System Director Senior Counsel

CommonSpirit Health was formed by the alignment of Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) and Dignity Health. With more than 700 care sites across the U.S. from clinics and hospitals to home-based care and virtual care services CommonSpirit is accessible to nearly one out of every four U.S. residents. Our world needs compassion like never before. Our communities need caring and our families need protection. With our combined resources CommonSpirit is committed to building healthy communities advocating for those who are poor and vulnerable and innovating how and where healing can happen both inside our hospitals and out in the community.

Job Summary / Purpose
This Senior Counsel role serves as Legal Operations Counsel to an assigned grouping of hospitals within the California region, providing direct, day-to-day advice and counsel to the operators, overseeing physician and non-physician contracting, and serving as a partner and trusted advisor to hospital leadership. This position will report to the California Region General Counsel. 

Essential Key Job Responsibilities

• Perform direct, consistent, and high-quality legal services for hospitals within the California Region.  Direct legal services will include, but not be limited to: preparation, review, and revision of complex non-physician agreements and complex physician agreements (using templates adopted by the Legal Team, as appropriate); and provision of sophisticated legal counsel and guidance relating to health care operational issues, including patient consent, bioethics, risk management, medical staff, licensing and certification, policies, contractual arrangements (rights and responsibilities), regulatory requirements, Stark and Anti-Kickback compliance, and other areas of health care operations subject to state and federal laws and regulations.
• Serve as a legal subject matter expert capable of providing sophisticated legal advice to assigned hospital leadership, management, boards, and committees, as well as to other members of the Legal Team and be knowledgeable about other health care laws applicable to CommonSpirit.
• Develop and maintain subject matter expertise in one or more health care operations law substantive areas supported by the Legal Team and use this expertise for the benefit of CommonSpirit.  This will include serving as a subject matter expert on one or more areas of health care operations law to assist other members of the Legal Team, as well as members of CommonSpirit business operations across the enterprise.
• Actively engage and coordinate with other Legal Team members, as needed, for effective delivery of health care legal operations services across the enterprise.
• Supervise, direct, manage, and collaborate with junior attorneys, paralegals, executive assistants, and other Legal Team support staff.
• Manage and evaluate outside counsel engaged to provide health care operations-related legal support.
• Prepare, review, and revise corporate documents (e.g., articles of incorporation and bylaws) and assist with internal CommonSpirit approval processes (e.g., Governance Matrix, Approval and Signature Authority Policy, etc.) for assigned Operating Division.
  Manage and assist with assigned Operating Division litigation, administrative proceedings, and other regulatory (including licensure and certification) proceedings or matters.

Minimum Qualifications

Required Education and Experience 
Juris Doctor or equivalent degree from a law school accredited by the American Bar Association.  Health law or specialty professional education, or equivalent experience (preferred). 
Minimum of eight (8) years’ legal work experience either with a law firm or in-house legal department involving the performance of general, operational, or specialty legal services for hospitals, health systems, medical foundations or groups, clinics, providers, health care delivery organizations, or integrated delivery systems.
Minimum of five (5) years’ leadership experience.

Required Licensure and Certifications
Active California State Bar licensure, registration as in-house counsel, or equivalent acceptable status for state of primary work location.

Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training

• Strong decision-making skills and judgment with the ability to handle difficult and complex issues
• Excellent written and oral communication skills
• Strong drafting skills suitable to more complex and sophisticated matters
• Understanding of and ability to adhere to confidentiality obligations
• Effective and collegial interpersonal skills; ability to perform legal functions with integrity and consistent with CommonSpirit’s mission, vision, and values
• Ability to work independently, manage a diverse workflow, and timely and effectively complete assigned work
• Possess an understanding of when to inform or advance legal issues to or seek input from Legal Team leadership
• Ability to use in-house and outside legal resources to accomplish work while achieving cost effectiveness

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