Regional Supervisor

TX-HHSC-DSHS-DFPS • Houston, TX

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

DSHS is committed to hiring skilled and dedicated individuals who share a passion for public health to pursue our vision of A Healthy Texas. If you are looking to make an impact and tackle new challenges, we encourage you to consider a career with us.

Employee Benefits:
DSHS offers insurance coverage and other benefits available through the State of Texas Group Benefits Plan administered by the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS). To learn more about all the benefits available to you as a DSHS employee and other DSHS opportunities for early career pathways, visit the DSHS Careers Page.
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Performs highly advanced managerial, administrative, consultative, and technical work in planning, developing, implementing, evaluating, coordinating, directing, and analyzing the regional operations of an active birth defects surveillance program (the Texas Birth Defects Registry) in the assigned Public Health Region(s). Educates and coordinates with medical providers and medical facility administrators to ensure knowledge and understanding of, and cooperation with, the purpose and objectives of the program and to ensure complete, timely, and accurate ascertainment and abstraction of birth defect cases. Performs highly advanced administrative, consultative, and technical work required in directing and facilitating birth defects data collection. Analyzes, plans, recommends and oversees implementation of techniques, standards, policies, and procedures in directing regional birth defects surveillance activities. Plans, assigns, monitors, supervises, and evaluates the work of regional program staff. Consults with other program staff on statewide program planning and the establishment of statewide program goals and objectives. Participates in epidemiological studies and other special projects. Works under limited direction from the Registry Operations Manager with extensive latitude for the use of initiative and independent judgment.

Requirements

• Knowledge of the principles and practices of modern management, supervision, and interdisciplinary collaboration; of organizational structure, administrative process, and program expectations; of medical terminology, human anatomy, human physiology, obstetrics, and/or neonatology; of ICD-9, ICD-10, ICD-0, or other disease/medical procedure coding system; of medical procedures especially those relating to pregnancy, labor/delivery, and/or neonates/infants; of the medical records setting and procedures; of data collection and retrieval methods, database management, and quality assurance/control principles and procedures; and of the principles and practices of public health.
• Knowledge of computers, data management and automated data processing as it relates to birth defects surveillance.
• Knowledge of birth defect reporting laws, rules, regulations, confidentiality requirements, policy guidelines, practices and recommendations.
• Skills in asking questions when needed and identifying resources to use to get needed information; in training and quality assurance; in motivating individuals to complete tasks; in perceiving and reacting sensitively to the needs of others; in problem solving and interacting with others, including assuring cooperation of staff and medical providers; in conflict resolution, mediation, facilitation, and sound decision making; in medical coding; in establishing procedures; in monitoring or regulating processes, tasks or activities; in developing and preparing reports; in organizing work requirements; and in the use of computer hardware and software (spreadsheets, databases, word processors).
• Ability to prioritize work, manage time effectively, and organize schedules optimally to balance field and office work; to assemble information, materials, etc. into logical order; to anticipate future consequences of present alternatives; to manage multiple concurrent tasks/assignments, to handle a large workload, and to meet varying deadlines; to identify, recall, and attend to essential details; to produce accurate and complete work through review, identification, and correction of errors; to develop & produce accurate and appropriate reports; to understand and follow written and oral instructions; to learn new information and tasks quickly and proficiently.
• Ability to adapt to change and to modify behavior in response to frequent changes in situations or priorities; to approach problems in a logical and pro-active manner; to identify current and potential problems, analyze all relevant concerns, identify possible solutions, and reach logical conclusions; to pay attention to important details; to be a self-starter and work independently; to provide imaginative solutions to work problems.
• Ability to plan, assign, supervise, and evaluate the work of others, including assigning and delegating tasks; to act in a sound, logical, appropriate manner based on well thought out professional analysis of situations or problems; to reach logical conclusions based on evidence/facts and make decisions; to handle stressful situations, to exercise tact and diplomacy, and to maintain a professional demeanor; to handle constructive criticism; to assign and monitor assignments; to apply principles of Total Quality Management and Continuous Quality Improvement and implement those initiatives; to provide vision and direction; to set a good example of professional behavior; to work with budgets, manage contracts, work with grants, and purchase equipment and supplies.
• Ability to select and train staff.
• Ability to manage program activities, to establish goals and objectives, to analyze and devise solutions to problems, and to develop and evaluate policies and procedures.
• Ability to be attentive and to pick out essential information; to communicate effectively, clearly, accurately, and concisely with all customers and diverse groups, both verbally and in writing; to work well and effectively with others as a team member, working in a cooperative and productive manner; to establish and maintain effective working relationships with all customers (public, medical community, DSHS staff); to handle difficult situations; to negotiate and/or mediate; to present complex information to a variety of audiences;
• Ability to read, understand, analyze, and interpret complex medical information from medical records; to accurately and completely collect (abstract) data from medical records including diagnoses, procedures, and histories; to handwrite legibly and spell accurately; to establish and maintain cooperation from health care facilities and medical professionals to ensure complete case finding, record review, and case abstraction; to ensure production of accurate work (no missing or illogical information) through review, identification, and correction of errors; to create, maintain, evaluate, and improve quality assurance procedures.
• Ability to exercise good judgment in analyzing situations and in making recommendations.
• Ability to work with computers: enter/edit data in word processing, database, spreadsheet, and electronic mail software; to move, transport, and utilize computers, books, and peripheral devices weighing up to 25 pounds; to work printers, telephones, electronic typewriters, photocopiers, calculators, fax machines, and other standard office equipment; to read, understand, explain, implement and comply with laws, polices, and procedures governing birth defects surveillance; to follow all DSHS Policies & Procedures including DSHS Guiding Principles, Code of Ethics/Standards of Conduct, and Universal Expectations of Personal Responsibility; to understand, explain, implement, & adhere to strict confidentiality provisions of birth defects law, public health laws and departmental policies; to provide transportation and travel daily within the assigned Health Service Region(s); to travel on short notice; and to travel to Austin or other parts of Texas.
• Ability to understand, explain, implement and adhere to the Texas Birth Defects Law and Rules, public health law, and departmental policies.

