Physician - Chief Health Informatics Officer

The Northern Arizona VA Health Care System is recruiting for a Physician - Chief Health Informatics Officer (CHIO). The incumbent is the expert in health informatics and steward of the intersection between health IT, health informatics, and clinical practice. Serving as the primary advisor to the executive leadership team, the CHIO is a strong agent for change, understands the needs of their professional counterparts, and the role informatics plays across the organization.

**Qualifications:**
To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation. 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. Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia. Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR (2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences. Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience: Advanced clinical background with current or recent direct patient care experience and strong understanding of care delivery in an acute and ambulatory setting. Prior leadership experience in a complex healthcare system, ideally within VHA or another large integrated delivery network, with familiarity with VA organizational structure and mission. Demonstrated ability to partner effectively with medical staff, nursing, pharmacy, and ancillary services to improve care delivery and patient outcomes. Health Informatics and EHR expertise Significant experience leading optimization and configuration of an enterprise EHR (e.g., VA EHR ecosystem/Oracle Cerner), including clinical decision support, order sets, and documentation workflows. Previous hands-on involvement in clinical workflow analysis, redesign, and process improvement projects that span multiple services or departments. Experience with application support and implementation of health IT tools, including testing, change control, and post-go-live stabilization. Proven ability to use data (metrics, dashboards, reports) to drive quality, safety, and access improvements, including visualizing and communicating complex data to clinical and executive audiences. Experience with population health analytics, clinical quality measures, and/or leveraging data for enterprise or service-line performance improvement. Familiarity with advanced analytics methods (e.g., statistical techniques, basic machine learning concepts, or AI-enabled decision support) in a clinically meaningful way. Experience in governance, change management, and education. Prior leadership of, or active participation in, informatics or EHR governance bodies, including developing policies, standards, and change control processes. Demonstrated success leading large-scale change management efforts related to clinical systems (e.g., new EHR functionality, major workflow changes, or enterprise rollouts). Experience designing and delivering provider-facing education and training programs that improve user adoption and satisfaction with clinical systems. Background in data governance, data integrity, privacy, and security principles, including stewardship of clinical information across multiple systems. Experience aligning informatics with regulatory/accreditation requirements and institutional policies related to documentation, data use, and patient safety. Track record of developing and executing a strategic vision for informatics or digital health that aligns with organizational goals. Strong history of collaboration with IT/OIT, quality/safety, finance, and other administrative leaders to plan and prioritize informatics initiatives and resources. Demonstrated ability to work in a matrixed environment, influence without direct authority, and build credibility with executive leadership and front-line staff. Experience leading multi-disciplinary project teams using formal project management methods (e.g., planning, implementation, evaluation of informatics projects). Prior supervisory experience over professional and/or technical staff, including responsibility for performance management, workforce development, and succession planning. Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: VA Handbook 5019/1, Part II, Pre-Placement Physical Examination and Evaluation.