Summary

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) supports the provision of patient care using telehealth technologies which increase a Veteran's access to care and support a Veteran's self-management. This includes developing and delivering virtual and digital technologies which help Veterans communicate synchronously and asynchronously with their health care teams and coordinate - track and manage their health care. This position is located at the South Jordan Community Based Outpatient Clinic (CBOC).

Qualifications

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
• English Language Proficiency: A candidate will not be appointed under authority of 38 U.S.C. chapters 73 or 74 - to serve in a direct patient-care capacity in VHA who is not proficient in written & spoken English
• See chapter 2 - section D - paragraph 5a - this part
• Experience & Education: (1) Experience
• One year of experience in a health care field that demonstrates the applicant's ability to perform the work or provides an understanding of the work such as but not limited to a medical or clinical assistant (or technician) or health technician
• OR (2) Education
• Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation
• OR (3) Experience/Education Combination
• Equivalent combination of experience & education are qualifying for entry level for which both education & experience are acceptable
• Examples are listed below: (a) Six months of experience in the health care field & two years of education above high school that included at least six semester hours in health care related courses such as - biological science - surgical technician courses - nursing assistant or other courses related to the position
• or an associate's degree in a health care related field
• OR (b) Six months of experience in the health care field & successful completion of a course for health care technicians - hospital corpsmen - or medical service specialists given by the U.S. Armed Forces
• Certification
• None May qualify based on being covered by the Grandfathering Provision as described in the VA Qualification Standard for this occupation (only applicable to current VHA employees who are in this occupation & meet the criteria)
• All Health Technicians (Telehealth Clinical) employed in VHA in this occupation on the effective date of this qualification standard 2/7/2018 are considered to have met all qualification requirements for the title - series - & grade held
• For employees who do not meet all the basic requirements required in this standard - but who met the qualifications applicable to the position at the time they were appointed to it - the following provisions apply
• Grade Determinations: In addition to the basic requirements for employment - the following criteria must be met when determining the grade of candidates
• Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) - GS-5 (Entry Level) Experience or Education: None beyond the basic requirements
• Assignment
• This is an entry level position
• It is expected that the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) receive guidance from more experienced staff members & require frequent & direct supervision
• Assignments associated with this position include - but are not limited to - schedule telehealth appointments using an electronic scheduling system
• obtain & document patient history & pertinent clinical information in electronic medical records
• prepares the telehealth room where the Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) readies the equipment for examination - establishes video conferencing connection - makes introductions between patient site & provider site
• monitors & maintains electronic schedule of rooms - patients - technologies - & presenters
• administers the patient satisfaction survey
• cleans & performs minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology
• Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) - GS-6 (Full Performance Level) Experience
• One year of experience equivalent to the next lower grade level Demonstrated Knowledge - Skills - & Abilities (KSA)
• In addition to the experience above - the candidate must demonstrate all of the following KSAs
• (a) Comprehensive knowledge of computer systems & programs to perform a variety of tasks
• (b) Ability to communicate - consult - & interact with other members of the healthcare team - external relations - customer service & patient education
• (c) Ability to provide & receive guidance & technical direction
• (d) Ability to plan - organize - set priorities - work as a team member - & effectively complete assignments
• (e) Ability to read - interpret - & apply complex written instructions
• (f) Knowledge of general clinical policies & procedures in a healthcare environment
• (g) Skilled in the use of telehealth technologies for the facilitation of telehealth clinical encounters
• Assignment
• This is considered the full performance level for this assignment
• The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) performs a full range of duties & is responsible for day-to-day operation of the Connected Care Services
• Assignments at this level include - but are not limited to - screening patients for Telehealth modality & referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care
• communicating effectively with administrative & professional staff - & obtaining assistance for issues that may arise or backlogs that cannot be resolved in a timely manner
• Responsible for performing imaging duties in accordance with VHA national telehealth guidelines such as: capture & transmission of clinical images &/or data - obtains consent as necessary - generates consults according to established procedures for each telehealth specialty - transmits images or clinical data to the electronic medical record - provides patient education regarding general anatomy - disease processes & prevention as appropriate - & takes appropriate action based on the providers' findings & recommendations
• Responsible for facilitation of real-time Telehealth encounters by providing hands on assistance & reporting clinical observations under the direction of a licensed independent Practitioner or clinical specialist
• schedules - confirms & coordinates Telehealth services between internal & external VA & non-VA sites
• analyzes own work flow to determine potential problem areas & recommends corrective action to improve coordination between various units/facilities
• has regular contact with the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues - equipment needs - problems - data collection & any other logistical issues
• responsible for conducting routine inventories & consistently tracking location/status of Telehealth technology located at assigned site
• & communicates with National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting - repair - & coordination of replacement equipment as necessary
• Reference: For more information on this qualification standard - please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationSt&ards/
• The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-6. The actual grade at which an applicant may be selected for this vacancy is in the range of GS-5 to GS-6. Physical Requirements: The work requires some physical exertion such as prolonged periods of standing - bending - reaching - crouching - stooping - stretching - & lifting moderately heavy items such as manuals - record boxes - equipment or assisting patients
• The work requires above average agility & dexterity
• May be required to travel between VA &/or Non-VA clinical care sites & possession of a valid driver's license may be required.

