Program Analyst (Informatics) - Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration

Summary This position is located at the Portland VA Health Care system in the Department of Hospital and Specialty Medicine (DHSM). This position supports the division leadership in decision making by providing data which gives insight into the complex processes and operations of a care delivery system. The incumbent will have responsibility for development, organization, management, and application of information systems and data for the clinical and administrative activities of DHSM Responsibilities The incumbent is the key information management expert creating data streams essential to the operations, organization, and decision-making processes within Medicine. The incumbent will enable service administration to assess risk factors, clinical outcomes, and forecast internal and external trends. The incumbent will be the resident expert on VistA and other VA information systems, the derivation of pertinent data sources from these information streams, use of statistical analyses, and the developmental research work for the application of software and hardware by service staff for both office and clinical applications. The work will inform management of limited resources including staffing, space, and budget. The incumbent will clearly understand the array of informational and data systems available through local and national sources. The sources will include the following: VistA mainframe system with its files and programs Local, regional, and national data warehouses Decision-Support System (DSS) Clinical Patient Record System (CPRS) VISN Support Service Center (VSSC) CPT Coding Systems ICD-9/10 Coding Systems Medicare Pricing Structures Clinical Practice Guidelines The incumbent will utilize these information systems to develop reports and recommendations. The incumbent will develop and implement management information systems specific to the clinical information needs of DHSM. The incumbent will aggregate database(s) of critical clinical, administrative, and demographic information for decision-making on patient or care management within a capitated revenue system. The incumbent will maintain and re-engineer the databases and reports to meet these changing needs for relevant information. The incumbent will develop analyses on the most efficient operational or policy alternatives based on statistical models and cost-based analyses. The incumbent will manage workload capture systems, assuring that there is a robust process for capturing all visits, procedures, consultations, and other forms of workload. The incumbent will develop workload descriptive assessments with trend data or forecasting information to analyze workload and resource levels to meet current and the future demand. The incumbent will develop analyses on the most efficient operational or policy alternatives based on statistical models and cost-based analyses. The incumbent will manage workload capture systems, assuring that there is a robust process for capturing all visits, procedures, consultations, and other forms of workload. The incumbent will develop workload descriptive assessments with trend data or forecasting information to analyze workload and resource levels to meet current and the future demand. The incumbent will aggregate data sets using appropriate statistical analyses of current clinical operations and clinical practice patterns. The incumbent will be expected to aggregate and analyze provider specific clinical practice information to assess activities such as drug utilization patterns, case-mix analysis, patient referral patterns, consultation utilization patterns, and productivity models. The incumbent will also integrate individual provider data into meaningful group or sub-set information analyses such as, but not limited to, hospital admissions patterns, length of stay, bed days of care and pharmacy and medication use practices and patterns. The incumbent will develop the data-information systems designed to analyze the objectives/goals for DHSM. The analyses will provide insight into current operations, planned operational changes, and the impact of the intervention on current operational models and practice patterns. The incumbent will provide policy analysis and policy implementation evaluation. The incumbent will be responsible for analyzing and evaluating the costs and implications of policies in draft or final form, as well as their impact on the operations and clinical practices within DHSM. This assessment may include cost and resource implications as well as alternative policy approaches. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 07:30am to 4:00pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Program Analyst (Informatics)/PD211080 and PD211090 Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 10/25/2024. 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 within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: GS-11 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-9) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties at the developmental level; Experience in communicating among stakeholders to facilitate and support organizational change; applying a wide range of established practices, theories, and emerging information in relation to health care delivery, informatics, and applications; independently completes analytical projects related to process improvement; experience with data life cycle to include data design, collection, and management to input, retrieve, analyze, summarize, and present information; and knowledge and use of national database architecture and file structure. ~OR~ Education: Successfully completed a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree, or three (3) full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. if related that demonstrates the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary to do the work of this position. NOTE: Transcripts must be submitted with application. Education cannot be credited without documentation. ~OR~ Combination: Equivalent combination of successfully completed education and specialized experience directly related to the work of the position as outlined above that meets the requirements of the position. Only education in excess of a master's or equivalent graduate education may be used to qualify applicants for the GS-11 level. NOTE: If using education combined with specialized experience to qualify, a copy of your transcript is required. GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade level (GS-11) in the Federal Service, that is directly related to the work of the position and has equipped you with the particular knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform the duties at the independent level; Experience in performing a full range of data analysis, to include collecting, evaluating, and synthesizing of data; applies an end-to-end process to evaluate workflows, identify issues, and develop solutions based on best practice guidelines; experienced knowledge and use of national database architecture and file structure, analytical techniques, and clinical applications development techniques; acquainted with technologies that are likely to benefit healthcare delivery processes to troubleshoot functionality issues and develop solutions; and ensures the success of multidisciplinary teams to lead and manage informatics-related projects. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Data Management Database Administration Technical Competence 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: The work environment involves everyday risks or discomforts which require normal safety precautions typical of such places as offices, meeting and training rooms, or libraries. The work area is adequately lighted, heated, and ventilated. The environment can be stressful when dealing with patient and employee concerns, and strict deadlines on a variety of tasks. 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 GS-12 grade level. A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.