INNOVATION SPECIALIST

Executive Service

INNOVATION SPECIALIST

Division of TennCare

Strategic Planning & Innovation

Nashville, TN

Salary: Minimum Monthly Salary $4,975/month TennCare compensation is equitable and will be based on education and experience for a qualified candidate in accordance with Department of Human Resources (DOHR) policy.

Closing Date: 05/13/2024

The Division of TennCare is dedicated to providing our employees with a hybrid work environment. All TennCare positions have a combination of work from home and work in the office, which varies by position, department, and business need. You may review the specific expectations with our hiring team.

This position requires a background check. Therefore, you may be required to provide information about your criminal history in order to be considered for this position.

Who we are and what we do:

TennCare is Tennessee's managed care Medicaid program that provides health insurance coverage to certain groups of low-income individuals such as pregnant women, children, caretaker relatives of young children, older adults, and adults with physical disabilities. TennCare provides coverage for approximately 1.7 million Tennesseans and operates with an annual budget of approximately $14 billion. It is run by the Division of TennCare with oversight and some funding from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). TennCare's mission is to improve the lives of Tennesseans by providing high-quality cost-effective care. To fulfill that purpose, we equip each employee for active participation and empower teams to communicate and worked collaboratively to improve organizational processes in order to make a difference in the lives our members. Because of the positive impact TennCare has on the lives of the most vulnerable Tennesseans, TennCare employees report that their work provides them with a sense of meaning, purpose, and accomplishment. TennCare leadership understands that employees are our most valuable resource and ensures professional and leadership development are a priority for the agency.

Job Overview:

The Innovation Specialist will support the Episodes of Care program within Tennessee's Health Care Innovation Initiative, in addition to other innovation projects under the Strategic Planning & Innovation division. The Innovation Specialist will be joining the dynamic Episodes of Care team, working alongside a close-knit group of individuals who actively brainstorm and collaborate on strategies to push forward value-based payment initiatives. The Innovation Specialist will need to work independently, communicate clearly, navigate uncertainty, and collaborate with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders, such as managed care organizations, contractors, provider and hospital associations, and other stakeholders within TennCare. The Innovation Specialist must also possess both quantitative and qualitative skills to support data analytics and policy research. The Innovation Specialist will contribute to thoughtful discussions and recommendations that shape state-wide policy and the agency's Delivery System Transformation initiatives.

Key Responsibilities:

• Works independently within an area of primary professional or technical expertise with minimal supervision.
• Coordinates with key stakeholders (e.g., various TennCare operations teams, TennCare's managed care organizations, hospital and provider associations, health care providers, etc.) to support the management of program requests and issues.
• Reviews the impact of potential changes to the clinical design of Episodes of Care and updates Episodes documentation when changes are made.
• Supports ongoing maintenance of technical documentation for the Episodes of Care program.
• Communicates clearly and respectfully with contractors, payers, and providers.
• Conducts analyses and investigations to resolve problems, generally without assistance.
• Advances the state's strategy for obtaining and measuring key stakeholder feedback regarding the Episodes of Care program.
• Analyzes the impact of implementing Episodes of Care and develops content for public consumption for state and national audiences.
• Provides ad-hoc support to the Innovation team, Strategic Planning & Innovation division, and executive leadership.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and either 1-2 years of work experience or relevant graduate level education. Work experience in health insurance, health care delivery, health policy, or health insurance regulation preferred but not required.
• Relevant Master's Degrees include Public Policy, Public Health, Health Policy, Health Care Administration, Business Administration or Economics (with a focus on health care or health insurance).
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office software including Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills. · Good presentation, questioning, and listening skills.
• Demonstrated time management skills and proven ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously while completing work within allocated time frames.
• Self-starter attitude with the capacity to work both independently and collaboratively.
• Experience with data visualization tools such as Tableau and data analytics using Excel
• Experience in health care delivery (e.g., hospital, physician practice, etc.)
• Experience with value-based payment systems
• Clinical experience (e.g., nursing, behavioral health, etc.)

Pursuant to the State of Tennessee's Workplace Discrimination and Harassment policy, the State is firmly committed to the principle of fair and equal employment opportunities for its citizens and strives to protect the rights and opportunities of all people to seek, obtain, and hold employment without being subjected to illegal discrimination and harassment in the workplace. It is the States policy to provide an environment free of discrimination and harassment of an individual because of that persons race, color, national origin, age (40 and over), sex, pregnancy, religion, creed, disability, veterans status or any other category protected by state and/or federal civil rights laws.