This position is located at the Eastern Kansas VA Medical Center serving as the Facility Lead Patient Advocate. This position is a key point of contact for patients and staff and to work in collaboration with facility Patient Advocates on complex issues or complaints where use of tact, diplomacy, sound judgment, compassion, flexibility, and a good sense of humor are extremely important.

Duties

Patient Advocacy within VA exists to ensure patient concerns are heard and addressed to improve the overall experience and quality of care for patients. Effective, high-functioning Patient Advocacy is integral to fulfilling the goal of providing Veterans with world-class health care. Major duties and responsibilities include: Team Lead, Data Management and Process Improvement Leads the team and provides the day-to-day work direction, review, and distribution, balance, and adjustment of workload Monitors and reports on the progress of the team's work and provides updates to the supervisor Coaches and develops the team using appropriate tools and techniques to address a variety of issues and situations Oversees general administrative issues regarding subordinates' leave, scheduling, appointments, etc. Provides the team formal and informal training information related to patient advocacy service, customer service, techniques, and resources needed to educate themselves Provides higher-level data management and analysis function for the Patient Advocate team Develops and maintains organizational dashboards and data sets Regularly produces cumulative reports which includes a categorization of patient inquiries to track and trend the patterns to identify opportunities for improvement Complaint Resolution Leads and oversees the facility Veteran Centered Complaint Resolution (VCCR) process, including complaint resolution, data capture, and analysis of issues/complaints to make system improvements Works in collaboration with Patient Advocates, Service-Level Advocates (SLAs), and front-line staff to resolve complex issues that occur at the point of service or due to further investigation of the problem(s) Addresses complaints and proactively explores all avenues to identify the nature and scope of the problems and initiates appropriate action to expedite resolutions Patient Advocate Representation and Relationship Management Serves as the liaison between the facility, patients, staff, and the community, ensuring Patients understand their rights, in addition to, their responsibilities Determines causes of patient dissatisfaction, misinformation, or complaints and documents patient encounters and contacts appropriate services to establish resolutions Leads and ensures that rounds throughout the facility are conducted on a routine basis to solicit patient feedback and build strong relationships with SLAs and service leadership. Leads staff in responding to patients' inquiries through multiple VA approved forms of contact (e.g., Inquiry Routing and Information System (IRIS), My HealtheVet, Secure Messaging, E-mail, Phone, Walk-in, Town Halls, etc.), where patients pose questions, complaints, compliments, and suggestions. Work Schedule: Full time, Monday thru Friday Compressed/Flexible: May be authorized by supervisor Telework: Adhoc only Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Lead Patient Representative/PD99734-S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

• You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• You may be required to serve a probationary period
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details.

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 08/07/2023 Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to...thorough knowledge of Federal Laws, VA regulations and directives governing medical benefits for veterans; facility policies, procedures and organizational structure; medical terminology; services available; capabilities of clinics; and must be aware of changes which affect veteran's benefits; knowledge of complex policies of various agencies and organizations; Knowledge of the policies, patterns, and practices of regulated entities as they relate to the compliance programs of the various internal and external regulatory bodies; possess knowledge of the duties, priorities, commitments and program goals of both administration and clinical services in order to respond to concerns expressed by patients and their families relative to the healthcare services; knowledgeable about the patient's rights, the patient's wishes and the administrative process involved in addressing patient concerns and must have the knowledge and skills to discuss and negotiate with families and help determine what is in the best interest of the patient; must possess a a high degree of skill in oral and written communication as well as interpersonal relations; must possess skill in interviewing and knowledge of the process of inquiry, knowledge of counseling principles and record keeping techniques; utilization of analytical ability is required in reviewing policies, identifying existing problems and potential problem areas and suggesting solutions or alternatives to existing procedures which may contribute to those problems; knowledgeable about the current requirements of the Joint Commission which relate to patient rights, advance directives, living wills and other issues relating to patient rights and medical ethics; must possess tact, good judgment, empathy, flexibility, and a good sense of humor to work with the diversity of patients, family and staff and the complexity and sensitivity of issues which have the potential of controversy or legal action; able to comprehend and explain numerous government laws, directives and policies is required in order to provide information to individuals representing a myriad of educational and cultural backgrounds; must understand the extensive and complicated operations of the medical center and the specific treatment teams to recognize any discrepancies or inconsistencies which exist in the information provided by staff, patients or patients' families; and knowledge and ability are necessary to conduct reviews and inquiries in the routine daily encounters with patients, family members, staff members and external organizations who intercede on behalf of patients. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Problem Solving Conflict Management Organizational Awareness Customer Service Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: Work is moderately sedentary, although considerably variable. It requires a fair amount of standing, sometimes for long periods, walking, climbing stairs, and bending. Work may require some heavy to moderate lifting, transporting of materials, equipment and supplies for special events and other programs. Due to the diverse nature and scope of the work, it may require occasionally working in extreme temperatures (hot or cold).For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/.

Education

There is no educational substitution at this grade level.

Contacts

• Address VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System 2200 SW Gage Blvd Topeka, KS 66622 US
• Name: Cindy Bruns
• Phone: 775-326-5760
• Email: [email protected]