Healthcare Application Analyst III - Information Systems - Full-Time

Kern Medical has been a community cornerstone since its founding in 1867. Today, we are an acute care teaching center with 222 beds, offering the only advanced trauma care between Fresno and Los Angeles. Kern Medical offers a range of primary, specialty, and multi-specialty services including high-risk pregnancy care, inpatient psychiatric services integrated with county mental health programs, and a growing network of outpatient clinics providing personalized patient-centered wellness care. Kern Medical cares for 15,500 inpatients and 125,000 clinic patients a year.

Career Opportunities within Kern Medical include many benefits such as:

• New Hire Premium: +6% of base rate of pay, matched up to 6% if contributed to Deferred Compensation Plan.
• A Comprehensive Benefits Package: includes Holidays, Paid Time Off, Retirement, Medical, Dental, Vision and Life Insurance.

Position: Healthcare Application Analyst III - Information Systems - Full-Time

Compensation

The estimated pay for this position is $51.8345 to $69.6614 The rates shown include a 6% premium pay (base= $-$ plus 6%). This reflects only a portion of the total compensation package for this position. Additional compensation may be available for this role through differentials, incentives, and bonuses. In addition, this position may be eligible for participation and company contributions into the Kern County Employees’ Retirement Plan.

Definition

Under direction, analyzes, plans, organizes and coordinates the Healthcare Information System (HIS) applications and other related hospital healthcare systems in the hospital.

Distinguishing Characteristics

This specification represents the flexible classification of Healthcare Application Analyst I/II/III. Incumbents are required to have comprehensive hospital/healthcare information systems knowledge, experience and technical ability to implement and support an integrated hospital-based information system in assigned application areas of General Healthcare, Decision Support Systems, Clinical Management and Financial Systems. The II level is distinguished from the I level in that the latter performs more responsible, complex assignments in all phases of HIS applications requiring minimal direction. The III level is distinguished from the II level in that level III performs the most complex assignments based on years of experience within the HIS applications and proven performance level evidenced on the job. Promotion to Level II and Level III is based on recommendation of the department head and approval of the Director of Personnel.

Essential Functions

• Analyzes, plans, organizes, coordinates, implements and installs systems and related application software in assigned areas; coordinates applicable and responsible hospital resources during the installation and upgrade processes.
• Provides HIS and reporting expertise to address information needs relevant to hospital management and HIS users.
• Maintains comprehension of current hospital pre-admission, admission, outpatient registration, coding and patient processing practices and procedures.
• Ensures that all application software updates and fixes are installed, tested and implemented in a timely manner through software support tools for the assigned area based systems.
• Assumes primary responsibility for troubleshooting, documenting, reporting and resolving application problems of assigned applications and systems and serves as the liaison between hospital users and appropriate vendor support personnel when additional product expertise is required.
• Coordinates the assessment and development of the needs and requirements of an integrated hospital information system and reporting mechanism in collaboration with hospital user departments and available hospital systems and tools, e.g. Structured Query Language (SQL) ODBC, and CCL.
• Monitors installation, upgrade and work order progress and costs.
• Communicates and coordinates activities with the IT Applications Manager and staff concerning work priorities and project deadlines.
• Develops criteria for ensuring data base integrity and maintains system security. Monitors and addresses all data integrity, validity, and security issues and develops recommendations to resolve these issues.
• Provides ongoing training, guidance and support to the assigned application users in the hospital environment; educates users to the capability of the applications for more efficient use of the computer information systems.
• Interacts with other HIS analysts to ensure effective integration of source systems, imaging, interface management tools, data repository systems, and with decision support applications to fully respond to reporting requirements according to assigned responsibilities.
• Coordinates with other HIS staff to ensure proper utilization, availability and operations of the assigned HIS areas of interface engine and data repository, decision support, financial and related systems; monitors hardware resource use to ensure adequate equipment levels.
• Keeps current of developments in computerized hospital information systems, tools (CCL, Discern Visual Developer, DA2,, security, spreadsheets, SQL, HL7, etc.) regulatory requirements and hospital data needs and requirements.
• Develops and promotes working relationships with clinicians, revenue cycle, and ancillary staffs to assist understanding and develop solutions to their information systems needs.
• Ensures that adequate documentation exists for using and maintaining user developed and vendor provided HIS, financial and related systems applications, processes, reports, and routines.
• Orients hospital personnel to the HIS, decision support, financial, clinical and related systems and their impact on hospital operations.
• Develops, leads and participates in applicable internal HIS user groups to cultivate information sharing, user feedback for system enhancements, and reports coordination.
• Recognizes and identifies the need for the modification and development of policies and procedures.

Level III Only

• Serves as a lead to include assigning and monitoring work, training employees on work methods, and providing direction; may supervise staff which may include collaborating with management on performance related matters.
• Assists in mentoring, training, and development of other Patient Access staff; serves as a resource to staff for questions and problem solving.

Other Functions

• Performs other job-related duties as required.

In Addition To Above Functions

Option II: Essential Functions are inclusive of the General Healthcare Option and the following Essential Functions.

