The New Jersey VA Healthcare system is currently recruiting for 1 Health Systems Specialist (Associate Group Practice Manager) for the East Orange campus within the office of the Chief of Staff. This position reports to the Ambulatory Care Operations Director (ACOD) / Group Practice Manager (GPM). 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).

Duties

This developmental position composes a career ladder structure that will target to the full performance level position described above. The incumbent generally performs the duties as outlined in the full performance level position but will do so under modified circumstances and increased supervision. Major Duties and Responsibilities Program Responsibilities Provides access related consultative services, working in collaboration with facility Service Lines, to review and develop guidance and policies. Review and provide input on regulations and policies for local interpretation. Reviews and evaluates assigned processes and procedures to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement. Incorporates best practices to help improve patient access to care and that standards are met within assigned services. Promotes established system-wide training plans to optimize local use. Proposes improvements to supervisor regarding national training curriculum for onboarding and sustainment activities. Veteran Experience Responsibilities 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. 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. Evaluates and recommends changes for continuous process improvement. Implements process improvement and training opportunities. Follows benchmarks and established processes for taking corrective actions on decreasing/low scores in Veterans/Staff experience data. Promotes consistent communication plans with clinic teams relating to the plan of action. Project Administration Incumbent 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 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 Assists clinic managers in identifying causal interrelationships between the various aspects of ambulatory care. Participates in sustainment and continuous improvement plans with assigned team. Analyzes and interprets complex data; researches and prepares comprehensive reports. Ensures record management guidelines are adhered to in the clinic setting. Provides recommendations on facility improvements including construction, renovation, space utilization and purchase of equipment, as assigned. Advises departments associated with the allocation of fiscal, personnel, equipment, and space resources. Budget Guidance Assists clinic managers in forecasting the impact of staff changes and developing countermeasures. 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 to determine make/buy decisions to address gaps. Works closely with clinic managers to formulate budget recommendations for all outpatient clinical services. Identifies the most resource-effective procedures and product lines, determining which are provided internally or externally. Analyzes the financial impact of proposed policies and recommends options. Office Program Planning Work Provides administrative program advice service department. Evaluates and monitors administrative activities and make substantive recommendations for program improvements. Performs other duties, as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee (GS-11) may be promoted to the full performance level (GS-12) without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 7:30am-4:00pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for adhoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: PDS0022A

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/01/2024. 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-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. AND Individual Occupational Requirement (IOR): The 0671 series requires specific education or experience to be met in order to be appointed into a position of this series. You must meet one of the pre-determined Education or Experience Individual Occupational Requirements listed below as set by Office of Personnel Management (OPM). 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. Note: If you are basing part of your qualifications on education, a transcript must be submitted with your application. OR, Specialized Experience: 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. In addition to the Time in Grade and IOR requirement listed above, you must also qualify based on your experience/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: Comprehensive knowledge of a wide range of qualitative/quantitative, as well as, analytical/evaluative methods for development and management of a major administrative program for the assessment and improvement of program effectiveness or the improvement of complex management processes and systems; Knowledge of the range of national administrative laws, policies, regulations, and precedents applicable to the administration of one or more important public programs; Skill in a wide variety of computer and data management packages; Skill sufficient to plan, organize, and lead teams to accept and implement recommendations where conflicting goals may exist; Knowledge of Federal government policies, regulations, and trends in the areas of management systems, as well as an understanding of the public and private sector trends in health care; Ability to apply the above knowledge and understanding of goals and requirements for delivery of effective, high quality ambulatory care services that meet or exceed all applicable requirements and standards in order to respond appropriately when serving on committees and as a liaison to a variety of services. OR, Education (Transcripts required): Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or 3 full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have equivalent combinations of successfully completed graduate level education (in excess of the first two graduate years or 36 semester hours) and specialized experience to meet total experience requirements. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Administration and ManagementBudget AdministrationCommunicationsCustomer ServiceData Management 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: Performance of the incumbent's duties may require extensive walking per day to meet with the facility managers and other clinic personnel. Trips to satellite outpatient clinics are sometimes necessary and will involve transportation via automotive vehicle. The work performed is of a precise nature requiring long periods of concentration that is often interrupted. Incumbent is often faced with changing priorities and with meeting deadlines. Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. The employee's work may require occasional travel. 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: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/.

Contacts

• Address VA New Jersey Health Care System 385 Tremont Avenue East Orange, NJ 07018 US
• Name: Kelli Bencic
• Phone: 716-458-6982
• Email: [email protected]