Application Manager / Team Lead Epic

 

My name is Christine Cohane and I am a Career Advisor with Vitalize Consulting Solutions in Boston.  We specialize in placing Healthcare IT professionals as well as Clinical Informatics professionals on a temp, temp to perm and perm basis nationwide. The following position is a permanent position in a huge hospital in CA (LA):

 

JOB TITLE: Application Manager/Team Lead

REPORTS TO:  Health System Director, EIS      

 

JOB SUMMARY:

The Link Application Manager / Team Lead is responsible for leading a configuration team to the on-time, on-budget implementation of the EpicCare inpatient system.  The position reports to the Project Manager/Director.  The candidate will have a deep understanding of hospital operations, ideally in an academic medical center setting, as well as experience in the full implementation lifecycle of an inpatient clinical electronic medical records system.  This position requires the ability to communicate with multiple stakeholders including project leadership, clinicians and technical staff.  The team lead must be a champion for the project across the institution and serve as a positive role model for encouraging others to embrace operational changes associated with the EpicCare implementation

 

The Application Manager/ Team Lead serves as a primary point of contact and liaison with managers and staff who are the end-users and customers of Link, and provides guidance to establish a high level of customer service and proactive advice to the customer regarding Link. 

 



ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

The Application Manager / Team Leader is the primary support contact and coordinates all questions and issues that arise from assigned Application Coordinators, clinical operations leadership and staff during the project for his/her assigned application area(s). In addition to the duties discussed above, the Application Manager / Team Lead is responsible for managing assigned Application Coordinators and for the following:

 

Application Team Management

· Plans and manages the day-to-day activities of an application coordinator team including prioritization of activities and creation of meeting plans

· Ensures completion of major tasks and milestones as identified in the project plan

· Coordinates with Epic software vendor counterparts to resolve issues and audit integrity of the system build

· Prepares summary team status reports and reviews with Project Manager

· Works closely with team members to resolve project issues.  Understands how to assess project risks and knows when to elevate issues/ risks to project leadership

· Ensure high quality of deliverables as identified through the system design and configuration process so that:

· Assures that activities of one team do not adversely impact activities of another team

· Takes action to assure that changes are combined when appropriate to avoid duplicate effort

· Supervises thorough testing to minimize problems at Go Live

· Facilitates achievement of concensus by multiple stakeholders on difficult system design decisions that have operational impacts

· Communicates complex system configuration issues to clinical staff in appropriate terminology to facilitate optimal decision making.  Likewise, candidate has the ability to translate operational business requirements into system configuration terminology

· Works collaboratively and effectively with multiple peer counterparts on the EpicCare team and others in the Health System.

 Application Analysis

· Supervises the analysis of data conversion needs.

· Evaluates information regarding potential system enhancement needs and takes appropriate action.

· Analyzes new functionality in new releases to establish recommendations on whether or how it should be used. 

· Identifies ways to make necessary improvements in the project plan to accomplish work efficiently  and effectively.

Application Project Planning / Coordination

· Establishes change control procedures for the system.

· Shares with other Application Leads, including but not limited to, data and category lists.

· Sets standards for naming and numbering conventions and security classifications.

· Ensures that critical interfaces and conversions for respective applications meet business needs, both for ongoing interfaces and one-time data conversions.

· Identifies and organizes resolution of system issues which have an enterprise-wide impact on the project.

· Acquires and maintains knowledge currency of organizational processes, policies, procedures and business operations knowledge related to the project.

· Makes business and clinical process enhancement decisions based on all relevant input.

· Assures project plan milestones are met through development and implementation of resolution strategies.

 

Application Build/Configuration/Implementation

· Directs the population of application databases during the initial system build.

· Assures effective and efficient problem resolution strategies are implemented.

· Prioritizes system changes and software updates in collaboration with other application leads.

· Supervises unit testing of each new release and communicating needed changes to Epic before release to the production environment.

· Assures the team accomplishes tasks on time according to the project plan.

· Exercises independent judgment.

· Functions effectively in a fast paced environment and meet goals of timeliness and quality.



Project Support

· Works collaboratively with the Training Manager to assure application training is accurate and complete.  

· Participates actively in live and post-live support including but not necessarily limited to training, issues management, follow up communication, and application changes.



Communication

· Articulates accurately and completely the choices in application specifications.

· Reviews the status of the project plan at frequent intervals with the team. 

· Informs the Project leadership when tasks are not able to be completed in the designated time frame.

· Participates in project meetings.

· Maintains confidentiality of material and information.

 MINIMUM JOB REQUIREMENTS/COMPETENCIES:

· Bachelors Degree required

· Six years of progressive IT experience or a combination of  education and experience in an IT environment

· Epic implementation experience

· Experience leading and motivating staff

· Understanding of health care industry service delivery processes, preferably in an Academic Medical Center

· Demonstrated ability to develop creative solutions to complex problems

· Strong communication skills – written and verbal

· Excellent organizational and skills

· Strong facilitation skills

· An understanding of computer system capabilities to address process requirements

· Skilled in Microsoft Office products including MS Project, Visio and PowerPoint

· Epic certification in application preferred

· Clinical or healthcare operations experience preferred (e.g. nursing, lab or radiology operations, etc.)

· Experience managing multiple assignments simultaneously preferred

· Energetic with strong desire to learn preferred.