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RN Quality Patient Safety Program Manager
Company : Catholic Health Initiatives
Location : Santa Cruz, CA, 95065
Job Type : Full Time
Salary : 62.58-93.09 HOUR
Date Posted : 31 December 2025
Job Summary and Responsibilities
SIGN-ON BONUS AND RELOCATION BONUS ELIGIBLE!
JOB SUMMARY / PURPOSE
The primary function of the Quality/Patient Safety Program Manager Clinical License is to support, coordinate, and facilitate the quality management (QM), patient safety (PS) and regulatory performance improvement (PI) activities for the hospital and medical staff. This role also serves as a resource to employees, management, nursing directors, senior management, councils, physicians and teams on quality management activities and will handle patient sensitive and confidential
hospital information.
ESSENTIAL KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Assists in the design, planning, implementation and coordination of quality management, patient safety and performance Improvement activities for assigned hospital and medical staff departments, committees, divisions, service lines and functions.
- Proactively coordinates and facilitates performance improvement teams to support key initiatives, including but not limited to, activities focused on clinical quality improvement, patient safety and risk reduction, patient experience, efficiency, FMEAS, root cause analyses and medical staff improvement (e.g. case review for peer review, OPPE, FPPE).
- Participates in an integral role to ensure compliance with CMS HIQRP/HOQRP, TJC, Leapfrog, etc., data collection and reporting of process and outcome measures.
- Facilitates development and implementation of data collection tools and processes including the ability to: identify data elements needed to complete appropriate measurement, perform data collection and abstraction per specifications, and validate data prior to submission or preview reports prior to publication.
- Facilitates meetings, presents data and reports, identifies key findings and assists with action plans and implementation.
- Maintains current knowledge of accreditation and licensing requirements and must be a resource to staff on these regulations in order to improve management of outcomes and ensure compliance.
- Assists with regulatory readiness and survey preparation activities including mock survey tracers.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Required Education:
- Licensed Registered Nurse, Licensed Clinical Pharmacist, or other Licensed Clinical Staff and three (3) years clinical experience in an acute care setting
- Must be able to perform case reviews for medical staff peer review and medical and/or surgical Registry Abstraction
- One (1) year healthcare-related quality management/performance improvement experience (e.g., chart audit, PI team member, etc.)
Required Licensure and Certifications:
- Current state license in a clinical field in state of practice.
- Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), or Healthcare Quality and Management Certification (HCQM), or Certificate of Professional Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety (CPQPS) within 2 years of employment is required.
Dominican Hospital (a member of Dignity Health) is a 222-bed facility that offers a wide range of services to residents of California’s Central Coast. With 24/7 emergency care comprehensive care in cardiac orthopedics oncology women’s and children’s services we continue to lead the region in medical innovation and excellence in healthcare. Comprehensive CareDominican offers emergency services and is a Certified Stroke Center and Chest Pain Center. Dominican’s services include the only comprehensive Cancer Center in Santa Cruz County a Total Joint Replacement program and advanced neurological and endoscopic services. Dominican regularly receives ‘A’ grades for hospital safety from Leapfrog Group and has received national recognition for superior patient safety cardiac care and stroke treatment from Healthgrades a leading provider of comprehensive information about physicians and hospitals.As Santa Cruz County’s heart attack (STEMI) receiving center Dominican Hospital provides cutting edge cardiac care. The hospital’s heart attack treatment times consistently beat the national average and the hospital offers two cardiac catheterization labs available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Groundbreaking cardiac procedures at Dominican include the Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (TAVR) procedure which allows for heart valve replacement without opening a patient’s chest.Dominican Hospital has forged significant partnerships with area hospitals to bring exceptional care to Santa Cruz County. The hospital offers a level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) through a partnership with Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. Neurosurgery at Dominican is also offered through a partnership with Stanford Health Care.
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Frequently asked questions
This position directly influences patient outcomes by coordinating quality management and safety initiatives tailored to Santa Cruz healthcare settings. It involves clinical data analysis, compliance with local regulations, and collaboration with multidisciplinary teams to reduce risks and enhance care effectiveness.
Challenges include managing performance improvement in a busy 222-bed facility with complex services like cardiac and stroke care, aligning with multiple accreditations, and supporting specialized units such as the NICU partnership with Stanford, all while maintaining rigorous patient safety standards.
Certifications such as Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ), Healthcare Quality and Management (HCQM), or the Certificate of Professional Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety (CPQPS) are highly valued, especially when paired with an active California clinical license, meeting regional regulatory expectations.
Daily tasks include leading performance improvement teams, conducting root cause analyses, ensuring compliance with CMS and TJC standards, facilitating data collection and validation, and preparing the hospital for accreditation surveys, all aimed at enhancing patient safety and clinical quality.
Salaries typically range from $95,000 to $120,000 annually in Santa Cruz, influenced by clinical experience, certifications like CPHQ, the complexity of the healthcare facility, and local demand for quality management expertise in acute care hospitals.
Catholic Health Initiatives fosters professional growth through access to advanced training in quality management, encouragement to obtain specialty certifications, and involvement in innovative safety programs, all within a supportive network that prioritizes clinical excellence and employee advancement.
Yes, managers actively engage in initiatives such as clinical quality improvement projects, risk reduction strategies, and peer review processes, aiming to maintain high safety grades and align with national benchmarks like The Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades recognitions.
Santa Cruz shows moderate competition for these roles due to its specialized medical centers and partnerships with Stanford. Candidates with acute care experience and recognized certifications have an edge amid steady demand for quality improvement professionals.
Santa Cruz's coastal location results in varied commute times; proximity to Dominican Hospital is ideal due to limited public transport options. Candidates often weigh traffic patterns and parking availability, especially during peak hospital hours, when considering employment.