Summary The incumbent is assigned to the Medical Staff Office, which is under the Chief of Staff at the Hampton VA Medical Center and is responsible for providing administrative and technical direction and support to the credentialing and privileging (C&P) operations. The C&P Specialist is aligned to and supervised by the C&P Manager. Responsibilities Duties include but are not limited to: The incumbent assists the C&P Manager/Analyst in developing short- and long-term goals necessary to accomplish the mission of the C&P program. Assists in identifying the resources necessary for accomplishing the mission and function of the credentials and privileging program. Serves as SME in the field of credentials and clinical privileging. Keeps leadership and appropriate administrative staff informed of program changes, new regulatory requirements, and policies and procedures pertaining to the C&P process. Assists C&P Manager/Analyst in drafting local credentialing processes and Medical Staff Bylaws in compliance with all applicable regulations. Receives and reviews correspondence and communications for the C&P function and determines which items require immediate attention and which are confidential in nature. Receives and reviews VetPro reports detecting problem areas requiring further investigation. Upon identification of a problem, researches reference materials, regulations, and standards to identify appropriate action necessary to correct the problem. Issues of a serious nature are elevated to the supervisor for guidance. Ensures accurate provider data is entered into and maintained in the VetPro computer program. Ensures current information is present on providers relative to state licensure, Drug Enforcement Organization (DEA) license, National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) Continuous Query (CQ) enrollments and renewals, Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), documentation of professional education, specialty medical training, certifications, adverse licensure or privileging actions, initial and renewal of privileges which may affect the status of privileges granted for medical practice. Informs C&P Manager/Analyst of trends identified, audit results and identified problems that may affect a provider's privilege status. Manages provider applications (initial and renewals) for LIPs C&P within the VAMC. Incumbent must have a broad knowledge of medical specialties and core privileges and is the technical advisor to clinical leadership for the development of department specific privileges and assures that complete documentation is available to support privileges granted to providers within their training and/or experience. Provides guidance and instruction to hospital staff in completing the required documentation of establishing privileges for LIPs. Upon receipt of individual credentials' files for review, incumbent ensures primary source verification to include, but not limited to, state licenses, DEA license, certifications, medical specialty training, and board certifications. Primary source verification includes, but may not be limited to, the American Medical Association, NPDB, state licensing agencies, specialty certification boards, universities, DoD and healthcare facilities. Serves as technical advisor to the Executive Committee of the Medical Staff (ECMS) and if applicable the Credentials Committee. Researches and reviews related literature and regulations to keep informed of current requirements in the credentials and privileging arena as they affect health care providers within the VAMC. Refers current issues, trends, problem areas as well as recommended program revisions to Credentials and Privileging functions through the C&P Manager/Analyst. Conducts final appointment into the VetPro database, after thoroughly researching, analyzing and validating all data, information, documents and signature authorities. Delegated authority to initiate requests for information to the National Practitioner Data Bank, and to respond to correspondence for requests for provider credentialing information from external entities in accordance with the System of Records Notice 77VA10E2E. Develops and provides routine and special reports as requested by the C&P Manager/Analyst. Composes correspondence requiring Clinical Service Chiefs, Chief of Staff and Medical Center Director signatures for privileging actions. Establishes and maintains a variety of files and records pertaining to the C&P process. Maintains confidentiality of information in accordance with the Privacy Act in releasing information. Manages, administers and assures accuracy, security and maintenance of operations of database systems. Provides quality control checks on data. Work Schedule: 8:00am-4:00pm Telework: VA supports the use of telework as a way to help attract and retain talented individuals in public service, increase worker productivity, and better prepare the agency to operate during emergencies. This position may be authorized for telework. Telework eligibility will be discussed during the interview process. Virtual: This is not a virtual position. Position Description/PD#: Health System Specialist/PD99876S Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not Authorized Critical Skills Incentive (CSI): Not Approved Permanent Change of Station (PCS): Not Authorized Requirements Conditions of Employment You must be a U.S. Citizen to apply for this job Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959 You may be required to serve a probationary period Subject to background/security investigation Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP) Participation in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program is a requirement for all Veterans Health Administration Health Care Personnel (HCP) - See "Additional Information" below for details. Qualifications To qualify for this position, applicants must