Iowa HHS Health Economist

Job Description

The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is seeking an individual to serve as the Iowa HHS Health Economist (Data Scientist 1). This position will serve as the first Health Economist for Iowa HHS and will work collaboratively across all divisions within HHS and across state government entities to analyze and evaluate the Iowa healthcare system, including policies, reimbursement rates, access to healthcare, and health outcomes. The Health Economist will join the Data Privacy and Strategy Bureau within the Compliance Division.

The ideal candidate should be able to work confidently and independently with a number of agency datasets, statistical tools, and software.

This Position Will Have The Following Responsibilities

• Review public health and human services interventions and provide assessments of the cost effectiveness of varying policies and programs.
• Apply economic principals to determine the most efficient and cost effective ways to provide healthcare and public health services to all Iowans.
• Identify how healthcare resources are allocated across Iowa, including determining the appropriate allocation of doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, psychiatrists, psychologists, obstetricians, and other medical professionals throughout the state to ensure optimal access to care. Perform predictive analytics to assess how this allocation and these resources need to change over time.
• Conduct statistical research to analyze the short and long term impacts of a variety of health and living conditions on healthcare resource needs, healthcare professional allocation needs, and the impacts of these on the health outcomes of Iowans. Determine needs for the distribution of healthcare professionals across the state based on specialty.
• Understand the interrelationships between economics and biostatistics, epidemiology, public health and disease modeling. Based on this knowledge, produce data driven research regarding health services, systems and interventions.
• Use advanced math and computer skills to create analytical and statistical models with complex software programs using Iowa HHS and large publicly available datasets. Use economic theories to predict public and organizational responses to policy changes and incentives. Provide detailed input for econometric analyses of policy changes and interpret the statistical results.
• Recognize patterns in data and conduct predictive analytics to plan for future healthcare needs of Iowans. Recommend policy changes based on these analyses.
• Apply economic theories of consumer and provider choice to understand the behavior of individuals, health care providers, public and private organizations, and governments in decision-making.
• Monitor changing requirements for health economic data relating to the health care system, specifically concerning health promotion and protection through participation in national meetings.
• Recommend priorities for economic evaluations and policy assessments of healthcare and public health activities including strategies, programs, and process.
• Provide economic guidance and expertise on the health and economic consequences of alternative programs, policies, and legislative proposals affecting healthcare and public health programming
• Author manuscripts or technical reports reflecting the results of analysis projects and studies.
• Deliver presentations of results.
• Determine how changes in provider allocation across the state impacts health outcomes.
  
  

Following a successful onboarding period, this position will be classified as hybrid with a minimum of 2 days per week required in office at the Lucas State Office Building in Des Moines. Additional in office days may be required periodically to accommodate in-person meetings and events. The agency will consider relocation costs for the right candidate

Benefits

Working for the State of Iowa comes with its perks. In addition to a competitive salary, you'll enjoy a

comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being and professional growth:

• Health, Dental, and Vision Coverage: Health and dental insurance packages to keep you and
  
  

your family healthy at a low cost with outstanding coverage!

• Paid Time Off: Take time to recharge with paid time off, including vacation (96 hours/year to
  
  

begin, increasing with years of service), sick leave (144 hours/year), and paid holidays (9

days/year).

• Retirement Plans: Participate in retirement plans such as IPERS (employees contribute 6.29%
  
  

and the State of Iowa contributes 9.44%) as well as our Retirement Investors Club (RIC),

Employer Sponsored Retirement Plan (the State of Iowa matches dollar for dollar up to

$75/month).

• Flexible Spending Accounts: Take advantage of flexible spending accounts for medical and
  
  

dependent care expenses.

• Insurance Coverage: Benefit from life insurance and free long-term disability insurance for added peace of mind.
• Employee Assistance Program: Access resources and support through our Employee
  
  

Assistance Program for personal and professional challenges.

• Employee Discount Programs: Enjoy discounts on a variety of goods and services through our
  
  

employee discount programs.

For Additional Information On Benefits Click Here .

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Background Checks

Applicants will be required to complete a background check to be considered for this position.

The State of Iowa is an EEO/AA Employer

HHS values those with “lived experience” and encourages adults who were fostered as youth, foster parents, and/or parents who were in the DHS system to apply. Minorities, women, persons with disabilities and veterans are encouraged to apply (Hearing and Speech Impaired – Relay Iowa 1-800-735-2942 TDD).

Selectives

N/A

Minimum Qualification Requirements

Applicants must meet at least one of the following minimum requirements to qualify for positions in this job classification:

1 ) Graduation from an accredited four-year college or university with a degree in business analytics, economics, data science, statistics, mathematics, management information systems, or industrial management, and experience equal to three years of full-time work in business/data/statistical analytics, economic research, or data science.

• All of the following (a, b, and c):
• Three years of full-time work experience in business/data/statistical analytics, economic research, or data science; and
• A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience in business/data/statistical analytics, economic research, or data science, where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience.
• Possession of a professional certificate in data science, business analytics, or data analytics.
• All of the following (a, b, and c):
• One year of full-time work experience in business/data/statistical analytics, economic research, or data science; and
• A total of four years of education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where thirty semester hours of accredited college or university coursework in any field equals one year of full-time experience; and
• A total of two years of graduate-level education and/or full-time experience (as described in part a), where twenty-four semester hours of accredited graduate college or university coursework in business analytics, economics, data science, statistics, mathematics, management information systems, or industrial management equals one year of full-time experience.
• Current, continuous experience in the state executive branch that includes six months of full-time work as a Data Analyst 2.