Director, Care Model

Heartland Whole Health Institute is a non-profit that addresses physical, mental, emotional, and social well-being by working with health systems, employers, and communities to redesign health care delivery.

Job Description:

Job Title: Director, Care Model

Reports to: Vice President, Chief of Value-Based Initiatives

FLSA Classification: Exempt
Location: Bentonville, Arkansas (On-site)

Date Reviewed: 12/10/2025

Who We Are

Heartland Whole Health Institute (HWHI) is dedicated to transforming health care – beginning in our home of Northwest Arkansas and scaling to disrupt the national health crisis. We advocate, educate, and guide the implementation of an innovative system, rooted in whole health and the realignment of financial incentives. Our team members are collaborative, analytical, mission-driven, and working together to change the status quo.

The Institute’s 85,000-square-foot facility is located on the campus of Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art near Alice L. Walton School of Medicine.

About The Position

The Director, Care Model provides senior leadership and plays a strategic role in the development and implementation of innovative care models across both in-person and virtual platforms. The role partners closely with health systems, providers, and other stakeholders to design, refine, and operationalize scalable care pathways that support HWHI’s mission to transition health care from a fee-for-service environment to a value-based environment. This work advances improved patient outcomes, enhances care coordination, and reduces health care costs in Northwest Arkansas and beyond.

This role directly contributes to research, program development, and care model innovation to inform and advance whole health and value-based care strategies. While HWHI does not provide direct clinical care, the position requires a licensed RN with substantial experience in clinical practice, program implementation, value-based care, and cross-functional project leadership. The Director plays a critical role in translating evidence-based practices and whole health principles into actionable, system-level models that can be adopted across diverse care settings.

The Director is responsible for developing programs and formulating care pathways, as well as leading the training, guidance, and support of health systems throughout implementation. This includes a focus on high-quality, patient-centered care delivery aligned with whole health principles. The role encompasses strategic program development, cross-disciplinary training, technology and workflow integration, data-driven quality improvement, and broad stakeholder engagement in close collaboration with internal teams and external health system partners.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Value-Based Care (VBC) Program Implementation

• Lead the design, development, and implementation of value-based care (VBC) programs focused on clinical effectiveness, cost-efficiency, whole-person wellness, and positive patient outcomes.
• Develop and operationalize evidence-based care pathways, workflows, and protocols, that integrate whole health principles across clinical and virtual care settings.
• Provide strategic leadership to partner organizations adopting new care models, guiding them through readiness assessments, workflow redesign, care coordination strategies, implementation planning, and change management.
• Develop and deliver structured training, coaching, and implementation support for clinical and operational teams to ensure consistent adoption and adherence to VBC models and protocols.
• Monitor fidelity to care models, identify barriers to adoption, and support corrective action, optimization, and continuous improvement cycles.
• Serve as Care Model Lead for HWHI’s longitudinal study of a comprehensive whole health program to improve cardiometabolic disease management, including, but not limited to, contributing to research project implementation and design, supervising program partners to ensure implementation fidelity, and analyzing programmatic data against KPI metrics.

Integration of Whole Health Principles

• Serve as a key facilitator in the integration of whole health approaches to clinical care.
• Lead the integration of whole-person health concepts into clinical workflows and care delivery strategies.
• Educate and support staff, providers, and care teams in applying chronic disease prevention and reversal models aligned with whole-person care.
• Train health systems to promote coordination between patients, families, providers, and community partners to ensure comprehensive care planning.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI)

• Establish KPI frameworks, performance measures, and evaluation criteria to assess care model effectiveness, implementation fidelity, and clinical and operational outcomes.
• Monitor key clinical and operational metrics and collaborate on the development, refinement, and use of performance dashboards and reporting tools to support data-driven decision-making.
• Analyze trends and synthesize insights to identify opportunities for care redesign, workflow optimization, and performance improvement.
• Conduct periodic audits of clinical and operational workflows to ensure fidelity, effectiveness, alignment with value-based care and whole health principles.
• Implement evidence-based strategies to enhance care design, quality, efficiency, value, and performance optimization across all care model initiatives.
• Prepare executive-level briefings, program updates, and data-driven reports for internal and external audiences.

