Physician Advisor

UConn John Dempsey Hospital has exclusively retained AMN Healthcare to lead the national search for a Physician Advisor.

UConn John Dempsey Hospital, the principal teaching hospital of the University of Connecticut Medical School and a 234-bed academic medical center within UConn Health, plays a vital role in advancing high-quality patient care, medical education, research, and innovation across Connecticut. Located in Farmington, the hospital provides a broad range of inpatient and outpatient services and serves as an important regional center for complex and specialized care.

Reporting directly to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) or designee, the Physician Advisor (PA) will provide clinical leadership and expertise in utilization management, care progression, clinical documentation integrity, denial management, regulatory compliance, and resource stewardship. As a key physician partner to hospital leadership, the PA will help ensure appropriate levels of care, quality patient outcomes, effective resource utilization, and compliance with regulatory and payer requirements.

The Physician Advisor will collaborate closely with the Chief Executive Officer, Chief Medical Officer, Case Management, Clinical Documentation Integrity, medical staff, and multidisciplinary care teams. The role will provide guidance regarding medical necessity, level of care, length of stay, avoidable and non-covered days, appropriate utilization, clinical documentation, coding requirements, payer expectations, and transitions across the continuum of care. The PA will also conduct clinical reviews, support denial appeals and peer-to-peer reviews and participate in the review of prolonged-stay patients.

The successful candidate will bring a strong understanding of InterQual, Milliman, or comparable utilization criteria, as well as federal and state regulations, payer requirements, utilization management, care progression, denial management, and clinical documentation integrity.

This leader will demonstrate a record of partnering with physicians and multidisciplinary teams to improve appropriate utilization, clinical documentation, care progression, denial outcomes, and regulatory compliance. Experience educating physicians and clinicians regarding level of care, coding and documentation requirements, severity of illness, acuity, risk of mortality, and DRG assignment is highly valued. Experience in a complex acute-care, academic, teaching, public, safety-net, or mission-driven hospital environment is preferred.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree required, with an active, unrestricted medical license eligible for practice in the applicable state.
• Board certification in a clinical specialty required or strongly preferred, with active medical staff privileges or eligibility for privileges within the organization.
• Demonstrated physician leadership experience in a hospital or health system, with experience in utilization management, care management, clinical documentation integrity, denial management, quality, or related areas.
• Strong knowledge of InterQual, Milliman, or other evidence-based utilization management criteria.
• Significant knowledge of utilization management, care progression, length-of-stay management, appropriate resource utilization, and denial management.
• Considerable knowledge of clinical documentation integrity, ICD coding principles, severity of illness, acuity, risk of mortality, and DRG assignment.
• Strong understanding of federal and state healthcare regulations, Medicare requirements, payer policies, and contractual requirements.
• Experience with payer appeals, including peer-to-peer reviews, denial prevention, and resolution of medical necessity disputes.
• Demonstrated ability to educate and influence physicians and multidisciplinary teams regarding level of care, documentation, coding, utilization, and regulatory requirements.

John Dempsey Hospital is an integral part of UConn Health, an academic medical center that brings together clinical care, education, and research. The hospital provides care across a wide range of specialties and serves as an important clinical setting for the education and training of physicians and other healthcare professionals. UConn Health's academic mission and connection to the University of Connecticut position John Dempsey at the intersection of patient care, medical education, and clinical research.

UConn John Dempsey Hospital has demonstrated a sustained commitment to quality and patient safety. The hospital has received 11 consecutive "A" grades for patient safety from The Leapfrog Group, with its most recent survey submitted in June 2026. The hospital's current Leapfrog profile also recognizes its teaching-hospital status and highlights strong performance across numerous patient-safety and clinical-quality measures.

Nominations and referrals, as well as resumes from interested candidates, may be sent to:

Mick Ruel, Principal

AMN Leadership Solutions

Executive and Physician Leadership Search

Email: Mick.ruel@AMNHealthcare.com

Cary Sullivan, Senior Consultant

AMN Leadership Solutions

Executive and Physician Leadership Search

Email: Cary.sullivan@AMNHealthcare.com

Hisham Siddiqi, Consultant

AMN Leadership Solutions

Executive and Physician Leadership Search

Email: Hisham.siddiqi@AMNHealthcare.com