Duties

• Total Rewards of a Allied Health Professional Preparing the clinical environment - which may include preparing medical and telecommunications equipment to be used for clinical examination and treatment
• Serving as a tele presenter within scope of practice during clinical video telehealth (CVT) and VA Video Connect (VVC) encounters including tasks such as establishing and maintaining video conferencing connections - making introductions between patient site and provider site - following instructions of a clinician to facilitate an effective clinical encounter
• Serving as an imager and clinical data manager for store and forward telehealth (SFT) clinical encounters including tasks such as capturing images - collecting data and transmitting them electronically for clinical review in accordance with VHA national guidelines
• Taking measures to ensure patient care is delivered safely by following appropriate procedures for inventory management - cleaning of clinical equipment and the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines - protocols - and procedures
• Completing standardized clinical questionnaires and templates within scope of training and applicable guidelines
• Ensuring that patient privacy is protected by complying with all information security and patient privacy regulations
• Receiving and scheduling requests for simple and complex intra-facility - and interfacility telehealth appointments using an electronic resource-based scheduling system
• Screening patients for Telehealth modality and referring patients that do not meet established criteria to appropriate care
• Monitoring and maintaining schedules of rooms - patients - technologies - clinical providers and presenters as needed to ensure efficient telehealth operations
• Providing patient education via approved materials
• Supporting the Veteran in completing patient satisfaction surveys
• Communicating effectively with clinical and administrative staff at the assigned local site and those located at remote sites of care
• Configuring - installing - troubleshooting - cleaning - and performing minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology
• Ensuring assigned telehealth technologies are managed appropriately to include inventory - secure - ready for use - and accounted for by preparing and tracking maintenance work orders - information systems - inventory records - and communicating with the National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting - repair - and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary
• Providing established education and training to Veterans - staff and providers on the use of telehealth technologies and serving as a point of contact to answer questions and address concerns related to these technologies
• Maintaining knowledge of and skill in applying an extensive body of rules - procedures - and operations in telehealth-related technologies and a variety of computer hardware and software used for telecommunications - data entry and retrieval - record maintenance - document and report generation
• Maintaining regular contact with other staff members and the Facility Telehealth Coordinator to work out process issues - equipment needs - problems - data collection and any other logistical issues
• Arranging and completing test video calls with Veterans to prepare the Veterans for clinical encounters using telehealth technologies
• Ensuring information and resources are maintained for local and remote telehealth providers so they can effectively execute contingency and emergency plans
• Completing other duties as assigned
• Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Authorized Paid Time Off: 37-50 days of annual paid time offer per year (13-26 days of annual leave - 13 days of sick leave - 11 paid Federal holidays per year)Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual - based on prior [work experience] or military service experience
• Parental Leave: After 12 months of employment - up to 12 weeks of paid parental leave in connection with the birth - adoption - or foster care placement of a child
• Child Care Subsidy: After 60 days of employment - full time employees with a total family income below $144 -000 may be eligible for a childcare subsidy up to 25% of total eligible childcare costs for eligible children up to the monthly maximum of $416.66
• 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) Telework: Not Available Virtual: This is not a virtual position
• Functional Statement #: GS-5 58996A - GS-6 58997A Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized