Chief Health Information Officer

Veterans Health Administration • Fort Harrison, MT

1d

About The Position

The Chief Health Information Officer uses VA clinical information systems to support appropriate, timely care and improve the quality and transfer of clinical information between providers. The role ensures accurate information is available to patients and healthcare practitioners and enables healthcare capabilities through the development, implementation, monitoring, maintenance, and optimization of informatics tools and their access.

The position manages the Data Warehouse, including its architecture, database structure, reporting services, training, education, and utilization. It creates, integrates, disseminates, and manages data for enterprise applications and uses warehouse data to support strategic and operational planning and management decisions. The role also evaluates clinical computing systems and the impact of interventions on health outcomes, and identifies and prioritizes requirements for improving the EHR and other systems in collaboration with end users.

The Chief Health Information Officer coordinates informatics support for clinical activities and collaborates with medical center staff, VA Office of Information and Technology, biomedical engineering, clinical staff, services, committees, and work groups. The position supports scholarly work by medical center staff and affiliate trainees, and works with leadership to identify informatics-based opportunities for organizational improvement. It ensures timely implementation of local, VISN, and national informatics policies and develops and manages the VHA business architecture.

The role maintains advanced working knowledge of the electronic health record, coordinates institutional compliance with external accrediting organizations, and supervises professional and non-professional informatics staff. It ensures staff are trained and competent, plans and prioritizes work, and prepares schedules for completion. The position has a Monday–Friday work schedule from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The VA physician total rewards package includes competitive salary, annual performance bonuses, salary increases, paid time off, federal retirement and insurance benefits, and other potential benefits described in the announcement.

Requirements

• Doctor of Medicine or equivalent degree in allopathic or osteopathic medicine from an appropriately approved or accredited institution.
• Current, full, and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a U.S. state, territory, commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
• Completion of qualifying residency training in an accredited core specialty training program leading to board-certification eligibility, or a stated qualifying alternative involving post-medical-school training and independent practice.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.
• U.S. citizenship, except that non-citizens may be appointed when qualified U.S. citizens cannot be recruited in accordance with VA policy.
• Selected applicants must undergo a background/security investigation and pre-employment physical evaluation; applicants tentatively selected for testing-designated positions must undergo urinalysis.
• Compliance with Selective Service registration requirements for males born after December 31, 1959.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Completion of application and onboarding requirements and provision of acceptable identification.
• Ability to meet the position's physical requirements, including light carrying under 15 pounds, reaching above shoulder, finger and hand use, walking and standing, repeated bending, visual and hearing abilities, mental/emotional and cognitive stability, and ability to perform privileges independently, including physical examinations.
• Successful completion of a health examination before assignment and periodically thereafter.

Nice To Haves

• EHRM experience is preferred.
• Board certification is noted as a condition for possible CME reimbursement.

Responsibilities

• Use VA clinical information systems to support appropriate care and measurably improve data quality and the transfer of clinical information between providers.
• Ensure valid information is available to patients and healthcare practitioners.
• Evaluate clinical computing systems and analyze the effects of interventions on health outcomes.
• Develop, implement, monitor, maintain, and optimize informatics tools and access to them to enable healthcare capabilities and quality care.
• Evaluate, document, analyze, prioritize, and identify requirements for improving the EHR and other systems in collaboration with end users.
• Manage all aspects of the Data Warehouse, including architecture, database structure, reporting services, training, education, and utilization.
• Create, integrate, disseminate, and manage timely and accurate data for enterprise applications, processes, and entities.
• Use Data Warehouse information for strategic and operational planning and to guide management decisions.
• Participate in OIT Regional Data Warehouse committees and VHA Data Warehousing committees.
• Coordinate information management support for clinical activities and collaborate with staff to design, implement, and evaluate clinical information system configurations and capabilities.
• Support scholarly endeavors of Montana VAMC staff and affiliate trainees.
• Work with VA OIT, Biomedical Engineering, medical, nursing, and other clinical staff; serve as a liaison among services, committees, teams, and ad hoc work groups.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify strategic opportunities and initiatives for organizational improvement through informatics principles and tools.
• Ensure local, VISN, and national informatics policies are implemented properly and timely.
• Develop and manage the VHA business architecture, including descriptions of business behaviors, functionality, processes, and information flows required to achieve VHA's mission.
• Maintain advanced working knowledge of the electronic health record and understand a broad range of clinical needs.
• Coordinate institutional compliance with external accrediting organizations.
• Supervise professional and non-professional staff in the health informatics office; ensure appropriate training and competency.
• Plan work, set and adjust short-term priorities, and prepare completion schedules.

Benefits

• Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, and regular salary increases.
• 50–55 days of paid time off per year, including 26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid federal holidays, and possible five-day paid CME absence.
• Traditional federal pension with five-year vesting and federal 401(k) with up to 5% in contributions by VA.
• Federal health, vision, dental, term life, and long-term care insurance; many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement.
• Possible $1,000 per year CME reimbursement for full-time, board-certified employees.
• Free liability protection with tail coverage.
• Possible eligibility for the Physician/Provider Contract Buy Out Program, subject to its requirements and minimum four-year obligated service.
• No physician employment contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: Ph.D. or professional degree