Nice To Haves

• Prefer experience in the administration of a public health, epidemiology, or hospital medical records program
• Prefer experience with quality assurance/quality control activities

Responsibilities

• Plans, coordinates, and directs the regional operations of an active birth defects surveillance program (the Texas Birth Defects Registry) in the assigned Public Health Region(s).
• Provides highly advanced administrative, consultative, and technical direction to regional program staff and hospital staff in implementing and directing regional birth defects surveillance activities.
• Serves as the expert to regional BDES team leaders and staff in the correct application of various birth defects coding schemes (e.g., BPA coding, ICD coding), and in researching and applying various program policies, procedures, and guidelines.
• Sets goals and objectives for program staff in the assigned region(s).
• Develops and implements regional facility visitation plans to accomplish casefinding, medical records review, and abstraction activities.
• Meets, corresponds, and communicates with medical providers, medical facility administrators, and other potential data sources to provide program information and to initiate action and sustain cooperation with program staff.
• Oversees the development and implementation of solutions to address any issues with those facilities.
• Coordinates with HHSC Information Technology staff, hospital Information Technology staff, and BDES regional staff to develop and implement solutions for issues that arise with remote access to hospital electronic medical records systems.
• Oversees the identification of additional data sources and incorporates those sources into routine surveillance activities.
• Monitors and evaluates casefinding, medical records review, data abstraction, data entry and processing, quality assurance, and other regional activities to ensure that they are carried out in an efficient, effective, and timely manner.
• Monitors and analyzes regional operations and develops and implements action plans for regional registry improvement.
• Monitors the overall status of regional record processing and oversees solutions to address backlogs.
• Provides guidance, leadership and oversight to regional program staff on the implementation of new methods and procedures.
• Ensures that program staff are following all administrative and program requirements, policies, and procedures.
• Assures that the confidentiality of medical records and information is maintained.
• Oversees the preparation of required and requested program management and productivity reports.
• In coordination with the Registry Operations Manager, epidemiology staff, clinical reviewers, quality assurance staff and other Regional Supervisors, develops policy and procedure manuals and training manuals to assure consistency in registry operations and training.
• Oversees the planning and development of techniques, standards, policies and procedures to ensure high quality training activities for BDES staff, as well as hospital compliance with the Birth Defects Law and Rules.
• Identifies regional needs for equipment and supplies.
• Approves regional purchases, travel requests, and travel vouchers.
• Participates in casefinding, medical record review, and the abstraction of complex medical information as needed.
• Participates in highly technical quality assurance activities as needed.
• Directly hires, orients, plans, assigns, supervises, and evaluates the work of regional program staff (Quality Assurance Specialists and Surveillance Specialists).
• Selects, orients, and trains new staff.
• Develops performance standards for regional program staff.
• Provides guidance, leadership, and oversight to staff as warranted.
• Evaluates performance at recommended time periods.
• Recommends and prioritizes training activities for program staff and fosters professional growth and development.
• Develops and approves staff schedules and approves staff time and leave.
• Conducts regular meetings of regional staff to discuss programmatic, administrative, and technical training issues.
• Supervises the work of the BDES regional program staff in other Public Health Regions in the absence of the Regional Supervisor for those regions.
• Serves as a member of the program's Operations and Planning group.
• Consults with other Regional Supervisors and with program management on the continuous improvement of the program’s statewide operations, on statewide program planning, and on the establishment of statewide program goals and objectives.
• Participates in special initiatives and epidemiological studies.
• Participates in regional and program teams as invited or directed to improve policies, procedures, processes, and practices.
• Develops and implements regional prevention and education activities.
• Represents the program in meetings with local agencies and/or individuals regarding program agreements, methods, or policies.
• Delivers presentations to health care professionals and to the general public to enhance local and regional program awareness.
• Performs other duties as assigned. Other duties as assigned include but are not limited to actively participating and/or serving in a supporting role to meet the agency’s obligations for disaster response and/or recovery or Continuity of Operations (COOP) activation. Such participation may require an alternate shift pattern assignment and/or location.

Benefits

• DSHS offers insurance coverage and other benefits available through the State of Texas Group Benefits Plan administered by the Employee Retirement System of Texas (ERS).

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed