Surgeons

The American College of Surgeons (ACS) is a professional and educational organization of surgeons that was founded in 1913 to raise the standards of surgical practice and improve the quality of care for surgical patients. The College is dedicated to the ethical and competent practice of surgery. Its achievements have significantly influenced the course of scientific surgery in America and have established it as an important advocate for all surgical patients.  The College has more than 90,000 members and is the largest organization of surgeons in the world. For more information, visit www.facs.org.

Our Mission
The American College of Surgeons is dedicated to improving the care of the surgical patient and safeguarding standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment.

Our Vision
To create a healthcare landscape where surgeons thrive and every patient has access to and benefits from the highest standards of surgical care, driven by innovation, education, leadership, and trust.

Summary: As a Clinical Support Team member, this position provides comprehensive clinical and quality improvement support services for multiple cutting-edge quality improvement registries. These registries include the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP), which studies adult surgical patient populations, the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project Pediatric (NSQIP Pediatric), which looks at pediatric surgical patient populations, and the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Accreditation and Quality Improvement Program (MBSAQIP), which examines bariatric surgical patient populations. Furthermore, this role may also assist in developing and supporting additional registries. Clinical Support Specialists frequently collaborate with other ACS Quality Program staff to ensure that the rigorous data collected by these registries reinforce the surgical standards set forth by ACS accreditation and verification programs.

The primary responsibilities of this role are providing daily customer support to clinical chart reviewers, creating online educational content, developing variables and definitions, maintaining program protocols, and performing data validation audits. This role provides guidance and support to participating hospitals to conceive and implement hospital-level quality improvement initiatives. Additionally, this role acts as a liaison to clinical committees and surgical specialty societies and aids in developing new pilot programs and collaboratives.

This exempt position will report to the CQI Clinical Support Team Manager in the Division of Research and Optimal Patient Care. It is based in our Chicago office and is a hybrid role: 3 days per week in the office/2 days per week remote.

The anticipated salary range for this position is $85,000 - $93,000 (commensurate with related experience).

Responsibilities:

• Provides clinical support to clinical chart reviewers regarding clinical inquiries, data definitions, and registry functionality. Reviews and responds to clinical inquiries daily that are submitted by clinical chart reviewers. Participates in regular meetings with surgeon leadership to discuss complex clinical issues.
  
  
• In collaboration with quality verification staff, assists participating hospitals with implementing the program, interpreting reports, and identifying areas for quality improvement. Through customer feedback, identifies improvement opportunities to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the program.
  
  
• Reviews and updates the program documents, including variables and definitions, sampling protocol guidance, and additional resources. Develops new variables in collaboration with other clinicians, surgeon leaders, and surgical specialty societies.
  
  
• Collaborates with team members to create, update and deliver educational content, including initial online training modules and annual certification exams. Produces continuing educational material in the form of video podcasts, programmatic conference calls, monthly education questions, and live conference presentations.
  
  
• Conducts data validation audits of participating hospitals to validate the accuracy of the data entered into the registry platforms. Reviews action plans and provides guidance on improving data collection processes based on issues identified during audits.
  
  
• Assists with the successful launch and implementation of new initiatives and programs. Participates in user acceptance testing of technical products related to the registry platform. Acts as a liaison to committees and outside vendors/consultants.

 

Required Education and/or Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing or a related field from an accredited college or university is required.
  
  
• Nursing license required or healthcare QI/registry
  
  
• Minimum of 2-4 years of clinical experience in healthcare required.
  
  
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in a business or healthcare setting required.
  
  
• Additional professional certifications in nursing (such as CORN, CCRN) or healthcare quality certifications (such as CPHQ) are desirable but not required.
  
  
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office products (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and Adobe Acrobat.
  
  
• Exposure to quality and performance improvement principles is preferred.

 

Comprehensive Benefits:
We’re committed to attracting and retaining top talent via valuable benefits!

• Vacation, personal, and sick hours including 13 paid holidays per year
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Medical—comprehensive coverage through BlueCross BlueShield
• Dental, Vision, and Prescription drug program
• 403(b) Matching Program
• Pension Plan
• Flexible Spending Medical/Dependent Care
• Employee Assistance Program
• Short Term/Long Term Disability
• Life Insurance
• Domestic Partner Coverage

 

The American College of Surgeons is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities.  If, because of a medical condition or disability, you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to recruitment@facs.org or call (312) 202-5000 and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.

 

The American College of Surgeons is dedicated to improving the care of the surgical patient and to safeguarding standards of care in an optimal and ethical practice environment.