The Health System Specialist-Facility Telehealth Coordinator position is located at Buffalo, NY VAMC. The incumbent is responsible for overall planning, coordination, implementation, management and evaluation of clinical applications of telehealth with the facility, emphasis on improving access to Veterans. The incumbent integrates telehealth program planning within facility operations as a whole to ensure goals and priorities are complimentary and aligned with the overall Telehealth Program.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: He/she organizes and facilitates the facility Telehealth Oversight Committee as well as other committees and task forces as assigned. The incumbent provides leadership and expertise to committees, study groups, and project assignments; developing data, forming plans, and preparing position papers that impact on planning for Telehealth as a whole. He/she makes recommendations that have a direct and substantial effect on care site operations and ultimately on the Veteran population served. Cooperating with the VISN Rural Health Planner and Telehealth Manager, incumbent engages in outreach planning and activities, including work with potential non-VA community partners in an effort to improve Veterans' access to healthcare services via telehealth initiatives and programming. In collaboration with the VISN Telehealth Office, incumbent maintains linkages and effective communications with the Telehealth national training centers for Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT), Store and Forward (SF), and Home Telehealth (HT) to ensure facility staff has received appropriate telehealth training. Assures that telehealth program staff have the educational background, experience, training and/or certification consistent with the program's mission, goals and objectives, and with the Functional Statement/Position Descriptions developed for the program. Establishes processes, principles and policies for the development, implementation, operation, management and oversight of telehealth programs at the facility. Ensures functional linkages across the telehealth continuum, (i.e. HT, CVT, and SF) with regard to the various telehealth clinical applications, including but not limited to tele-mental health, tele-retinal imaging, tele-dermatology, telesurgery, home telehealth, tele-pharmacy, tele-rehabilitation, tele-patient education, and tele-endocrinology. Advocates for telehealth program needs at the facility to achieve maximum fulfillment of telehealth program goals and objectives. Responsible for developing and maintaining the telehealth program mission and scope. Ensures that telehealth programs have a facility-wide emergency and disaster contingency plan developed and in place, which incorporates national, network and local standards. Develops, implements, and maintains processes and mechanisms for scheduling telehealth clinic resources. Ensures that all telehealth clinics are authorized, use proper DSS coding, and are named in compliance with network clinic telehealth naming conventions. Consistently monitors utilization, fiscal impact, challenges, and outcomes of Telehealth applications, shares and disseminates information for continual quality improvement. Seeks opportunities for appropriate program expansion, including external support and resources where indicated. Develops and proposes an annual telehealth program budget in coordination with facility leadership and the VISN Telehealth Program office. Develops a specific data collection and analysis strategy for all aspects of telehealth program evaluation, including clinical, fiscal, and satisfaction criteria for both clinicians and patients. The incumbent provides leadership in evaluation, implementation and management of all clinical telehealth technologies. Communicates and collaborates with VISN Telehealth Technology Advisory Group, the Office of Information and Technology and other technical staff in the development, implementation and operation of telehealth applications with regard to technology and connectivity, which includes wide area network (WAN); local area network (LAN); and bandwidth issues. Actively stays abreast of professional and technical developments in the telehealth field and of current research on value of new technological approaches, and communicates relevant information to all involved parties. Assures that telehealth programs utilize approved processes for the acquisition, distribution and tracking of telehealth technologies and equipment and that clinical practice guidelines link with prosthetics for inventory and purchase of CVT, HT and SF technologies. Serves as a technical telehealth consultant for all aspects of facility telehealth use, including facilitating telehealth staff training, pilot testing and implementing new long distance care models, and multi-site coordination and problem resolution. Performs other related duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm Telework: Ad-Hoc Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist (Facility Telehealth Coordinator)/PD09169-O 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, 07/19/2024. 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. Individual Occupational Requirement: An IOR is a basic requirement that must be met in order to qualify for entry into this job series, and it is something that can't be waived. The education must be accredited by an accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education at the time the degree was obtained. To qualify for the GS 0671 occupational series, applicants MUST possess one of the following: 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. -OR- SPECIALIZED EXPERIENCE: Specialized experience that is progressively responsible for analytical or administrative, or clinical management, or supervisory experience in the health care field performed in an operating health care facility or a higher organizational echelon with advisory or directional authority over such facilities with close working relationships with facility managers and analysis/coordination of administrative, clinical, or other service activities which provided knowledge in the following areas: 1) Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; 2) Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and 3) Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. -OR- SPECIAL PROVISION FOR INSERVICE 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- In addition to meeting the Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR) as listed above, applicants must also meet the Specialized Experience that is directly related to that of the position. 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: Knowledge of a wide range of concepts, principles, and practices in the telehealth area to support the organization's telehealth program. Skill in applying the development of new methods, approaches, or procedures in the coordination of telehealth projects and/or programs. Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, to make presentations, explain recommendations and represent the agency. Knowledge of applying complex fact-finding analysis and problem solving sufficient to analyze and evaluate complex programs or issues, identify system problems, develop and/or interpret existing program policy, provide formal and informal assistance and advice to leadership. Thorough knowledge of the mission, organization, and program requirements in healthcare delivery systems to provide consultation to executive, service line, and program leadership. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementCommunicationConfiguration ManagementDatabase Management SystemsTechnical Competence 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 travel is required. No other special physical demands are required of this work. 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.

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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA Western New York Healthcare System 3495 Bailey Avenue Buffalo, NY 14215 US
• Name: Yviana Martinez
• Email: [email protected]