AZ Regional Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Exceptional Healthcare Inc. – Scottsdale, Arizona

Reports To: Regional Chief Executive Officer
Direct Reports: Local Chief Nursing Officers/Directors of Nursing (DONs)
Executive Clinical Partner: Arizona Regional Chief Medical Officer (CMO)
Location: Arizona (Multi-Site Portfolio)
FLSA Status: Exempt – Executive
Travel: 60–85%Position Summary
The Regional Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) serves as the senior clinical and operational nursing executive responsible for care delivery excellence, hospital throughput, utilization management, labor performance, regulatory readiness, leadership development, and portfolio-wide standardization across all Arizona facilities.
Reporting to the Regional CEO, the CNO provides direct supervision of Local Facility CNO and Directors of Nursing (DONs), who serve as the highest on-site leaders overseeing cross-functional hospital operations including Nursing and Environmental Services, and Dietary services.
The CNO works in structured partnership with the Arizona Regional Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to ensure standardized, evidence-based, high-quality care delivery processes are implemented consistently across the region. Also works closely with the Regional Chief of Facilities and Administration (CFA) regarding Lab, Radiology, Supply, and Front Desk / Patient Access issues and concerns.
The CNO serves as the ultimate nursing authority for the region and may assume interim on-site leadership responsibilities during DON vacancies or operational instability.

Essential Functions & Responsibilities
1. Care Delivery Oversight

• Establish and maintain standardized care delivery processes across all facilities.
• Ensure evidence-based nursing practice and regulatory compliance.
• Monitor patient safety, quality indicators, and clinical performance trends.
• Implement portfolio-wide clinical best practices.
• Ensure compliance with:
  • Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Conditions of Participation
  • Center for Improvement in Healthcare Quality (CIHQ) accreditation standards
  • Arizona Department of Health Services licensure requirements

2. Oversight of Local Facility Leadership

• Provide direct supervision and performance oversight of all facility CNO/DON team.
• Ensure CNOs/DONs maintain operational accountability across their sites.
• Monitor site-level regulatory readiness.
• Establish leadership performance expectations.
• Develop corrective action plans when necessary.

Each CNO/DON oversees cross-functional departments including:

• Nursing (ED & Inpatient)
• Radiology
• Laboratory
• Front Office/Registration
• Plant Operations/Supply
• Environmental Services (contracted)
• Dietary (if applicable)

3. Throughput & Flow Management

• Oversee ED throughput and patient flow performance.
• Monitor inpatient length of stay.
• Reduce LWOT and delay metrics.
• Standardize bed management and care transition processes.
• Deploy rapid improvement strategies when metrics decline.

4. Utilization Management

• Ensure appropriate admission status determinations.
• Monitor observation vs inpatient compliance.
• Oversee case management performance.
• Support documentation integrity to protect reimbursement.
• Reduce avoidable payer denials related to clinical processes.

5. Labor & Productivity Oversight

• Develop regional nursing staffing frameworks.
• Monitor productivity benchmarks across facilities.
• Control overtime and traveler utilization.
• Align departmental labor performance with financial targets established by the COO.
• Oversee labor efficiency within Nursing and EVS / Food Service departments.

6. Mentorship & Leadership Development

• Mentor and coach Local DONs.
• Develop structured leadership development programs.
• Identify and cultivate high-potential leaders.
• Establish succession planning across the portfolio.
• Standardize onboarding for new nursing and site leaders.
• Provide hands-on operational support when performance gaps exist.

7. Portfolio Best Practice Development

• Identify high-performing care processes across facilities.
• Standardize and deploy best practices region-wide.
• Reduce variability in care delivery.
• Implement cross-site benchmarking dashboards.
• Lead portfolio-wide quality improvement initiatives.

8. Clinical Governance Partnership with Regional CMO

• Coordinate with Regional CMO to align medical and nursing standards.
• Participate in development of standardized care pathways.
• Review quality trends and sentinel events collaboratively.
• Support physician engagement and clinical integration initiatives.
• Operationalize clinical strategies developed at the regional level.

9. Regulatory & Survey Readiness

• Maintain continuous accreditation readiness.
• Lead Nursing preparation for regulatory and accreditation surveys.
• Oversee corrective action plan development and closure.

10. Interim Leadership Authority

• Serve as interim DON during site vacancies.
• Provide temporary on-site leadership during operational instability.
• Stabilize underperforming facilities.
• Lead recruitment and onboarding of new DONs.
• Assume direct oversight of cross-functional site teams when required.

11. Business Development & Strategic Participation
In coordination with the Regional Exec Leadership:

• Participate in development of new and expanding service lines.
• Evaluate clinical feasibility of growth initiatives.
• Assess staffing implications of expansion.
• Support physician recruitment and onboarding.
• Ensure scalable care delivery models are implemented regionally.

Performance Metrics

• Patient safety and quality indicators
• ED throughput performance
• Inpatient length of stay
• LWOT reduction
• Labor productivity and overtime control
• Utilization accuracy
• Zero repeat clinical survey citations
• DON leadership development outcomes
• Adoption of standardized best practices across sites

Qualifications
Required

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing
• Active Registered Nurse (RN) license
• Minimum 7 years hospital leadership experience
• Multi-site operational oversight experience
• Experience leading accreditation surveys

Preferred

• Master’s degree (MSN, MHA, MBA)
• Experience in micro-hospital or acute care model
• Experience partnering with physician leadership
• Experience implementing portfolio-wide standardization initiatives

Core Competencies

• Clinical governance leadership
• Leadership development and mentorship
• Throughput optimization
• Utilization management expertise
• Regulatory compliance mastery
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Change management
• Portfolio-level strategic thinking