Director of EHR Optimization

About Us

The Iowa Primary Care Association (Iowa PCA) has supported Iowa’s community health centers for over 36 years to expand access to affordable, high quality, integrated care. The Iowa PCA, along with our sister companies INConcertCare (INCC) and IowaHealth (IH ), provides training, technical assistance, and shared services opportunities in quality improvement, value-based care, health information technology, and other areas. We are now expanding our services through a new partnership with Iowa Health and Human Services to serve as the new statewide Behavioral Health Administrative Service Organization (BH-ASO). It’s an exciting opportunity to expand our efforts and connection to the broader behavioral health safety net.

Position Overview

The Director of EHR Optimization, under the direction of the Senior Director of Data and Technology, leads Epic EHR optimization activities for the Iowa Primary Care Association and its related organizations INConcertCare, Inc. (INCC) and IowaHealth (IH ). INCC is a health information technology services organization serving community health centers (CHCs) in Iowa. IowaHealth is a clinically integrated network (CIN) of CHCCs in Iowa. Each CHC in the network is an independently governed and community led organization which has come together to form INCC and IH in order to better serve their mission and their patients.

The Director of EHR Optimization leads the optimization and use of Epic across Iowa’s member clinics. This leader:

• Oversees critical issue escalation to ensure Iowa health centers receive timely resolution from OCHIN, including coordinated system issues
• Ensures progress on EHR priority focus areas for optimization, including standardization across the network where it makes sense to maximize ROI
• Facilitates priorities alignment and collaboration across teams on EHR-related issues
• Enables the ready use of resources developed by the network and by health centers through online sharing and peer learning to reduce duplication and enhance efficiencies statewide.
• Build relationships with health center leaders to enable an understanding of local health center culture, build trust, and be viewed as a credible resource and connector.
• Coach and mentor team members so that they may grow professionally.

This leader is responsible for ensuring EHR optimization work is properly resourced and supported with the optimal capacity, skills and knowledge to execute work successfully. Additional responsibilities include serving as the central point of communication, maintaining a common vision, plan, and oversight across all areas of EHR optimization work.

Key Responsibilities

EHR Optimization – 80%

• Directs all aspects of EHR Optimization work, including planning, contracting, governance, staffing, budgeting, communications, integrations, implementation, training, and sustainability. Maintains and enhances the organizational culture of excellence and organizational values through this work.
• Develops and implements strategies to ensure robust data governance and data integrity to optimize value-based care within the network, and to drive evidence-based decision making.
• Serves as an escalation point and liaison between centers and OCHIN. Works with health center and INCC senior leadership to facilitate shared decision-making. Ensures OCHIN staff and INCC staff are working and communicating in alignment toward common goals.
• Acts as a change agent, advocating workflow and process change to maximize value of system functionality reducing exceptions from standard network best practices through governance, technical assistance, and collaboration across business units.
• Shares organizational, operational and technical knowledge and guidance with internal and external stakeholders. Effectively translates business requirements into technical requirements.
• Proactively facilitates organizational readiness, effective training, robust communication, and change management tactics in collaboration with network-wide committees, work groups, and the Board of Directors, ensuring engagement, understanding and buy-in from members.
• Coordinates with staff to build, lead, and/or direct existing or new work groups and advisory committees through all aspects of EHR optimization.
• Facilitates vendor contracting and execution with support from the Senior Leadership Team.
• Coordinates overall needs and direction with OCHIN Director of Network Success, outside consultants, and organization’s Senior Leadership Team.
• Develops relationships and coordinates execution with third party vendors supporting program integrations and ongoing support and communications.
• Manages the scope, cost, schedule, and quality of EHR Optimization work, including project status and success metrics, deliverables, documentation, risk management, and mitigations.
• Sets appropriate timelines and expectations for all members of the project team and health center community. Ensured work accountability, results, and outcomes.
• Develops and implements strategies for sustainability of change management, data governance, and advises funds flow and INCC business modeling.
• Develops long-term strategies to support performance management and value-based care through EHR governance and technology opportunities.
• Performs other duties as assigned by the Senior Director of Data and Technology.

Organizational Leadership – 20%

• Plans, prioritizes, summarizes, directs, and supervises staff, users and vendors for EHR systems and support functions with an emphasis on complete, accurate, compliant and secure systems.
• Prepares and recommends short- and long-term goals and objectives for EHR optimization and support functions and in support of the overall VBC and integrated health strategy.
• Assist Senior Director of Data & Technology on strategic planning and develops EHR optimization work plans in support of strategic goals. Develops and communicates EHR optimization key performance indicators and project statuses to the Senior Director of Data & Technology.
• Ensures that limitations and constraints (cost, time volumes, benefits, and risks) and controls (security, audit, operational) are considered, documented, and reported to the Senior Director of Data and Technology.
• In collaboration with Finance Team and the Senior Director of Data and Technology, develops capital and operating budgets for EHR optimization and demonstrates fiscal leadership and responsibility in utilizing resources.
• Initiates, recommends, and approves human resources actions including hiring, terminations, and disciplinary actions.
• Participates actively as a member of the Directors Leadership Team, collaborating with Directors and Team Leaders across the organization in developing leadership skills and ensuring operational excellence.
• Represents Iowa PCA externally as requested/appropriate on taskforces/committees/presentations that need a technical professional.

Supervisory Responsibilities

This position has supervisory responsibilities over the EHR Optimization Team. The following leadership expectations are required:

Qualifications/Experience

• Candidates with a combination of professional clinical licensure and experience will be considered. Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of experience in project management role leading a medium to large scale EHR software implementation.
• Experience with ambulatory Epic system required, experience with Wisdom and Willow preferred.
• Experience leading teams of individuals and demonstrated effectiveness as a leader.
• Epic Certification in one or more of the following subject areas preferred but not required: EpicCare Ambulatory, Resolute Professional Billing, Prelude and Cadence Registration and Scheduling, Healthy Planet.
• Clinical experience strongly preferred but not required. Ambulatory clinic revenue cycle and operations experience preferred but not required.
• Strong understanding of healthcare information systems and technology.

Why join us?

• The opportunity to make an impact on the healthcare of Iowans
• Hybrid work environment (2 days in office)
• Great benefits including affordable healthcare plans, dental, vision, 401K with employer match, generous PTO package, paid parental leave, life insurance, and education discounts

Iowa Primary Care Association Core Values

Accountable, Collaborative, Deliberate, Proactive, Respectful, Transformative

Learn more about the Iowa PCA at www.iowapca.org