Summary 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/DPM and to all ambulatory care services in the facility and relates Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs) as it relates to access to care as applicable. The in cumbent is responsible for Primary Care, Mental Health, Surgery, Medicine or Ancillary ambulatory clinics. Responsibilities Provides access related consultative series, working in collaboration with facility Service Lines, to review and develop guidance and policies that will facilitate standardized processes within the facility and applicable CBOCs, etc. Review and provide input on regulations and policies for local interpretation, utilizing local group practice management and communication strategies. Works as part of an in-house team to ensure a wide range of local factors are considered in the application of national policies and procedures. May be called upon to collaborate with staff from other facilities and to work on higher level project groups to review and make recommendations for facility and/or VISN level policies, procedures, systems, requirements, documents, and business or access analysis initiatives. Works with Veteran Experience Officers within the local facility to evaluate patient and family concerns regarding the access to services needed. Aligns efforts with national and local requirements. Assistants supervisor in coordinating efforts to ensure patient concerns are received, evaluated, and addressed in a timely and effective manner by the appropriate subject matter experts. Aligns local processes with planning and policies at higher levels. Identifies, defines and prioritizes customer service tools with assignments. Implements process improvement and training opportunities that support frontline employees in providing predictable, consistent and comfortable customer service experiences for Veterans, their caregivers and beneficiaries. Incumbent utilizes advanced principles and strategies for access improvement to review and provide recommendations to Clinical Labs (CL's), including identifying strategies to reduce backlog. Monitors existing or emerging workflow issues; monitors consult management issues and provide guidance to CL's and Administrative Leads (AL's) when required. Works 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. Collects and analyzes/reports trended data sets; makes recommendations to assist in the allocation of resources. Assists clinic managers in identifying casual interrelationships between the various aspects of ambulator care and its impact on clinical operations to achieve and sustain quality, safe, efficient, and effective ambulatory care. Incorporates process improvement based upon knowledge of VHA's and local organizational philosophy, policies and management principles. Performs data analyses of performance related to existing internal and/or external requirements. Applies administrative policies and established process improvement strategies. Works independently with personnel at the facility, CBOC's, etc. to implement local, national and VISN standards, and reports or addresses administrative process/system issues and other areas of concern. Ensure record management guidelines and adhered to in the clinic setting. Provides recommendations on facility improvements including construction, renovation, space utilization and purchase of equipment, as assigned. Advises departments associated with the allocation of fiscal, personnel, equipment, and space resources. May serve on internal and external facility planning committees, as assigned. Assists clinic managers in forecasting the impact of staff changes developing countermeasures to mitigate the effect of staff shortages on access to care. Makes recommendations to managers regarding allocation of resources, including potential use of community care options. Works 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 Veterans Experience. Provides administrative program advice for ambulatory care clinical support services. This may include interpreting policies, making recommendations for local policies, assisting managers in defining administrative requirements, and/or providing advice to higher level leadership on related issues. Acts as a liaison or point person for communication with persons and/or groups internal or external to the facility, representing Group Practice Management on clinical access. Other duties as assigned. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level without further competition when all regulatory, qualification, and performance requirements are met. Selection at a lower grade level does not guarantee promotion to the full performance level. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday 8:00am to 4:30pm Compressed/Flexible: Not eligible. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health Systems Specialist (Associate GPM)/PD99866S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not eligible. 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 Must complete and pass a health evaluation with employee health 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 by the closing date of this announcement, 02/18/2025. 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, For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-9 . 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. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. 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. Preferred Experience: Data collection, monitoring and maintaining provider profiles, monitoring panel sizes, oversight and collection of transmission errors, and review/rectification of incorrect patient assignments. Skill in communicating both orally and in a variety of written media with all levels. in-depth knowledge of the clinical environment, including practices, procedures, policies. Lead multidisciplinary teams to a common understanding of the problem/situation and how to best address it. Perform detailed analysis of technical information in several critical areas, as well as an unusual depth of leadership and team skills. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-11 or GS-09 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: 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. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Selected applicant will sit at one of the facilities in VISN 2. 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: Performance of the incumbent's duties may require extensive walking per day to meet with the facility managers and other clinic personnel. Trips to satellite outpatient clinics are sometimes necessary and will involve transportation via automotive vehicle. The work performed is of a precise nature requiring long periods of concentration that is often interrupted. Incumbent is often faced with changing priorities and with meeting deadlines. 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. Additional Information Selected applicant will sit at one of the facilities in VISN 2. 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. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. 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.