Health Systems Specialist (Associate Group Practice Manager)

Veterans Health Administration • Prescott, AZ

32d • Hybrid

About The Position

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) as it relates to access to care as applicable.

Requirements

• Must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959
• Subject to background/security investigation
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process.
• Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements
• Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP)
• As a condition of employment for accepting this position, you will be required to serve a 1-year probationary period or 2-year trial period during which we will evaluate your fitness and whether your continued employment advances the public interest.
• 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.
• Health System Administration Series, 0671 Individual Occupational Requirements (IOR): 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.
• OR, Specialized Experience: Progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory experience in the health care field.
• 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.
• GS-12 Specialized Experience: One year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
• Experience with data manipulation, analysis, interpretation, and presentation using systems such as Pyramid Analytics, BI Office, Excel, etc.;
• experience utilizing process improvement methodologies (e.g. Lean, Six Sigma) and change management techniques;
• experience developing clear action plans for multidisciplinary teams and leading them in data-driven projects;
• experience with interpreting national VHA policies concerning access, scheduling, and consult management;
• experience with clinic operational elements such as consult management, appointment request management, grid validation, referral coordination, and access improvement strategies;
• experience with leading or working in a team facilitate to promote effective organizational dynamics, and communicate effectively with staff, co-workers, managers, upper management, etc.; gather information and/or date, negotiate solutions to difficult issues, coordinate services/activities, provide guidance to others, and resolve problems.
• Knowledge of missions, organizational structures, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems, both broadly and within the national health care landscape.
• Knowledge of the unique characteristics of the specific health care delivery system served, including facility resources and programs, academic affiliations, community demographics, available resources, and established relationships with professional societies and volunteer organizations.
• Familiarity with regulations and standards of regulatory and credentialing bodies, with the ability to reconcile differing or contradictory requirements when preparing staff recommendations and/or coordinating clinical and administrative services.
• Familiarity with government-wide, agency, and facility administrative systems, including requirements related to budget, personnel management, procurement processes, and other key administrative functions.
• Ability to recognize and navigate diverse functions, roles, and motivations within the health care delivery system, and to communicate effectively with a wide range of employees and stakeholder groups to gather information, present recommendations, and coordinate services.
• Ability to analyze complex problems and present clear, well-supported written and oral recommendations, incorporating the full range of operational, regulatory, clinical, and administrative factors that influence health care system management.

Nice To Haves

• LEAN certification
• Demonstrated experience in Veterans Health Administration (VHA) outpatient operations, with emphasis on improving Veteran access, clinic utilization, productivity, and operational efficiency.
• Proven ability to analyze VHA operational data and performance metrics to identify trends, operational gaps, and opportunities for improvement, and to develop and implement data-driven corrective action plans.
• Experience in clinic optimization, including appointment grid utilization, clinic right-sizing, supply and demand analysis, labor mapping, provider productivity, workload and capacity management, and reduction of unused clinical capacity.
• Demonstrated success leading multidisciplinary teams, collaborating effectively with clinical and administrative leaders, service chiefs, supervisors, schedulers, providers, and other stakeholders to achieve organizational goals.
• Proficiency using VHA data systems, dashboards, productivity reports, and related operational tools to monitor performance, conduct in-depth operational reviews, and communicate findings and recommendations to leadership.
• Ability to translate data and operational requirements into actionable strategies, establish priorities, monitor outcomes, and sustain improvements over time.
• Experience providing leadership, mentoring, coaching, and professional development, fostering accountability, teamwork, and a culture of continuous improvement.
• Comprehensive knowledge of VHA policies, procedures, performance measures, scheduling practices, workload/productivity expectations, and the operational relationships among Clinical Services, Group Practice Management, Health Administrative Service, and facility leadership.

Responsibilities

• Providing access related consultative services, working in collaboration with facility Service Lines, to review and develop guidance and policies that will facilitate standardized processes.
• Reviewing and providing input on regulations and policies for local interpretation.
• Collaborating with staff from other facilities to work on project groups to review and make recommendations for facility and/or VISN level policies, procedures, systems, requirements, documents, and business or access analysis initiatives.
• Reviewing and evaluating assigned processes and procedures to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement for proposal through local GPM group and supervisor.
• Incorporating best practices to help improve patient access to care and to ensure standards are met within assigned services.
• Proposing improvements to supervisors regarding national training curriculum for onboarding and sustainment activities.
• Maintaining knowledge of CPM training materials and supporting the fulfillment of action plans to meet CPM training requirements.
• Working with Veteran Experience Officers within the local facility to evaluate patient and family concerns regarding access to services needed.
• Assisting the supervisor in coordinating efforts to ensure patient concerns are received, evaluated, and addressed in a timely and effective manner, and providing accurate data to ensure that processes and procedures developed are appropriately supported.
• Utilizing an analytics system for the collection and analysis of outpatient care patient feedback for access and quality measures.
• Evaluating and recommending changes for continuous process improvement.
• Implementing process improvement and training opportunities that support frontline employees in providing predictable, consistent, and comfortable customer service to Veterans, their caregivers, and beneficiaries.
• Following benchmarks and established processes for taking corrective actions on decreasing/low scores in Veteran/Staff experience data.
• Utilizing advanced principles and strategies for access improvement to review and provide recommendations to Clinical Leads (CLs) including identifying strategies to reduce backlog.
• Monitoring existing or emerging workflow and consult management issues and provide guidance to CLs and Administrative Leads when required.
• Working with local personnel to integrate data analytics and measures with continuous process improvement utilizing LEAN, Six Sigma, and other improvement methodologies to meet and sustain ambulatory care goals and objectives.
• Making recommendations to assist in the allocation of resources, and providing recommendations on facility improvements including construction, renovation, space utilization, and purchase of equipment.
• Analyzing and interpreting complex data, and researching and preparing comprehensive reports.
• Ensuring record management guidelines are adhered to in the clinic setting.
• Assisting clinic managers in forecasting the impact of staff changes, and developing countermeasures to mitigate the effect of staff shortages on access to care.
• Working closely with clinic managers to formulate budget recommendations for all outpatient clinical services to allocate all available resources to achieve optimal outcomes in access to care and the Veteran Experience.
• Providing administrative program advice for ambulatory care clinical support services.
• Monitoring profile indicators to help eliminate issues with backlogs (including Recall Delinquency, Past Due Return to Clinic Orders, Open Consults, Missed Opportunity Rates, Wait Times, and Community Care Options).

Benefits

• A career with the U.S. government provides employees with a comprehensive benefits package.
• As a federal employee, you and your family will have access to a range of benefits that are designed to make your federal career very rewarding.
• Eligibility for benefits depends on the type of position you hold and whether your position is full-time, part-time or intermittent.
• Contact the hiring agency for more information on the specific benefits offered.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: Associate degree