Interoperability Specialist

Company Overview :

With an annual budget of $2.3 billion and more than 7,000 employees throughout the five boroughs, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) is one of the largest public health agencies in the world, serving 8 million New Yorkers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. We're tackling a broad range of public health issues with innovative policies and programs and getting exceptional results, but our work is never finished. The breadth of our innovative programs provides the widest range of choices for every member of our team.

With grant funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), DOHMH is undertaking a new initiative that will meet critical infrastructure needs and make possible strategic investments that will have lasting effects on public health. Investments and improvements through this initiative will help modernize DOHMH's foundational capabilities and data infrastructure, enabling it to partner in complex health and health care environments and, in turn, support better public health outcomes, including COVID-19. This initiative supports larger efforts to rebalance investments in public health and more equitably serve communities and populations.

The selected candidate will be an employee of Public Health Solutions, a nonprofit organization which is the fiscal and administrative manager of the grant but will work be supervised by DOHMH. This is a grant-funded position ending in November 2027.

The mission of the Bureau of Immunization (BOI) is to prevent the occurrence and transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, influenza, human papillomavirus, and invasive pneumococcal disease, through immunization. To help ensure that all New Yorkers receive recommended vaccines, BOI maintains the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR), a database of immunizations reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Most immunizations in NYC are reported through the CIR's HL7 Web Service, which allows for real-time, bi-directional data exchange between immunizing providers' electronic health record (EHR) systems and the CIR.

We strongly encourage people to apply and contribute your diversity in thought, racial identity, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability status, veteran status, and / or LGBTQI status to enhance the work of the DOHMH and promote the health of all New Yorkers.

We welcome applicants who share the vision for a city where all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, where they are from or where they live. DOHMH extends this vision of wellness by providing every member of our team and prospective job applicants dynamic benefits : Benefits - NYC Health, and a robust Worksite Wellness program with a wide range of offerings. As a current or prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.

Summary of Position :

DOHMH has an opening for an Interoperability Specialist . The Interoperability Specialist will assist with improving interoperability between health IT systems and IIS. This role will report to the Interoperability Unit Chief.

DUTIES INCLUDE BUT NOT LIMITED TO :

• Onboard immunizing provider facilities for real-time, complete, and accurate reporting of emergency and routine vaccinations to the CIR.
• Collaborate with the Adult Immunization Unit to develop recruitment strategies and establish relationships with relevant partners to increase enrollment of adult immunizing facilities in the CIR.
• Run standard and ad-hoc queries to monitor the number and types of immunizing facilities enrolled and reporting to CIR and monitor reporting of emergency and routine vaccines administered to adults and children to the CIR; resolve reporting problems, e.g., interruptions in reporting or inaccurate data submissions.
• Implement bidirectional interfaces between providers' EHRs and the CIR to facilitate real-time access for providers to patient immunization records in the CIR and recommendations for emergency and routine vaccines based on CIR's immunization forecaster.
• Conduct analyses to identify gaps in data completeness and accuracy of immunization reporting as well as issues with the HL7 Web Service, e.g., spikes in message failures or connectivity problems.
• Collaborate with computer consultants and BOI staff to research, develop, test, and implement enhancements to the CIR's Health level 7 (HL7) Web Service to better align the national standards.
• Fulfill internal and external data requests and answer questions related to the HL7 Web Service connection and reporting requirements.
• Assist the Unit chief in determining goals and priorities for the Interoperability Unit based on directives from BOI leadership, changes in the national standards, and changes in national and local policies related to electronic exchange of health information.
• Participate in research activities designed to measure and improve CIR data quality, including preparation of abstracts, articles, or presentations for national, regional, and local publications, conferences and meetings.

Qualifications :

Additional Desired Qualities :

Benefits :

Additional Information :

At PHS, we place immense value on diversity within our teams, understanding that varied backgrounds and experiences significantly enhance our community and propel us toward our goals. If you find you don't have experience in all the areas listed above, we still encourage you to apply and share your background and experiences in your application. We are eager to discover how your unique perspective can bring positive transformations to our team and help advance our mission of creating healthier, more equitable communities.

We look forward to learning more about you!

PHS is proud to be an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications from women, people of color, persons with disabilities, LGBTQIA individuals, and veterans.

Monday-Friday, Remote

35 Hours per week

Salary : $2 - $96,971