This Health System Specialist position is intended perform assigned work of analyzing the operations of a healthcare delivery system in support of the facility Health System Specialist (Group Practice Manager). The organizational title used is Associate Group Practice Manager. It is located within a Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Medical Center (VAMC) at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Duties

The primary purpose of the position is to provide assistance and support to the ACOD/GPM and to all ambulatory care services in the facility and related Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) as it relates to access to care as applicable. The incumbent is responsible for Primary Care, Mental Health, Surgery, Medicine, or Ancillary ambulatory clinics oversight. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provides access related consultative services, working in collaboration with facility Service Lines, to review and develop guidance and policies that will facilitate standardized processes within the facility and applicable CBOCs, etc. Review and provide input on regulations and policies for local interpretation, utilizing local group practice management and communication strategies. Works as part of an inhouse team to ensure a wide range of local factors are considered in the application of national policies and procedures. May be called upon to collaborate with staff from other facilities and to work on higher level project groups to review and make recommendations for facility and/or VISN level policies, procedures, systems, requirements, documents, and business or access analysis initiatives. Reviews and evaluates assigned processes and procedures to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement for proposal through local GPM group and supervisor. Reports to supervisor and access leadership in the facility, as assigned. incorporates best practices to help improve patient access to care and that standards are met within assigned services. Works with Veteran Experience Officers within the local facility to evaluate patient and family concerns regarding the access to services needed. Aligns efforts with national and local requirements. Assists supervisor in coordinating efforts to ensure patient concerns are received, evaluated, and addressed in a timely and effective manner by the appropriate subject matter experts. Provides accurate data to ensure that processes and procedures developed are appropriately supported. Assists in the evaluation of outpatient care patient feedback for access and quality measures at the facility. Utilizes an analytics system for the collection and analysis of outpatient care patient feedback for access and quality measures. Evaluates and recommends changes for continuous process improvement. Collaborates with the Veterans Experience, clinic management, scheduling, and analytic groups. Utilizes advanced principles and strategies for access improvement to review and provide recommendations to Clinical Leads (CLs), including identifying strategies to reduce backlog. Monitors existing or emerging workflow issues; monitors consult management issues and provide guidance to CLs and Administrative Leads (ALs) when required. Monitors Information Technology (IT) usage and issues and provide information or assistance to CLs as needed. Works with local personnel to integrate data analytics and measures with continuous process improvement utilizing LEAN, Six Sigma, and other improvement methodologies to meet and sustain ambulatory care goals and objectives. Collects and analyzes/reports trended data sets; makes recommendations to assist in the allocation of resources. Assists clinic managers in identifying causal interrelationships between the various aspects of ambulatory care and its impact on clinical operations in order to achieve and sustain quality, safe, efficient, and effective ambulatory care. Participates in sustainment and continuous improvement plans with assigned team. Presents continuous improvement recommendations to supervisor. Analyzes and interprets complex data; researches and prepares comprehensive reports. Assists clinic managers in forecasting the impact of staff changes and developing countermeasures to mitigate the effect of staff shortages on access to care. Makes recommendations to managers regarding allocation of resources, including potential use of community care options. Monitors, and makes recommendations to adjust plans to effectively and cost-efficiently accomplish the mission within budgetary constraints. Performs cost analysis and cost effectiveness studies in order to determine make/buy decisions to address gaps. Provides administrative program advice for ambulatory care clinical support services. This may include interpreting policies, making recommendations for local policies, assisting managers in defining administrative requirements, and/or providing advice to higher level leadership on related issues. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Available - Will be authorized 2 days per period with management approval. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/HA674-00471-A Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: 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, 12/22/2023. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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 first must meet the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) and qualify based on your experience described below: Individual Occupational Requirement - Education: Undergraduate and Graduate Education: Major study -- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. (TRANSCRIPT REQUIRED) OR Specialized Experience: Possess progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field. This work may have been performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities. Work must have involved a close working relationship with facility managers and analysis and/or coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities, and provided knowledge of the following: Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR Special Provision for In-service Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may be substituted for qualifying experience, provided it included a formal individualized training plan. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements. Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. AND 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-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Provides data, reports, and assistance to management in development of strategic plans for the facility as it relates to access to care; Measures and provides recommendations with an emphasis on improving clinical product line performance; Reviews and evaluates assigned processes and procedures to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement for proposal; Incorporates best practices to help improve patient access to care and that standards are met within assigned services; Monitors existing or emerging workflow issues; Monitors consult management issues and provide guidance when required; Collects and analyzes/reports; Makes recommendations to assist in the allocation of resources; Evaluates and monitors administrative activities and substantive recommendations for program improvements.. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or, 3 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree; or, LL.M., if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analytical Thinking Organizational Awareness Change Management Strategic Thinking Communication 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: The work is sedentary. Some work may require movement between offices, hospitals, warehouses, and similar areas for meetings and to conduct work. Work may also require walking/standing, in conjunctions with travel to and attendance at meetings and/or conferences away from the work site. Incumbent may carry and lift light items weighing less than 15 pounds. 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.

NOTE: If your school has changed names, or is no longer in existence, you must provide this information in your application.

Contacts

• Address VA Central Texas Health Care System 1901 Veterans Memorial Drive Temple, TX 76504 US
• Name: VISN 17 SSU USAS Group
• Email: [email protected]