Kirsten Riggs MHA, BSN, RN

Provides executive oversight of day-to-day operations while working closely with executive and physician leaders to drive operational excellence and strategic collaborations that improve performance, drive growth, and promotes organizational culture and vision.

Key Contributions

• Responsible for 466 bed tertiary care hospital, 50 bed general acute care hospital, 2 skilled nursing facilities 227 beds, 5 joint ventured surgery centers, 5 business joint ventures, and 450-provider multispecialty physician entity.
• Refined organizational structure to consolidate, streamline, and delineate necessary functions.
• Operational improvement initiatives resulting in FY20 (pre-Covid) 7% improvement in gross revenue over prior year and 5% favorable budget variance; reduced expense per adjusted patient day from prior year and reduced labor achieving $15M favorable net operating income.
• Co-led initiatives yielding $17.3M in Triangle East hospital contribution margin growth for HV service line from 19-23. Expanded service offerings in support of following affiliate hospitals: Goldsboro, Johnston, Nash, and Lenoir.
• Established wellness initiative to support teammates to include virtual and in-person resources including relaxation room, virtual reality trips, puppy playground, and usable outside spaces for dining, socializing, and playing games.
• Designed and implemented first virtual nursing program offering in response to recruitment and retention issues.
• Led care-redesign initiative to improve workflow for advance practice providers including the first Cardio Express clinic for HCS.
• Executive champion for DEI, patient experience (top quartile performance), and teammate engagement (2nd highest hospital score for HCS entities in 2023).
• Established model of care in ED that utilizes care management services from 2 local FQHCs to identify patients in need of outpatient care, follow up and appropriate use of service types.
• Covid response planning, preparedness, response and recovery efforts.
• Hospital executive lead during on-going CEO search.

Provides leadership to the strategic, operational, and financial planning process for all heart and vascular service offerings. Insures, in collaboration with physician leadership, a visionary and strategic path designed to support long-range planning and fiscal viability.

Key Contributions

Clinical Infrastructure

• Responsible for cardiovascular service line including day to day operations of cardiovascular operating rooms, hybrid operating room, invasive labs, 45 physicians, 83 advanced practice providers, 400+ ftes, 20 offices, and 7 hospitals.
• Completion of $278m NC Heart & Vascular Hospital construction project.
• Worked with physician leadership to redefine service line value across UNC Healthcare system.
• RE-engineered employment agreements to include at risk portion tied to quality initiates that aligned physician practice and organizational goals.

Quality

• Identified variation in care and impact on financials by using value stream methodology to reduce readmissions, mortality, and length of stay of NSTEMI & STEMI patients.
• Received Truven Top 50 Heart Hospital Award; Blue Distinction status; Aetna Center of Excellence, American College of Cardiology Heart Care designation; Three Star STS rating for cardiac surgery program.

Operations

• Created shared savings opportunities by integrating individual heart & vascular value analysis teams into one UNCHS team to improve purchasing power and standardization.
• Expanded onsite training programs for corporate and physician training opportunities.
• Assumed responsibility for Surgical Services in 2017 (450+ftes, 21 ORs, 6 procedure rooms, Endoscopy). Reduced staffing by 6%, increased surgeon access to block time, and revamped surgeon partnerships to improve collaborative decision-making processes.

Recruited to facilitate and support the relationship between two premier cardiology practices and Rex. Focused on cardiology trends, market forces, current market position while completing a cultural comparison of both groups to determine strategy for integration.

Key Contributions

Clinical Infrastructure

• Developed organizational structure to improve clinical performance and patient satisfaction. Recipient of 7 patient satisfaction awards with consistent satisfaction scores above 86%ile.
• Initiated redesign of inpatient and outpatient midlevel program to support 19 locations, 7 hospitals, and 32 providers resulting in improved patient access and engagement.

Quality

• Planned and implemented a quality and compliance review based on Joint Commission, Medical Mutual/ Zurich guidelines and conducted a risk assessment for each practice to improve clinical oversight and governance.
• Established a physician quality sub-committee to oversee physician practice and compliance with practice standards and regulatory agencies.

