This position provides leadership and direction to assigned functions at the VISN and facility levels, including Health Informatics Specialists/Clinical Applications Coordinators, nursing informaticians, system project managers, and automated data processing and analytics staff. The focus of this position is to optimize effectiveness of patient care delivery and systems management in support of the VHA mission and goals.

Duties

As the resident expert in clinical informatics and health IT, the CHIO serves as the primary advisor to the Chief Medical Officer. He/she serves as a key leader and expert in the use of clinical informatics for the enhancement and support of health care to veterans and will represent VISN 9 on national committees and task forces and will ensure that the information and technology needs of VISN 9 are considered at the national level. The CHIO position requires the ability to mange the highest quality of health informatics and is responsible for providing oversight, coordination, and leadership in developing and managing the Network programs for health informatics and information management. The CHIO is expected to be a strong agent for change and must demonstrate an ability to understand the needs of his/her professional counterparts, for example, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, etc. In addition, the CHIO must demonstrate understanding of the Medical Center organizational structure and the role informatics plays within the organization. This person will lead multi-disciplinary clinical and technical teams in the evaluation, selection, and implementation of clinical information systems and assumes primary responsibility for clinical system design, implementation and optimization. On daily basis, she/he demonstrates a high level of analytical ability, critical decision making skills and an extensive knowledge of healthcare issues, with a focus on the science of integrating healthcare, technology, and clinical data. The CHIO serves as the key leader and expert in the use of clinical informatics. Duties include, but are not limited to: Play key role in using the capability of the VA clinical information systems to assist practitioners in doing the right things for the right patients at the right time. Ensures adequate support to measurably improve the quality of data and the transfer of clinical information between providers. Ensure valid information is available to the patients and to their health care practitioner. Coordinates the use of electronic health record software packages for the provision of quality clinical care as well as the use of clinical decision support tools to streamline the process of patient care and provide accurate date in a timely manner. Rational therapeutics within the Medical Center are assisted by this process. Ensure the VHA EHR operates in a way that improves patient care, ensures patient safety, and meets the needs of providers through continuous evaluation, testing, and improvement of the system. Evaluate clinical computing systems; analyze and evaluate the effect of interventions on health outcomes. Enable healthcare capabilities and the evolution of technology adjoined to the EHR to deliver quality care by developing, implementing, monitoring, maintaining, and optimizing informatics tools and access to them. Evaluate, document, analyze, prioritize, and recognize requirements for the improvement of the EHR and other systems in collaboration with the end-user. Expand and enhance patient access to patient information through the various initiatives, and further the effective and efficient use of medical information systems for patients. Contribute to the planning and execution of computer hardware/software development to meet patient care needs and ensure optimal computer use. Uses communication, education, and leadership to support comprehension of and adaptation to organizational updates; leveraging project management principles and environmental assessment to drive adoption of change. Ensure that all local, VISN and national informatics policies are implemented properly and in a timely manner. Supervise professional and non-professional staff to accomplish the work of the health informatics office. Other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 7:30AM - 4:00PM Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Relocation Incentive: may be offered to highly qualified selectees. Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR[(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR(3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019, Employee Occupational Health Service.

Education

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.]

Contacts

• Address VA Midsouth Healthcare Network VA Midsouth Healthcare Network Nashville, TN 37203 US
• Name: Patrick Brotka
• Email: [email protected]