Summary The incumbent is assigned to the Credentialing and Privileging (C&P) Office, which is aligned to the Chief of Staff at the Chillicothe VA Medical Center (VAMC) and is responsible for providing lead administrative, consulting, technical direction and support to the C&P Specialist, C&P Manager and to program operations. Responsibilities Duties include, but are not limited to: Providing oversight and input regarding compliance with VHA policies, directives, memos, notices, The Joint Commission (TJC) standards, recommendations by the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and Government Accountability Office (GAO) and other internal or external auditors and reviewers as appropriate. Collecting relevant data and making informed decisions to ensure qualified health care professionals are providing appropriate care in appropriate settings. Considered a subject matter expert (SME) to providers and service chiefs regarding routine and complex matters related to C&P including provider competence for the ongoing provider practice evaluation (OPPE) and focused provider practice evaluation (FPPE). Serves as lead specialist over a group of C&P Specialists. Responsible for assigning, monitoring, and reviewing the work performed by subordinate team members. Trains or arranges for the training of team members in methods and techniques of technical skills and team building and working in teams to accomplish tasks or projects. Maintains reference materials, project files and relevant background documents and makes available policies, procedures, and written instructions from the C&P manager. Serves as a first level point of contact for the offices specialists by providing high-level consultation advice and guidance and serves as a first level diffuser in difficult situations. Participates in policy and decision-making initiatives. Ensures quality assurance in the VAMC's C&P program. Utilizes evaluation results to make suggestions and improve organization/program performance. Conducts and oversees internal controls and audits. Serves as a consultant and provides guidance to VAMC leadership and C&P Office Specialists on all matters pertaining to the facility's C&P program. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm 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#: Lead Health System Specialist (C&P)/PD99418S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Financial Disclosure Report: Not required 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 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, 02/09/2024. 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-11 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-09. 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. 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-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: 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, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have at least a Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree; or three (3) full years of progressively higher-level graduate education leading to such a degree; or a LL.M in the related field of the position to be filled (i.e.., 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 graduate level. Preferred Experience Knowledge and skill in applying analytical and evaluative methods and techniques to issues or studies concerning the efficiency and effectiveness of the facility's medical staff functions and C&P program operations. Knowledge of pertinent laws, regulations, policies and precedents; accreditation standards and guidelines, including, but not limited to: TJC, which affect the use of program related support resources in the area of C&P, VHA Handbooks, Directives, Memos, and Notices; VetPro Policies/Standard Operating Procedures; and local medical center policies related to the principles, practices and program goals of the C&P program. Knowledge of the principles, provisions and practices of credentialing and accreditation and regulatory bodies such as TJC, OIG Combined Assessment Program (CAP) and GAO. Knowledge and skill in interpreting C&P, as well as Staffing regulations/requirements for health care practitioners in compliance with a broad range of National and Local Handbooks, Directives, Memorandums, MOUs, Policies, Medical Staff Bylaws and a variety of auditing and accrediting agencies. Knowledge of the characteristics of credentialing/privileging and groups, adverse events, hearing and appeals committee actions and legal requirements. Ability to reconcile contradictory requirements in preparing staff recommendations and in coordinating clinical and administrative services. Knowledge of minimizing legal risks associated with adverse actions. Ability to conduct meetings with various services, both clinical and administrative, on a regular basis to ensure they are knowledgeable about identified VHA quality measures and monitors that fall under their scope and are aware of their impact on accreditation and the Medical Center's overall performance. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Compliance Leadership Quality Assurance Critical Thinking 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: The work is mostly sedentary. Occasionally, light physical effort may be required, such as that involved with walking, stair climbing, and carry of light office items. 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/. Additional Information The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan (ICTAP) and Career Transition Assistance Plan (CTAP) provide eligible displaced Federal/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/. 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.