The Program Specialist is a member of Care in the Community Service, and falls under the Chief of Service with responsibilities for managing data elements that contribute to access to care and critical business office functions; maintaining comprehensive scheduling metrics; provide administrative support to CITC and VISN leadership; assists scheduling supervisors with performance and access data and resolves utilization and access issues by coordinating with multidisciplinary teams.

Duties

Duties of the Program Specialist may include but are not limited to the following: Serves as advisor to facility management on the effectiveness and efficiency of the Salt Lake City VAMC business operations related to the work performed in Care in the Community. Serves as a subject matter expert on all business office policies and practices to include scheduling, pre-registration, insurance capture, electronic waiting lists, recall lists, Vista Menu and Options and other functions. Creates custom reports using a variety of software programs(Vista, SQL, Excel and other software programs) in order to provide pertinent information to management. Prepares reports, makes recommendations and performs periodic briefings on effectiveness and efficiency of current business office operations. Collaborates with clinic access coordinators, Section/Service Chiefs, Administrative Officers and other personnel to oversee outpatient clinical access. Routinely analyzes workload for assigned areas and makes efficiency recommendations to appropriate parties. Creates, analyzes and uses a variety of reports in order to make recommendations for process improvements. Maintains comprehensive reports on business office metrics and updates leadership regularly. Conducts projects and coordinates activities assigned and initiates projects independently without being directed to do so. Performs weekly audits and monthly site assessments for scheduling and business office compliance for all CITC and non-CITC areas. Coordinates with Chief of Service and CITC Leadership Team to perform detailed analysis and audits of business office practices. Prepares detailed recommendations to correct deficiencies and follows up to ensure compliance. Reports to CITC leadership and prepares semiannual detailed access reviews of all assigned areas. Updates SharePoint site with all audit and report findings and recommendations. Prepares documented reports of findings to facility leadership, the VISN and VACO. Recommends administrative methods and procedures for inclusion in service and medical center policy. Incumbent consults with management at all levels when reviewing or analyzing operations interrelated with other services. The incumbent will assist, coordinate, create or advise in the development of new programs and policies. This includes the responsibility for identifying problems with existing programs or policies, suggesting new programs or policies, and implementing those suggestions as assigned. Serves as business office training coordinator for assigned areas. Formulates and directs training orientation and training of scheduling employees to ensure adequately trained staff. Ensures that scheduling staff members receive the required mandatory and continuing education/training, annually. Works closely with training technicians from from the VISN and CITC Trainer to coordinate training for current scheduling staff and supervisors. Ensures training is conducted sufficiently and appropriately. Creates, updates and removes content on sites as necessary and appropriate. Serves on hospital committees in varying capacities, including chairperson, participant, and/or Section/Service Chief's representative. Incumbent will represent CITC on the matters being considered, provide information back to the Service and implement as necessary. Work Schedule: 8:00am - 4:30pm Monday - Friday Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Specialist/PD135560 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/18/2023. 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-9 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-7. 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: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-7 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Knowledge of the VA policies and directives, management theories and principles including administrative practices and procedures to effectively collaborate with physicians/medical staff, managers, administrators, VISN staff and internal and external stakeholders to gather information/data; research, analyze, validate data and develop reports for the VISN and local management meetings. Knowledge of a wide range of qualitative and quantitative methods to develop, analyze and manage business office programs. Must have knowledge of management principles, organizational theory, and standardized administrative principles to conduct studies, evaluate organizational effectiveness, and compliance with accepted business office functions. Incumbent must have knowledge of analytical and evaluative methods, with the ability to apply quantitative and qualitative techniques to measure productivity, effectiveness, and efficiency of administrative and technical programs within the organization. Knowledge of organizational programs, missions, and functions as well as its goals and objectives; sufficient to analyze business office programs, methods, and procedures, offering recommendations to improve the effectiveness of programs and processes. Incumbent must have the ability to research pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents which impact the programs administered within the organization, to enable recognition of problems both potential and existing, and evaluate to determine cause and formulate solutions. Ability to uses a wide range of computer software programs (Vista, MS Office, SQL, etc…) to retrieve, analyze and report findings. Incumbent will have skill in preparing and articulating findings and recommendations in written reports and presenting oral briefings.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Must possess a Masters or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have a combination of specialized experience and education beyond the requirements needed of the GS-7. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and Management Analysis and Problem Solving Communications 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 primarily sedentary, although some slight physical effort may be required. Manual dexterity is required in operation of a computer and all other communication and office machines. This position necessitates a mobility factor involving, for observation and problem solving, physically visiting numerous on-site locations or services, as well as off-site locations to facilitate access, ensure business office compliance and delivery of Veterans healthcare benefits. 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

A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education.

Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ous/international/usnei/us/edlite-visitus-forrecog.html.

Contacts

• Address VA SALT LAKE CITY HCS 500 Foothill Drive Salt Lake City, UT 84148 US
• Name: Casey Jones
• Phone: (303) 202-8651
• Email: [email protected]