Health Systems Optimization Manager

We’re different. In a good way. In communities like ours, co-workers and patients are our friends and neighbors. Sometimes they are family. And we take care of each other like family. If you’re tired of the typical workplace grind, we have something very different in store for you. Reasonable hours, a devoted team, a commitment to improvement, and believing in the value of every person – whether employee or patient – are just a few of the qualities for which we’re known. We’re a human potential company. Join us and experience the difference of the Desert Sage Way. We can’t wait to meet you.

Desert Sage Health Centers believes in patient-focused care delivered through a caring team of competent and caring health care professionals. As a Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH), Desert Sage Health Centers prides itself in the quality of care it delivers to more than 7,800 annual patients at three health center site locations. Our integrated system emphasizes prevention, healthy living and is designed to reduce health care disparities and avoid unnecessary trips to emergency rooms or other more costly forms of care.

We are looking for an outgoing, compassionate, and hard working individual to join our administrative team! If Desert Sage Health Centers and the Health Systems Optimization Manager position seems like a good fit, then please take a few moments to submit your application! 
 

This position reports to the Quality and Development Director. 

Primary Responsibilities

Staff-Facing Optimization & Workflow Improvement (50%)

• Optimize and standardize use of key applications (including EHR, EDR, digital intake, patient portal, etc.) used at the health center
  • Develop reports and monitor key metrics
  • Build and maintain strong relationships with leaders and staff across departments
  • Identify and address common pain points such as documentation burden, inbox overload, and inefficiencies in clinical workflows.
  • Exercise discretion in interpreting data, prioritizing enhancements, and balancing competing stakeholder needs.
  • Provide consultative guidance to DSHC leadership and managers to develop optimization plans and projects for key applications.
  • Facilitate improvement initiatives using structured QI methods to drive high-impact change.

• Research and implement best practices for efficient application use, utilizing resources from HITEQ, Idaho Community Health Center Association, etc.
• Develop clear, accessible training materials to promote best practices and established standards for consistency in application use, including onboarding training for new staff
• Lead initiatives to improve revenue capture through better documentation workflows, coding support, and encounter closure practices.

Patient Experience & Engagement (30%)

•  Improve patient-facing digital experiences, including portal usability, self-check-in processes, and communication tools.
•  Design and implement outreach and automation strategies for appointment reminders, quality measure campaigns, and follow-up communications.
• Partner with internal teams to simplify digital communications and improve patient understanding and use of online tools.
• Analyze patient engagement data to inform system-level changes and application customizations.

Project & Committee Leadership (15%)

• Lead the Health Information Technology Committee to prioritize application improvements and maintain momentum on system initiatives.
• Leads cross-functional project teams, sets timelines, and independently drives implementation strategies
• Manage vendor relationships for key applications (including EHR, EDR, digital intake, etc.) to ensure timely implementation of system updates and resolution of escalated issues.
• Oversee the rollout of enhancements or new modules, ensuring successful testing, training, and post-launch support.
• Serves as the organization’s HIPAA Security Officer, ensuring information security and auditing systems to check for vulnerabilities

Strategic Alignment & Change Management (5%)

• Serves as an internal  change leader, aligning digital application improvements with the health center’s strategic priorities including access, quality, financial sustainability, and operational efficiency.
• Serve as a change agent across the organization, building ownership, facilitating collaboration, and providing hands-on support during transitions.
• Develop and disseminate reports for project management and health center compliance

QUALIFICATIONS

Minimum Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in project management, computer science, healthcare administration, or related field
• PMP or related project management credential preferred.
• 3+ years of experience with clinical application optimization in a healthcare setting (athena preferred)
• Experience using clinical application analytics or reporting features (e.g., audit logs, productivity metrics, user adoption reports)
• Ability to extract and manipulate data sets and create Excel pivot tables and similar tools from EHR or related systems to support process improvement or training
• Ability to act with minimal supervision and make strategic and operational decisions on behalf of the organization within the scope of the job description.
• Proven ability to lead strategic projects, create accountability systems for those projects, and evaluate competing priorities in a complex healthcare environment
• Demonstrated success leading quality improvement initiatives using structured QI methodologies - Experience designing and delivering effective training and change support
• Experience leading new software implementation and optimization.
• Proven ability to simplify and document technical processes in a way that supports consistent user behavior across teams

Benefits include paid holidays, vacation, health and dental insurance. Salary is DOE.

Desert Sage Health Centers provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.