Health Systems Specialist (Associate Group Practice Manager)

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/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.

Duties

Duties include, but are not limited to: 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). Work Schedule: Variable 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#: Health Systems Specialist (Associate Group Practice Manager)/PD99865S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required

Qualifications

To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 10/09/2026.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. 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. 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. 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: 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. Such a training program must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included: Assignments providing a knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, and procedures, and basic government administrative policies and requirements; Practical assignments providing an opportunity to apply health system administration skills and principles (as the individual progresses, work assignments must be characteristic of the grade level to which he or she is assigned); and Oversight by an experienced health system administrator with periodic evaluation of the individual's progress and appropriate adjustment of the training program. In addition to meeting the TIG and IOR you must also meet: GS-12 Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next low