• Provides hospital-based data Clinical Support Systems expertise to address information needs relevant to hospital management and physicians to develop complex reports and databases through decision support applications and applets, report writing tools, spreadsheet software, statistical reporting tools, database systems and user training.
• Works closely with physicians, and clinical staff to understand their data reporting needs in order to translate them into readily available information through the applicable systems and user training.
• Works closely with and guides the users and HIS staff in planning and implementing tables, parameters, and master files to guarantee proper classification of patients and patient data for reporting, analysis, billing, and statistical purposes.
• Provides HIS representatives support, project management and ongoing expertise in the implementation of EMRs, Clinical Decision support systems, and clinical systems.
• Keeps current with ICD9 coding, CPT4 coding, AP-DRG coding, JCAHO requirements, ORYX reporting and other government and regulatory reporting and coding requirements affecting patient data coding, collection and reporting.
• Keeps current on industry trends and developments related to clinical automated systems and process

Option III: Essential Functions are inclusive of the General Healthcare Option and the following Essential Functions.

• Provides financial system and reporting expertise to address information needs relevant to hospital management and Financial System users.
• Stays current with applicable federal and state regulations to monitor and implement regulatory changes under Medi-Cal, Medicare, HIPAA, Champus and other government medical insurance programs.

Option III

• Provides knowledge and guidance to users to implement processes and procedures related to hospital-based budget and cost accounting functions and used with Decision Support systems.
• Keeps current with ICD9 coding, CPT4 coding, AP-DRG coding, HIPAA, TJA requirements, ORYX reporting and other government and regulatory reporting and coding requirements affecting patient data coding and reporting.
• Provides guidance to the users of the financial applications in the use of the tables, parameters and master files related to all financial applications, specifically human resources, hospital-based budget and cost accounting functions, general ledger, claim processing parameters and Service Item Master and Financial Item Master tables to ensure an accurate financial data reporting and billing system.
• Maintains an understanding of installed non-financial applications and how they interact with the financial applications.
• Provides guidance to the various users of HIS applications and applications interacting with other non-KMC systems through direct interface or Electronic Data Interchanges (EDI).

Employment Standards

Level III: Graduation from an accredited college or university with a bachelor’s degree in public, business, or healthcare administration, management information systems, computer science or nursing.

AND

Six (6) years of paid experience in the utilization of data processing principles and techniques in a healthcare environment which includes, systems and procedures analysis, project management, systems support, or coordinating the data processing operations, inclusive of: Option 1: Cerner Millennium hospital Information System or any equivalent hospital information system. Option II: Cerner Millennium clinical decision support applications or any equivalent healthcare Clinical Support System. Option III: Cerner Millennium financial decision support applications or any equivalent Financial application system in a healthcare environment.

OR

Completion of two (2) years of college or graduation from an accredited program in management information systems, computer science.

AND

Eight (8) years of paid experience in the utilization of data processing principles and techniques in a healthcare setting which include systems and procedures analysis, project management, systems support, or coordinating the data processing operations inclusive of Option 1: Cerner Millennium hospital Information System or any equivalent hospital information system. Option II: Cerner Millennium clinical decision support applications or any equivalent healthcare Clinical Support System. Option III: Cerner Millennium financial decision support applications or any equivalent Financial application system in a healthcare environment.

OR

Ten (10) or more years of progressively responsible paid experience in the utilization of data processing principles and techniques in a healthcare setting which includes implementation systems and procedures analysis, project management, systems support, or coordinating the data processing operations inclusive of: Option I: Cerner Millennium hospital Information System or any equivalent hospital information system. Option II: Cerner Millennium clinical decision support applications or any equivalent healthcare Clinical Support System. Option III: Cerner Millennium financial decision support applications or any equivalent Financial application system in a healthcare environment.

Knowledge Of

Principles and methods of programming, report generation tool; principles and techniques of data communications between hospital application systems; systems and procedures analysis; electronic data processing and relational principles, techniques and capabilities, including office automation, mini and personal computers; principles of healthcare organizations and management; hospital information system applications and capabilities; patient processing and clinical systems; statistical gathering, processing and reporting; healthcare coding methodologies and billing practices; hospital/healthcare financial services processes and procedures; hospital or clinic based patient accounting, payroll, patient processing and medical records processes and procedures, principles of project management.

Ability To

Understand and apply the principles of programming; utilize report generation tools; data communication processes; conduct systems and procedures analyses and feasibility studies; plan and direct the work of others; develop and maintain working relationships with physicians, nurses and ancillary staff; communicate orally and in writing with people of various professional, vocational and educational backgrounds.

Supplemental

A background check may be required for this classification.

All Kern Medical employees are designated “Disaster Service Workers”. In the event of a disaster or civil disorder, all Kern Medical employees are to remain at work or to report to work in a safe and practicable manner.

If position responsibilities require driving a personal vehicle, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s License and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.

If position responsibilities require driving a vehicle owned, leased or rented by Kern Medical, then possession of a current valid California Driver’s license, a signed authorization for Release of Drivers Record Information and adherence to the Kern County Hospital Authority Vehicle Use and Driving Standard Policy (ENG-EC-119) is required.