Stakeholder Engagement and Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Serve as the primary liaison for value-based care initiatives across clinical, technical, operational, and business domains, ensuring clear communication, alignment of expectations, and high-quality, targeted deliverables.
• Ensure consistent, ongoing communication and alignment among partners involved in care model design, implementation, and evaluation.
• Represent the value-based initiatives department in relevant internal meetings and external engagements.
• Foster strong relationships with clinical leadership, operational teams, and external stakeholders to support model adoption and sustainability.

Team Leadership

• Lead, coach, and develop a multidisciplinary, high-performing team fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, collaboration, and growth.
• Promote continuous improvement, professional development, and collaboration within your team to drive results and support organization priorities.
• Support recruitment, onboarding, and training of new team members to ensure alignment with organization standards and practices.
• Monitor and manage team performance, addressing attendance, conduct, or productivity issues promptly and professionally.
• Encourage employee engagement and morale through recognition and open communication practices.
• Perform other duties and responsibilities as assigned to support evolving organizational needs.

Qualifications and Requirements

• Active Registered Nurse (RN) licensure required; Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required. Master’s degree in Health Administration (MHA), Nursing (MSN), Public Health (MPH), Business Administration (MBA), or related field preferred.
• 7–9+ years of experience in clinical healthcare settings, including ambulatory, inpatient, or integrated care environments.
• 5–7+ years of progressive leadership experience in virtual health, care management, care coordination, value-based care, population health, or clinical program development within healthcare or complex multi-partner environments.
• Demonstrated expertise in developing, implementing, or optimizing clinical care models, care pathways, or workflow redesign initiatives.
• Knowledge of quality measures, value-based payment models, HEIDS/NCQA frameworks, chronic disease management strategies, and care coordination best practices preferred.
• Experience with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems and telehealth platforms. Epic certification preferred.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.
• Experience as a HEDIS Nurse or Research Nurse preferred; Certified Clinical Research Coordinator (CCRC) or Certified Clinical Research Associate (CCRA) certification is a plus.
• Proven leadership abilities with a strong track record of managing cross-functional teams and overseeing multi-stakeholder initiatives.
• Proven ability to cultivate, influence, and sustain collaborative relationships with clinical, operational, and executive stakeholders.
• Demonstrated analytical and data interpretation skills, with the ability to translate complex clinical and operational information into actionable recommendations.
• Strong strategic thinking paired with operational discipline, exceptional organizational skills, attention to detail, and change management expertise.
• Skilled communicator with excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills, including the ability to translate clinical information for diverse audiences.
• Demonstrated financial acumen and resource management expertise.
• High level of professional integrity and the ability to handle sensitive issues and situations with utmost discretion.
• Natural problem solver with a creative, inquisitive, and open-minded approach, able to apply innovative thinking to complex challenges.
• Highly proficient in Microsoft Office Suite and virtual meeting platforms.
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively within a multidisciplinary team.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and innovative environment where change is constant.

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Physical demands: In the work environment described, position requires sitting at a desk and utilizing a computer and a telephone for prolonged periods of time and good eye/hand coordination, bending and stretching, and physical stamina to lift and transport a minimum of 10 pounds. Visual acuity to review written materials is required for this job.

Work environment: Work is performed full-time (Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.) in a professional, climate-controlled office environment with standard office equipment, including computers, printers, and telephones. This role requires working in an open setting near colleagues. The noise level is typically low to moderate. The role also requires interaction with both the public and internal team members in a professional and courteous manner. A flexible schedule may be necessary to accommodate business needs, including occasional evening and weekend hours. This position may also require up to 30% travel for the implementation and optimization of virtual care platforms.  

Heartland Whole Health Institute is an equal opportunity employer committed to building and maintaining a workplace that is free of discrimination and harassment of any kind. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, or any other status protected by the laws or regulations in the locations where we operate.

All offers of employment are contingent on your successful completion (where permitted by state law) of a confidentiality agreement and a background check. In addition, you will need to provide proper identification verifying your eligibility to work in the United States.