Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO)
What you'd do
Saint Louis VA Health Care System is seeking a highly qualified physician to serve as the Chief Health Informatics Officer to ensure that knowledge of informatics is infused throughout the VA St. Louis Health Care System, and that health information issues affecting the delivery of care are clearly articulated and raised appropriately for action. The focus of this position is to optimize effectiveness of patient care delivery and systems management in support of the VHA mission and goals.
Major duties
VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME) Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement) Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification) Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting This position establishes a formal informatics leadership presence at the facility level. This formal presence ensures that knowledge of informatics is infused throughout the VA St. Louis Health Care System, and that health information issues affecting the delivery of care are clearly articulated and raised appropriately for action. The focus of this position is to optimize effectiveness of patient care delivery and systems management in support of the VHA mission and goals. The aim of clinical informatics is to improve health care delivery processes and outcomes through effective use of information and knowledge. The clinician assigned as Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO) will use knowledge of patient care combined with the understanding of informatics concepts to achieve the following: assess information and knowledge needs of the health care professionals and patients; characterize, evaluate and refine clinical processes; develop, implement and refine clinical decision support systems; and participate in the procurement, customization, implementation, management, evaluation and continuous improvement of clinical information systems. At a minimum, the incumbent will perform the following eight core informatics functions: application support, business architecture management, enterprise data management, content management, system optimization, change management, requirements management, and partnership management. As the resident expert in clinical informatics and health IT, the CHIO serves as the primary advisor to the Medical Center Director, Chief of Staff, Deputy Director, Associate Director for Patient Care Services, Associate Director and other facility leaders. The CHIO is expected to be a strong agent for change and must demonstrate an ability to understand the needs of his professional counterparts, for example, nurses, physicians, pharmacists, etc. In addition, the CHIO must demonstrate understanding of the VA St. Louis Health Care System organizational structure and the role informatics plays within the organization. The CHIO must demonstrate a mastery of: Medical knowledge by being a clinician independently licensed in a State, Territory or the District of Columbia; The health care environment, including how business processes influence health care delivery and the flow of data among the major domains of the health care system; How information systems and processes enhance or compromise the decision making and actions of health care team members; Re-engineering health care processes; Fundamental information system concepts, including the life cycle of information systems, the constantly evolving capabilities of information technology and health care, and the technical and non-technical issues surrounding system implementation; Leading organizational change, fostering collaboration, communicating effectively and managing large scale projects related to clinical information systems. In addition, the incumbent will possess excellent interpersonal skills and must be able to present data with effective communication and presentation skills. He/she must have the ability to develop flexible, transferable models for pathways of care, must be a systems thinker with strong organizational skills and experience in matrix management. He/she will have a strong collaborative management style with creative thinking and high energy and enthusiasm. PATIENT CARE Play key role in using the capability of the VA clinical information systems to assist practitioners in doing the right things for the right patients at the right time. TECHNOLOGY AND INFORMATICS Evaluates clinical computing systems; analyze and evaluate the effect of interventions on health outcomes. DATA WAREHOUSE Manage all aspects of VA St. Louis Health Care System Data Warehouse including architecture, database structure, reporting services, training and education and utilization. Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
What you need to qualify
To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. Basic Requirements: United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the Physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Exceptions: Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience: 5+ years of progressive leadership experience in health informatics, clinical informatics, or a related field, including executive-level responsibilities. Demonstrated success leading enterprise-wide informatics strategy and digital transformation initiatives across complex healthcare organizations. Experience partnering with executive leadership, physicians, nurses, and operational leaders to align technology with clinical and business objectives. Proven expertise in electronic health record (EHR) optimization and governance (e.g., Epic, Cerner/Oracle Health, Meditech, or similar platforms). Experience leading multidisciplinary teams, including clinical informaticists, analysts, data specialists, and project managers. Strong background in clinical workflow redesign, change management, and user adoption strategies that improve quality, safety, and efficiency. Experience leveraging data analytics, clinical decision support, artificial intelligence, and population health technologies to improve patient outcomes. Demonstrated success managing large-scale healthcare technology implementations, upgrades, and optimization efforts. Experience establishing informatics governance structures, standards, and best practices across multiple departments or care settings. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: More information can be found in the VA Handbook 5019.
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