meet all requirements by the closing date of this announcement, 09/20/2024. Time-In-Grade Requirement: Applicants who are current Federal employees and have held a GS grade any time in the past 52 weeks must also meet time-in-grade requirements by the closing date of this announcement. For a GS-09 position you must have served 52 weeks at the GS-07. The grade may have been in any occupation, but must have been held in the Federal service. An SF-50 that shows your time-in-grade eligibility must be submitted with your application materials. If the most recent SF-50 has an effective date within the past year, it may not clearly demonstrate you possess one-year time-in-grade, as required by the announcement. In this instance, you must provide an additional SF-50 that clearly demonstrates one-year time-in-grade. Note: Time-In-Grade requirements also apply to former Federal employees applying for reinstatement as well as current employees applying for Veterans Employment Opportunities Act of 1998 (VEOA) appointment. You may qualify based on your experience and/or education as described below: Specialized Experience: You must have one year of specialized experience equivalent to at least the next lower grade GS-07 in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization. Examples of specialized experience would typically include, but are not limited to: Missions, organizations, programs, and requirements of health care delivery systems; Regulations and standards of various regulatory and credentialing groups. Government-wide, agency, and facility systems and requirements in various administrative areas such as budget, personnel, and procurement. OR, Education: Applicants may substitute education for the required experience. To qualify based on education for this grade level you must have a Master's or equivalent graduate degree or 2 full years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to such a degree or LL.B. or J.D., if related. Major study must be in hospital administration, public health administration, or related fields such as business or public administration with course work in health care administration. OR, Combination: Applicants may also combine education and experience to qualify at this level. You must have an combination of specialized experience and education beyond 1 full year of graduate level education. You will be rated on the following Competencies for this position: Communications Compliance Quality Assurance Technical Competence Experience refers to paid and unpaid experience, including volunteer work done through National Service programs (e.g., Peace Corps, AmeriCorps) and other organizations (e.g., professional; philanthropic; religions; spiritual; community; student; social). Volunteer work helps build critical competencies, knowledge, and skills and can provide valuable training and experience that translates directly to paid employment. You will receive credit for all qualifying experience, including volunteer experience. Note: A full year of work is considered to be 35-40 hours of work per week. Part-time experience will be credited on the basis of time actually spent in appropriate activities. Applicants wishing to receive credit for such experience must indicate clearly the nature of their duties and responsibilities in each position and the number of hours a week spent in such employment. Physical Requirements: The work is mostly sedentary. Occasionally, light physical effort may be required, such as that involved with walking, stair climbing, and carrying of light office items. For more information on these qualification standards, please visit the United States Office of Personnel Management's website at https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/classification-qualifications/general-schedule-qualification-standards/. Education A transcript must be submitted with your application if you are basing all or part of your qualifications on education. Note: Only education or degrees recognized by the U.S. Department of Education from accredited colleges, universities, schools, or institutions may be used to qualify for Federal employment. You can verify your education here: http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/. If you are using foreign education to meet qualification requirements, you must send a Certificate of Foreign Equivalency with your transcript in order to receive credit for that education. For further information, visit: https://sites.ed.gov/international/recognition-of-foreign-qualifications/. Additional Information Receiving Service Credit or Earning Annual (Vacation) Leave: Federal Employees earn annual leave at a rate (4, 6 or 8 hours per pay period) which is based on the number of years they have served as a Federal employee. Selected applicants may qualify for credit toward annual leave accrual, based on prior work experience or military service experience. This credited service can be used in determining the rate at which they earn annual leave. Such credit must be requested and approved prior to the appointment date and is not guaranteed. This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies. Pursuant to VHA Directive 1193.01, VHA health care personnel (HCP) are required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 subject to such accommodations as required by law (i.e., medical, religious or pregnancy). VHA HCPs do not include remote workers who only infrequently enter VHA locations. If selected, you will be required to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and submit documentation of proof of vaccination before your start date. The agency will provide additional information regarding what information or documentation will be needed and how you can request a legally required accommodation from this requirement using the reasonable accommodation process. If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.