Clarification from the agency

Open to current permanent employees at the Department of Veterans Affairs.

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The Associate Group Practice Manager is responsible for Primary Care, Mental Health, Surgery, Medicine or Ancillary ambulatory clinics oversight and integration into an efficient Clinic Practice Management (CPM) model. The incumbent supports high quality, accessible, cost effective health care services. Ensures a high­ quality patient experience for the Veteran, by acting on feedback from the Veteran, his or her family and/or significant others, facility employees, expert clinical staff and the ACOD/GPM. The incumbent provides data, reports and assistance to the ACOD/GPM in their work in development of strategic plans for the facility as it relates to access to care. The incumbent measures and provides recommendations with an emphasis on improving clinical product line performance.


Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Provides access related consultative services, 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.
• Reviews and evaluates assigned processes and procedures to determine areas of effectiveness, efficiency, and improvement for proposal through local GPM group and supervisor.
• Supports the local clinic management system based on national requirements. Proposes improvements to supervisor regarding national training curriculum for onboarding and sustainment activities.
• 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.
• Provides accurate data to ensure that processes and procedures developed are appropriately supported. Assists in the evaluation of outpatient care patient feedback for access and quality measures at the facility.
• 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 Leads (CLs), including identifying strategies to reduce backlog.
• 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 causal interrelationships between the various aspects of ambulatory care and its impact on clinical operations to achieve and sustain quality, safe, efficient, and effective ambulatory care.
• Assists clinic managers in forecasting the impact of staff changes and developing countermeasures to mitigate the effect of staff shortages on access to care.
• 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 communications with persons and/or groups internal or external to the facility, representing Group Practice Management on clinical access issues. Promotes effective communication and optimal information flow within the clinics.
• Establishes and maintain good relations with various groups and organizations, including other medical centers, medical societies, medical schools, colleges and universities, accrediting agencies, public health officials and organizations, volunteer work groups, and the community at large.

Work Schedule: Monday to Friday from 8:00am to 4:30pm
Telework: Adhoc - up to 2 days per week
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PDS0021A
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized.
Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized.
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required.

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.

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 by the closing date of this announcement, 11/15/2023.

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.

• For a GS-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09 level.
• For a GS-12 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-11 level.

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.
A SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials.

Individual Occupational Requirements: Education- hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR, 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.

Special Provision for In-service Placement: Successful completion of an agency-sponsored on-the-job training program that included a formal individualized training plan that was conducted in an operating health care system. 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.

You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below:

• Specialized experience GS-11:
  • Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-9 in the healthcare field performing progressively responsible analytical, administrative and clinical management duties. Specialized experience is defined as: Contributing to efficient operation of the service by providing accurate identification, reporting, trending, and education to protect the organization's resources; preparing correspondence to local and national inquiries; coordinating activities involved in administrative investigations; assisting in preparation of organizational charts; participating in the submission of the annual budget; overseeing service contracts and equipment purchases; providing support on various issues and concerns; and acting as a liaison for the service when leadership is unavailable.
  • OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Ph.D. or equivalent degree OR 3 full years of progressively higher-level education leading to such a degree OR LL.M, if related. Education must be in a major study in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR
  • Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond master's or graduate degree level.

• Specialized Experience GS-12: 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. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Defining projects' scope and goals through a collaborative process; implementing hospital operations, policies, procedures, and program guidelines to identify projects and to improve outcomes and maximize the return on investment of utilized resources; practicing clinical guidelines designed by healthcare improvement organization to collect, analyze, and present data for performance improvement studies and projects; utilizing healthcare Lean/Systems Redesign standardized tools, methods, and principles such as Lean and Six Sigma, industrial, and quality engineering principles and concepts to identify systems design problems; and writing and/or applying guidelines, directives, and policies. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position:

• Administration and Management
• Communications
• Data Management
• Organizational Development
• Planning and Evaluating

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.

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/.

How you will be evaluated

You will be evaluated for this job based on how well you meet the qualifications above.

IN DESCRIBING YOUR EXPERIENCE, PLEASE BE CLEAR AND SPECIFIC. WE WILL NOT MAKE ASSUMPTIONS REGARDING YOUR EXPERIENCE.

Narrative responses are not required at this time. If you are referred for consideration, you may be asked to submit additional job related information, which may include, but not limited to; responses to the knowledge, skills and abilities; completion of a work sample, and/or contact for an interview. Your resume and/or supporting documentation will be verified. Please follow all instructions carefully. Errors or omissions may affect your rating or consideration for employment.

The Department of Veterans Affairs performs pre-employment reference checks as an assessment method used in the hiring process to verify information provided by a candidate (e.g., on resume or during interview or hiring process); gain additional knowledge regarding a candidate's abilities; and assist a hiring manager with making a final selection for a position.

For more information on the "Who may apply" eligibility requirements, please refer to the OHRM Status Candidates and Other Candidate Definitions document.

Placement Policy: The posting of this announcement does not obligate management to fill a vacancy or vacancies by promotion. The position may be filled by reassignment, change to lower grade, transfer, appointment, or reinstatement. Management may use any one or any combination of these methods to fill the position.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

Veterans and Transitioning Service Members: Please visit the VA for Vets site for career-search tools for Veterans seeking employment at VA, career development services for our existing Veterans, and coaching and reintegration support for military service members.