Summary The incumbent serves as a Health System Specialist supporting the Ambulatory Care Operations Director and Group Practice Manager. Helps oversee access to care in facility clinics and CBOCs, including Primary Care, Mental Health, Surgery, Medicine, and ancillary services. Collects data, prepares reports, and recommends improvements to clinic operations, scheduling, quality, cost, clinical performance, strategic planning, and the Veteran patient experience. Responsibilities Duties include, but may not be limited to the following: Provide access-related consultation to facility service lines and CBOCs while developing and standardizing patient-access processes, policies, and guidance. Review national regulations and policies for local implementation, incorporating facility-specific factors and best practices. Evaluate access-related processes for effectiveness and efficiency and present improvement recommendations to facility leadership. Support Clinic Practice Management training, onboarding, sustainment activities, and related action plans. Apply access-improvement strategies to reduce backlogs, address workflow issues, and improve consult management. Provide guidance to Clinical Leads and Administrative Leads on access, workflow, technology, and operational concerns. Collect, analyze, and report complex and trending data to support continuous improvement and resource-allocation decisions. Apply LEAN, Six Sigma, and other process-improvement methods to support safe, efficient, high-quality ambulatory care. Implement local, national, and VISN standards while ensuring clinic records and administrative processes comply with applicable requirements. Conduct demand and capacity analyses, support scheduling and templating, and monitor clinical grids, wait times, open consults, and other access indicators. Evaluate Veteran and family feedback related to access and quality, using analytics to identify improvement opportunities. Coordinate with Veteran Experience, clinic management, scheduling, and analytics teams to address concerns and improve service delivery. Assess the impact of staffing changes, recommend resource adjustments, and identify cost-effective solutions, including community-care options. Conduct cost and cost-effectiveness analyses to support budget recommendations and internal-versus-external service decisions. Serve as a liaison on clinical access matters, promote effective communication, develop standardized reporting tools, and coordinate solutions with internal and external stakeholders. Promotion Potential: The selectee may be promoted to the full performance level, GS-12, 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-Friday, 7:30am-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 Ad-hoc telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist - Associate Group Practice Manager/ PD99866S and PD99865S. Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized. Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved. Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized. The VA Midwest Health Care Network advocates for a Whole Health System of care in each of the Medical Centers. This is an approach to healthcare that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their lives to the fullest. As an employee operating in a Whole Health System of care, you will operate in a model with three core elements, seeking to create a personalized health plan for each Veteran. This is done in the @context of healing relationships and healing environments and a connection back to the Veteran's community. This aligns with the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Mission Statement to Honor America's Veterans by providing exceptional health care that improves their health and well-being. Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job To be considered for this position, you must complete all required steps in the process. In addition to the application and questionnaire, this position requires an online assessment. The online assessment measures critical general competencies required to perform the job. Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 Physical Requirements: The work required does not inherently include any physical requirements essential for successful job performance that could not otherwise be performed with accommodation or workplace adjustment. A pre-placement physical examination is not required. 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 (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). 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. In determining if your employment advances the public interest, we may consider: your performance and conduct; the needs and interests of the agency; whether your continued employment would advance organizational goals of the agency or the Government; and whether your continued employment would advance the efficiency of the Federal service. Upon completion of your probationary period, your employment will be terminated unless you receive certification, in writing, that your continued employment advances the public interest. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 11/16/2026. Time-in-Grade: 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-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. 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. Special Provision for Inservice Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program may substitute for qualifying experience if the program included a formal, individualized training plan. The training must have been conducted in an operating health care system and included assignments providing knowledge of basic health system administration philosophies, practices, procedures, and government administrative policies and requirements; practical assignments applying health system administration skills and principles, with progressively higher-level duties characteristic of the grade level assigned; and oversight by an experienced health system administrator, including periodic evaluation and appropriate adjustment of the training program. GS-11 Qualification Requirements: Applicants for GS-11 must possess one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-9 level in the Federal service that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this Health System Specialist-Associate Group Practice Manager. 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, working directly with health care system administration and stakeholders to solve problems in support of program/operational functions; experience with extracting, analyzing, and organizing data from multiple sources, and assisting with clinical program procedure and process improvement. ~OR~ Education: A Ph.D., equivalent doctoral degree, three full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree, or an LL.M. in hospital administration, public health administration, or a related field, such as business or public administration with coursework in health care administration. The education must demonstrate the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the position and must have been completed at an accredited college or university. Transcripts must be submitted; education cannot be credited without documentation. Combination: A combination of graduate education beyond a master's degree and specialized experience may qualify. Coursework must be in hospital administration, public health administration, or a related field with health care administration coursework. Transcripts and clearly documented experience are required. GS-12 Qualification Requirements: At this level applicants must have at least one (1) full year of specialized experience equivalent to the GS-11 level in the Federal service that has equipped me with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of this Health System Specialist-Associate Group Practice Manager. 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 in a healthcare setting overseeing and monitoring existing or emerging work flow issues including scheduling; leading program planning and execution of clinic practice management at a medical center level to include analyzing trended data sets; evaluating and monitoring administrative activities and making substantive recommendations for program improvements; working with local personnel to integrate data analytics and measures with continuous process improvement utilizing LEAN, Six Sigma, and other improvement methodologies; working with local and national groups to review and develop guidance and policies that will facilitate standardized processes; performing cost analysis and cost effectiveness studies in order to determine make/buy decisions to address gaps; providing leadership and direction to promote a culture of engagement and satisfaction; promoting system-wide training plans. You will be rated on the following Competencies: Attention to Detail Customer Service Decision Making Flexibility Integrity/Honesty Interpersonal Skills Learning Reasoning Self-Management Stress Tolerance Teamwork 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 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/. Physical Requirements: You will be asked to participate in a pre-employment examination or evaluation as part of the pre-employment process for this position. Questions about physical demands or environmental factors may be addressed at the time of evaluation or examination. Work requires frequent lifting and handling of HVAC/R components weighing up to 75 pounds, standing, walking, kneeling, and working in cramped or awkward spaces. The mechanic climbs ladders and stairs, works at heights, and uses rigging or lift equipment to position heavy parts. Tasks require sustained manual dexterity during equipment disassembly, alignment, brazing, electrical repair, and use of diagnostic instruments. Work Requirement: Work is typically performed in an adequately lighted and climate-controlled office. The employee's work may require occasional travel. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. 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. Additional Information 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. Reasonable Accommodation (RA) Requests: If you believe you have a disability (i.e., physical or mental), covered by the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 as amended that would interfere with completing the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, you will be granted the opportunity to request a RA in your online application. Requests for RA for the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments and appropriate supporting documentation for RA must be received prior to starting the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments. Decisions on requests for RA are made on a case-by-case basis. If you meet the minimum qualifications of the position, after notification of the adjudication of your request, you will receive an email invitation to complete the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments, based on your adjudication decision. You must complete all assessments within 48 hours of receiving the URL to access the USA Hire Competency Based Assessments if you received the link after the close of the announcement. To determine if you need a RA, please review the Procedures for Requesting a Reasonable Accommodation for Online Assessments. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced VA competitive service employees with selection priority over other candidates for competitive service vacancies. To be qualified you must submit appropriate documentation (a copy of the agency notice, your most recent performance rating, and your most recent SF-50 noting current position, grade level, and duty location) and be found well-qualified for this vacancy. To be well-qualified: applicants must possess experience that exceeds the minimum qualifications of the position including all selective factors, and who are proficient in most of the required competencies of the job. Information about ICTAP and CTAP eligibility is on OPM's Career Transition Resources website at http://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/workforce-restructuring/employee-guide-to-career-transition/.
