Director, Therapy Services (Salaried, Full time)

Organization Overview, Mission, Vision, and Values

Our mission is to improve the health of people in the communities we serve through compassionate, high-quality care, prevention, and wellness education. Washington Regional Medical System is a community-owned, locally governed, non-profit health care system located in Northwest Arkansas in the heart of Fayetteville, which is consistently ranked among the Best Places to live in the country. Our 425-bed medical center has been named the #1 hospital in Arkansas for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. We employ 3,200+ team members and serve the region with over 40 clinic locations, the region’s only Level II trauma center, and five Centers of Excellence - the Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute; Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute; Washington Regional Women and Infants Center; Washington Regional Total Joint Center; and Washington Regional Pat Walker Center for Seniors.

Position Summary

The Director of Therapy Services provides operational, clinical, and strategic leadership for respiratory therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and EKG services across assigned inpatient, outpatient, and ambulatory settings. Reporting to the Associate Vice President, the Director is responsible for organizing, planning, directing, and evaluating day-to-day operations while advancing patient safety, clinical quality, patient experience, access, throughput, interdisciplinary coordination, and financial performance. The Director leads and supports therapy services leaders and team members and partners closely with physicians, nursing leadership, ancillary departments, and interdisciplinary teams to deliver high-quality, evidence-based care and achieve organizational goals.

This position shares responsibility for ensuring compliance with applicable federal and state regulations, professional practice standards, licensure requirements, documentation standards, billing and reimbursement requirements, and accreditation standards relevant to therapy services. The Director is accountable for departmental budgets, productivity, staffing, clinical competencies, equipment planning, and strategic initiatives in accordance with System policies and directives of senior leadership. In collaboration with Hospital and System leaders, the Director drives operational excellence through evidence-based practice, data-informed decision-making, interdisciplinary collaboration, and disciplined performance improvement.

Essential Responsibilities

Provide operational and clinical leadership for respiratory therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and EKG services, ensuring safe, efficient, patient-centered care and alignment with System priorities.
Lead, coach, and develop therapy services leaders and team members; establish clear expectations, goals, and performance indicators for quality, safety, access, patient experience, productivity, and financial performance.
Promote a culture of high reliability, accountability, collaboration, professional practice, and continuous improvement; model expected leadership behaviors and Washington Regional values.
Develop, standardize, and evaluate therapy services workflows, care delivery models, documentation practices, competencies, and clinical protocols to reduce variation and improve outcomes.
Partner with physicians, nursing leadership, case management, quality, ancillary services, and interdisciplinary teams to support appropriate therapy consults, care transitions, discharge planning, patient flow, and continuity of care.
Ensure regulatory readiness and sustained compliance with applicable licensure, certification, scope-of-practice, documentation, billing, infection prevention, safety, and accreditation requirements.
Oversee financial stewardship for therapy services, including budget development, labor management, productivity, charge capture, supply and equipment expense, contract services, and capital planning.
Lead workforce planning and talent strategies, including recruitment, retention, onboarding, competency validation, professional development, succession planning, and appropriate staffing models for therapy services.
Monitor and report key performance metrics, including patient volumes, productivity, outcomes, documentation timeliness, patient satisfaction, referral patterns, denials, and financial performance; implement improvement plans as needed.
Support optimization and adoption of Epic and other clinical systems to improve scheduling, documentation, reporting, charge capture, interdisciplinary communication, and operational performance.
Lead change management efforts across therapy services, including communication planning, stakeholder engagement, staff education, and sustainment of new workflows, standards, and service expansion initiatives.
Maintain professional knowledge of therapy services trends, regulatory changes, reimbursement requirements, and best practices; represent Washington Regional in professional and community forums as assigned.

Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree in respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, healthcare administration, business administration, or a related clinical field, required. Master’s degree in a relevant clinical or administrative field, preferred.
Licensure / Certifications: Current applicable Arkansas clinical license or credential in respiratory therapy, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or speech-language pathology, required. Relevant professional certification, advanced credential, or leadership certification, preferred.
Experience & Skills: Minimum of five (5) years of progressive leadership experience in therapy services, rehabilitation, respiratory care, or a related hospital or health system setting, required. Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams and improving quality, patient safety, patient experience, access, productivity, and financial performance. Working knowledge of therapy services regulations, accreditation standards, documentation requirements, billing practices, and clinical operations. Strong ability to lead change, communicate effectively, develop leaders, collaborate with physicians and interdisciplinary partners, and use clinical and operational data to guide performance improvement.

Work Environment: This position will spend time working in standard office, clinical, inpatient, outpatient, and therapy care environments, including routine leadership rounding in assigned departments. Work involves extended periods of sitting or standing, frequent walking in clinical areas, and occasional lifting or assisting with equipment or patient-care related activities consistent with operational needs. Evening or weekend hours may be required based on staffing, patient care needs, critical events, regulatory readiness activities, or service line priorities.