Health System Specialist

Veterans Health Administration • Washington, DC

8d

About The Position

The Health System Specialist works in the Office of Patient Advocacy, a national program office that ensures Veterans and their families have access to advocacy services across the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). The office reports directly to the Under Secretary for Health and focuses on improving the experience of Veterans, coordinating the national Patient Advocacy Program, and supporting related Veteran experience activities across VHA.

The position advises leaders and stakeholders on Patient Advocate Tracking System (PATS) capabilities, data governance, and best practices for tracking and managing patient feedback. It prepares guidance and documentation for end users, analyzes PATS data to identify operational trends and actionable insights, and manages system operations, quality assurance, compliance documentation, troubleshooting, and reporting. The role also establishes ongoing data quality assurance and validation protocols to ensure information used in organizational decisions is accurate, complete, and reliable.

The work schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Virtual work may be authorized for current VA employees already subject to the return-to-office mandate in their current position, subject to the stated eligibility and approval conditions. Selectees are generally required to report in person unless an exception or exemption is approved. Relocation and recruitment incentives and permanent change of station are not authorized; a Critical Skills Incentive is not approved.

Requirements

• U.S. citizenship.
• For current or former federal employees subject to the time-in-grade requirement: 52 weeks at GS-12 for the GS-13 position, with supporting SF-50 documentation.
• Meet the Individual Occupational Requirement for the 0671 occupational series through qualifying education in hospital administration, public health administration, or a related field with health care administration coursework; qualifying progressively responsible health-care analytical, administrative, clinical-management, or supervisory experience; or an eligible agency-sponsored on-the-job training program.
• One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least GS-12 in the normal line of progression, including relevant PATS system management, data, security, reporting, integration, enhancement, or change-management work.
• Complete the application, questionnaire, and required online assessment.
• Register for Selective Service if a male born after December 31, 1959.
• Complete required background/security investigation and online onboarding.
• Participate in the Department of Veterans Affairs seasonal influenza vaccination program.
• Serve a one-year probationary period or two-year trial period, as applicable.

Responsibilities

• Advise leadership and stakeholder groups on PATS capabilities, data governance, and emerging best practices for tracking and managing patient feedback.
• Prepare and deliver PATS guidance and documentation for end users.
• Analyze complex PATS data sets to identify operational trends, experience patterns, and actionable insights for system improvement.
• Manage PATS operational administration, including quality assurance, compliance documentation, troubleshooting, and system reporting.
• Establish protocols for ongoing PATS data quality assurance and validation to ensure accuracy, completeness, and reliability.
• Lead PATS release cycles, upgrades, and maintenance activities to maintain system functionality and alignment with organizational requirements.
• Develop strategies and protocols for PATS user provisioning, access management, and data security.
• Monitor PATS performance metrics, user engagement, and system utilization to identify inefficiencies and inform decisions.
• Evaluate user feedback, technical issues, and process gaps and recommend system enhancements and workflow improvements.
• Collaborate with IT specialists, vendors, and program offices to integrate and monitor PATS data with enterprise applications and reporting platforms.
• Lead or contribute to PATS enhancement, integration, and change-management projects.
• Design and implement standardized PATS reporting frameworks and dashboards for monitoring and executive review of patient feedback and case-resolution metrics.

Benefits

• Federal employees and their families have access to a comprehensive benefits package; specific benefit eligibility depends on position type.
• Potential annual-leave service credit for qualifying job-related non-federal experience or active-duty uniformed military service, subject to prior request and approval.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed