The position is responsible for supporting WNCVAMC and VISN leadership in coordinating, planning, implementing, and monitoring activities to ensure effective leadership engagement in high reliability efforts, facilitate a robust patient safety program, drive a culture of safety within the organization, and institute and sustain continuous process improvement efforts.

Duties

This position is organizationally aligned to and supervised by the Executive Center Director or designee. The incumbent will lead activities regarding High Reliability Organization (HRO) and VISN transformation in the journey to zero harm, along with critical sustainment activities. The HSS is responsible for working collaboratively with local and national clinical and non-clinical team leaders and (HRO) champions to develop and implement strategies for improved patient safety and patient care across the VISN and VHA including but not limited to: monitoring progress, success, barriers and needs for improvement; identifying focused improvement efforts across the facility and VISN. The major duties of the position include but is not limited to the following: Plans and conducts a variety of broad and complex analytical and evaluative studies of a wide 50% range of medical facility health care delivery services such as organizational structures and management systems for the administrative services in the health care delivery system; Considers current medical facility practices regarding the integration of internal administrative and clinical policies to the standards and requirements of various regulatory and accrediting bodies, and to the impact of internal policies on outside entities such as other area hospitals and the community at large; Prepares study reports and findings that include substantive and innovative recommendations to improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and productivity of the medical facility health care program; Makes formal presentation to medical management officials to propose major modifications and improvements regarding the facility organization structure and functions; health care services; a variety of administrative support services; the establishment of an atmosphere conducive to the accomplishment of the basic medical facility mission; and the promotion of good relations with a variety of groups and individuals including patients and staff, as well as representatives of the medical facilities, and community organizations. The Health System Specialist (HSS) is delegated the responsibility for the study, analysis, 50% evaluation, and formulation of recommendations for the development and improvement of administrative management and operating programs; Identifies and participates in resolving the full range of management problems, and assists in the development of proposed management programs on a service, inter-service, medical center, or VISN wide basis; Conducts management studies in organizational entities with critical problems; conducts and integrates cyclical management studies and conducts studies with Systematic Internal Reviews and Management Briefings; The incumbent analyzes, evaluates, and formulates recommendations that result in greater efficiency and economy of operations. Conducts studies that analyze problems of workload, work distribution, workflow, and work controls; The incumbent also performs studies that analyze overtime usage, essentiality of work, organizational structure, and staffing requirements; Conducts and documents Local Management Reviews, in accordance with the requirements defined in VHA Handbook 1730.2; These quarterly reviews will include an analysis of quarterly financial audits, which cover human resources management requirements; review of fiscal audits; internal reports; external reports; internal control procedures; unannounced agent cashier audits; review of service level policy memorandums; and training by local management; Develops management improvement programs or revised policy and procedural requirements for more effective application of various administrative management systems; such as work measurement, work simplification, incentive awards, performance evaluation, management reports, automation, communication analyses, etc.; Formulates recommendations to include specific plans to correct deficiencies or to increase positive accomplishments of administrative practices; for example, the development of criteria to determine measurable work areas and Conducts logistical type studies which are directed at determining the most effective utilization of space, supplies, transportation, storage facilities, etc. Conducts carries direct responsibility r seeking and finding practical solutions which may be achieved in short or long range planning. Performs other duties as assigned. Work Schedule: M-F 0800 - 4:30pm Telework: This position is approved for Ad-Hoc Telework ONLY and must be approved by the supervisor. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Specialist (High Reliability Organization Champion)/PD044110

Requirements

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 12/19/2024. 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. You may qualify based on your experience, as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: .Responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Analysis and Problem SolvingOral CommunicationOrganizational Performance AnalysisProject ManagementWritten 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: Work is primarily sedentary. 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.

Contacts

• Address Charles George VA Medical Center 1100 Tunnel Road Asheville, NC 28805 US
• Name: John Westling
• Phone: 828-333-3451
• Email: [email protected]