Operations

• Created 5yr strategic plan that resulted in 5% year over year margin growth for UNC Rex.
• Developed a Structural Heart Program and Heart Failure specialty clinic to improve service offering and provide advanced care.
• Developed physician outreach plan to secure new referral sources while collaborating with UNCPN and Physician Relations to maintain market share.
• Worked with executive leadership at Wilson, Wayne Memorial and Johnston Health to collaborate on care integration and invasive cardiology coverage.

Provided leadership, direction, and support for Rex Suburban Services and Urgent Care clinics within UNC Healthcare System. Planned for additional services and clinical programs to create new revenue streams. Completed financial feasibility and analysis of proposed services/ programs.

Key Contributions

Clinical Infrastructure/Quality

• Implemented shared governance in Express Care and worked to redesign care delivery. Increased clinical ladder participation from 0% to 35%.
• Re-engineered Patient Safety Rounds to improve communication and compliance in suburban locations. Dedicated resources to develop policies and guidelines, maintain standard of care, and regulatory compliance.
• Reorganized Express Care front-end practice and implemented upfront collections program in four facilities resulting in 90% increase in cash posting.
• Initiated campaign for appropriate use of Urgent Care versus Emergency services to gain insight and enhance downstream revenue.

Operations

• Oversight of suburban operations for four campuses with total net operating revenue of $48,017,000.
• Developed business case to bring retina surgical program, which has shown 2% increase in volume.
• Worked in collaboration with Physician Relations & Marketing to identify and implement mechanisms to secure new patient volume, increase market share.
• Increased patient satisfaction from 30-50% to 90% in Express Care facilities. Outpatient Surgery Winner of 5 PRC Patient Satisfaction Awards.
• Service Excellence Chair.

Responsible for development, direction, coordination, and evaluation of all Pre / Post Operative phases of Surgical Services.

Key Contributions

• Co-Management of $35million construction project including design / build of new OR / PACU / HOLDING surgical suite. Created anesthesia block program to improve operational efficiency and case capacity by 20%. Piloted PACU visitation.
• Created Quality Improvement Coordinator position to improve new coworker orientation, reduce turnover, provide continuing education, and to help manage SCIP, Magnet, and Joint Commission projects.
• Redesign patient education to include pre-call program staffed with nurses who worked from home. This program increased efficiency and compliance.
• Created Peri-operative Leadership Council to integrate practice standards, share in decision-making, and improve communication between inpatient and outpatient pre/post nursing staff.
• Completed relocation, design, and remodel of Rex Pain Management Center. Enhanced operations, improved service mix, and created sub-specialty program with Neurology increasing patient volume 5% in first year.
• Hospital lead for Surgical Services expansion project June 2013 - 12 additional state-of-the-art operating rooms.
• Champion for Cerner implementation for Surgical, Anesthesia, and Perioperative Services, Cardiology, Interventional Radiology, Endoscopy and Pain Services.
• Nominated to participate in 2yr Strategic Leadership Program.

Responsible for development, direction, coordination, and evaluation of all Pre / Post Operative phases of Surgical Services.

Key Contributions

• Re-engineered Peri-operative Planning Center to improve clinic flow, grow volume, and increase both patients and physician satisfaction by 15%.
• Worked with anesthesia to develop pre-operative block/line program for Post Anesthesia Care Unit that led to decrease of 15-30 minutes per case increasing available operating time for growth in volume. Program provided for significant physician satisfaction from both surgeons and anesthesiologists utilizing service.
• Improved patient / family experience by creating services to manage waiting rooms, provide updates as needed, and facilitate conversations between surgeons and families.

Supervised daily operations and planned strategic growth and development of pre-operative / post-operative programs.

Key Contributions

• Implemented shared governance model for all departments.
• Increased service volume to match growth of surgical program. (this was not separate bullet)
• Implemented point of service by creating one pre-op area and one discharge area to improve customer service and financial performance.
• Directed implementation of new electronic medical record and tracking system to increase department efficiency and improve care collaboration between team members.
• Initiated collaboration between surgery and inpatient clinical managers to improve the transfer of care for all patients.