Health System Specialist

at  US Veterans Health Administration

QUALIFICATIONS

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements within 30 days of the closing date of this announcement, 11/18/2024.
You may qualify based on your experience as described below:
GS-12 grade level: You must have 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. Qualifying specialized experience is defined as progressively responsible analytical or administrative, or clinical management or supervisory 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:
(1) Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems;
(2) Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups; and
(3) Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement.
At this level, applicants would have obtained this experience working within a health care setting using comprehensive knowledge of healthcare Lean/Systems Redesign utilizing standardized tools, methods, and principles such as Lean and Six Sigma, along with industrial and quality engineering principles and concepts to identify systems design problems; Applying knowledge of hospital operations, policies and procedures as well as VA regulations, policies, and program guidelines to identify projects the improving quality outcomes and maximize return on investment of utilized resources; Providing consultation to executive, service line, and program leadership, through knowledge of the mission, organization, and program requirements of healthcare delivery systems to define a project scope and goals through a collaborative process; Utilizing knowledge of clinical practice guidelines and guidelines designed by healthcare improvement organization to collect, analyze, and present data for performance improvement studies and projects; Skill as an excellent communicator which includes the ability to listen well, write with clarity and speak effectively to small and large groups; Administrative expertise and a background in leadership and strategic the ability to collaborate well. NOTE: Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must clearly indicate the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment.

Preferred Experience:

• Certified Lean Six Sigma Black Belt/Lean Black Belt.
• Program/project management.
• Data analytics (data capture, analysis, reporting) for managerial, administrative, and clinical processes.
• Assisting and managing system improvement activities/projects.
• Software (Excel, SharePoint, Power Apps, Power BI).

You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Analysis and Problem Solving
• Education and Training
• Organizational Performance Analysis
• Project Management

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.
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.

DUTIES

The Health System Specialist advise leadership in the formulation of planning complex facility wide Strategic Plans and facility wide projects in the execution phase of supporting of Strategic Planning. Other duties include:

• Participates in and facilitates transformative quality, safety, effectiveness, and efficiency improvement efforts.
• Acts as the project lead for healthcare and operational improvement projects impacting patient care delivery systems and functions throughout the medical center.
• Facilitates, coaches, and trains audiences at all levels of the organizations throughout the lifecycle of a performance improvement project.
• Organizes, directs, controls and coordinates group activities in a timely and effective manner.
• Conducts extensive work in analyzing data and conducting background research on the issue.
• Pulls, isolates and manipulates data to identify root causes of a performance issue.
• Develops statistical models to measure successful of performance improvement actions.
• Converts data into numerous formats using advanced statistical models including statistical process control charts, histograms, and many more.
• Defines a project scope and goals through a collaborative process with subject matter experts and leadership at the facility, service line or program, or unit level.
• Leads project teams through designed brainstorming sessions to develop solutions towards a specific deliverable or goal during a project.
• Identifies various solutions approaches and when necessary further leads them through prioritizing exercises with tools like affinity diagrams, PICK Charts and multi-voting.
• Develops control plans, communication plans, risk management plans, and through closeout of the project.
• Provides consultation to executive, service line, and program leadership by leveraging VA data analytics resources.
• Identifies metrics performing below benchmarked standards or falling below the upper or lower control limits of a statistically controlled models such as SAIL.
• Plans and conducts studies directed at reducing errors due to cognitive overloading and human computer interaction failure.
• Develops benchmarks, and assigns a schedule or priority level to a potential project based on the needs of the organization and direct consultation with executive leadership.
• Develops local data metrics and dashboards to monitor projects in progress or performance benchmarks of a project that is awaiting a charter or formal decision from executive leadership for action.
• Aligns appropriate performance improvement teams and resources, project scopes, and value streams, strategic and operational plans.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday; 7:30am - 4:00pm OR 8:00am - 4:30pm
Telework: This is not a telework position.
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description Title/PD#: Health System Specialist/PDS0012A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required
Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion, such as periods of standing when teaching; some walking, bending, crouching, stooping, stretching, or similar activities when visiting work sites; and some moderate lifting and carrying. At other times the work is sedentary, requiring the use of a computer.