Division Counsel, Healthcare Operations (office Of Legal Affairs) - Hybrid

Vanderbilt University Medical Center Office Of Legal Affairs

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) is a community of individuals who come to work each day with the simple aim of changing the world. It is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and where your uniqueness is sought and celebrated. It is a place where employees know they are part of something that is bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday. Vanderbilt's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research.

Division Counsel – Hospital Operations (Hybrid)

The Vanderbilt University Medical Center Office of Legal Affairs is looking for an exceptional individual with a minimum of seven years of experience advising complex healthcare organizations on all aspects of healthcare system operations to join its team. The ideal candidate will have experience advising hospitals and ambulatory clinics on patient care issues, accreditation and professional licensure, scope of practice, fiduciary relationships in the healthcare environment, mandated reporting, privacy and release of information, and general healthcare regulatory requirements related to the provision of healthcare. Preference will be given to candidates with experience advising academic medical centers or with other significant, relevant experience. The successful candidate will possess excellent oral and written communication skills and will have the ability to work both independently and as part of a team within a dynamic environment. Excellent client management skills, the ability to prioritize competing demands, and the ability to balance risk with organizational goals are necessary.

This individual will report to the Managing Counsel for Hospital Operations, Privacy, and Labor/Employment.

Role Accountabilities

Support the operational activities of large healthcare enterprise consisting of an academic medical center, acute care community based hospitals, and ambulatory clinics.

Advise on adult, pediatric and behavioral health patient-related issues, including refusal of and consent to treatment; advanced directives, surrogate decision making, guardianships, and conservatorships; end-of-life issues, ethical and legal conflicts between patients, families and healthcare providers; and abuse and neglect issues and mandated reporting requirements.

Provide guidance and assistance in responding to requests for protected health information from third parties, including government agencies, law enforcement, payors, providers, attorneys, and others, including third party requests for communication with and testimony by healthcare providers.

Partner with content experts across the enterprise in the development of policies and procedures related to daily hospital and ambulatory operations and assist in educational activities to support policy application and compliance.

Advise on scope of practice and professional licensure matters and communicate with licensure agencies on behalf of the organization as needed.

Support Accreditation and Standards in site surveys and responses to requests for information.

Attend and actively participate as a legal advisor to multiple system committees.

Collaborate with stakeholders at all levels of the organization to identify and mitigate legal and regulatory risks of proposed initiatives.

Participate in departmental after hours call schedule to provide legal advice on urgent patient matters arising outside of normal business hours.

Provide regulatory and other operational support on contract and transactional matters in which VUMC may engage.

Collaborate with and manage outside legal resources.

Provide guidance and assistance to other colleagues in the Office of Legal Affairs in a highly collaborative and team-oriented fashion.

Qualifications

JD degree from an ABA accredited law school. Employment contingent upon State of Tennessee licensure or registration and receipt of In-House Counsel Practice Certificate. The successful candidate must also apply for and become licensed in the State of Tennessee within 12 months of employment or, if earlier, the date required under applicable rules of the Tennessee Supreme Court.

Preferred Qualifications

Seven years or more of directly applicable experience, with at least three (3) of those years providing legal advice and assistance to healthcare institutions or companies.

Vanderbilt Health is committed to fostering an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive and is committed to the principles of equal opportunity. EOE/Vets/Disabled.