HEALTH TECH (TELEHEALTH CLINIC

The Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) - Advanced provides high level support, training, and advanced management of telehealth operations and is typically stationed at a clinical care delivery site with duties that will require travel for cross coverage of sites. Primary responsibilities of the incumbent include: delivering established telehealth competency based training for clinicians and telehealth staff members.

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: Dental assistants must be proficient in spoken and written English.
• Education and/or Experience:
  • 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,
  • Education. Four academic years above high school leading to a bachelor's degree with courses related to the occupation.
  • Experience/Education Combination. Equivalent combinations of experience and education are qualifying.
• 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 and meet the criteria).

Grade Determinations:
Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) Advanced

Experience. At least 1 year of experience at the next lower grade level that demonstrates the core competencies described at that level. In addition, the candidate must demonstrate the following technical KSAs :

1. Ability to use independent technical judgment to analyze, evaluate and resolve problems.
2. Knowledge of quality control and assurance procedures and principles of performance improvement.
3. Ability to function effectively between competing priorities.
4. Knowledge of proper maintenance and troubleshooting of telehealth equipment.
5. Ability to work with a team to provide technical guidance, plan, organize and coordinate activities of a health technician in order to effectively complete job duties of assignment such as distributing workload, monitoring the status and progress of work, monitoring accuracy of work.
6. Ability to assist in Health Technician (Telehealth Clinical) development, outcome management and strategic planning.
7. Ability to perform successful knowledge transfer regarding the use of telehealth technologies.

Preferred Experience: Prior Telehealth Clinical Technician (TCT) 6 months or more.

References: VA HANDBOOK 5005/46, PART II, APPENDIX G50

The full performance level of this vacancy is GS-07.

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019.

Responsibilities:

Major duties include, but are not limited to the following:

- Coordinating, installing, maintaining and managing the inventory of telehealth technologies including hardware and software with assistance of Biomed and IT;
- Providing established standardized competency based training, guidance and information on the use of advanced telehealth technologies to patients, staff, and providers;
- Participating in performance improvement activities aimed at improving the efficiency of the patient telehealth processes;
- Developing reporting procedures, sampling techniques and measurements at various points in the telehealth processes to identify/analyze inherent weaknesses in work and procedures;
- Coordinating clinic set up and monitoring of workload capture and issues for assigned patient and provider clinics including telehealth resource based scheduling;
- Supporting designated complex telehealth programs that require advanced technical skillsets'.

Full performance level assignments associated with this position include, but are not limited to:

- Preparing the clinical environment, which may include preparing medical and telecommunications equipment to be used for clinical examination and treatment;
- Serving as a telepresenter, 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 manager of clinical data 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 the cleaning of clinical equipment and the care environment while following all patient safety guidelines, protocols, and procedures;
- 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 inter-facility telehealth appointments using an electronic resource-based scheduling system;
- Referring patients to providers for screening for Telehealth;
- Monitoring and maintaining schedules of rooms, patients, technologies, clinical providers and presenters as needed to ensure efficient telehealth operations;
- Providing patient education.
- Communicating effectively with clinical and administrative staff at the assigned local site and those located at remote sites of care;
- Coordinating and. or directly configuring, installing, troubleshooting, inventory management, cleaning, and performing minor routine maintenance of assigned telehealth technology;
- Ensuring assigned telehealth technologies are secured, ready for use, and accounted for by preparing and tracking maintenance work orders, information systems, inventory records, and communicating with National Telehealth Technology Help Desk to facilitate troubleshooting, repair, and coordination of replacement equipment as necessary.
- Providing education and training to Veterans, clinical 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;

Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
Telework: Not available
Virtual: This is not a virtual position.
Functional Statement #: 03625F
Relocation/Recruitment Incentives: Not authorized
Financial Disclosure Report: Not required