Interoperability Specialist, Bureau of Immunization

Established in , the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (the NYC Health Department) is the oldest and largest health department in the country. Our mission is to protect and improve the health of all New Yorkers, in service of a vision of a city in which all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, how old they are, where they are from, or where they live.

As a world-renowned public health agency with a history of building transformative public health programming and infrastructure, innovating in science and scholarship to advance public health knowledge, and responding to urgent public health crises from New York City’s yellow fever outbreak in , to the COVID-19 pandemic we are a hub for public health innovation, expertise, and programs, and services. We serve as the population health strategist, and policy, and planning authority for the City of New York, while also having a vast impact on national and international public policy, including programs and services focused on food and nutrition, anti-tobacco support, chronic disease prevention, HIV/AIDS treatment, family and child health, environmental health, mental health, and racial and social justice work, among others.

Our Agency’s five strategic priorities, building off a recently-completed strategic planning process emerging from the COVID-19 emergency, are:
1) To re-envision how the Health Department prepares for and responds to health emergencies, with a focus on building a “response-ready” organization, with faster decision-making, transparent public communications, and stronger surveillance and bridges to healthcare systems 2) Address and prevent chronic and diet-related disease, including addressing rising rates of childhood obesity and the impact of diabetes, and transforming our food systems to improve nutrition and enhance access to healthy foods
3) Address the second pandemic of mental illness including: reducing overdose deaths, strengthening our youth mental health systems, and supporting people with serious mental illness
4) Reduce black maternal mortality and make New York a model city for women’s health
5) Mobilize against and combat the health impacts of climate change

Our 7,-plus team members bring extraordinary diversity to the work of public health. True to our value of equity as a foundational element of all of our work, and a critical foundation to achieving population health impact in New York City, the NYC Health Department has been a leader in recognizing and dismantling racism’s impacts on the health of New Yorkers and beyond. In , the NYC Board of Health declared racism as a public health crisis. With commitment to advance anti-racist public health practices that dismantle systems that perpetuate inequitable power, opportunity and access, the NYC Health Department continues to work in and with communities and community organizations to increase their access to health services and decrease avoidable health outcomes.

PROGRAM AND JOB DESCRIPTION:

The mission of the Bureau of Immunization (BOI) is to prevent the occurrence and transmission of vaccine-preventable diseases, such as hepatitis A, hepatitis B, measles, mumps, influenza, human papillomavirus, and invasive pneumococcal disease, through immunization. To help ensure that all New Yorkers receive recommended vaccines, BOI maintains the Citywide Immunization Registry (CIR), a database of immunizations reported to the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). Most immunizations in NYC are reported through the CIR's HL7 Web Service, which allows for real-time, bi-directional data exchange between immunizing providers' electronic health record (EHR) systems and the CIR.

We strongly encourage people to apply and contribute your diversity in thought, racial identity, national origin, gender, age, religion, disability status, veteran status, and/or LGBTQI+ status to enhance the work of the DOHMH and promote the health of all New Yorkers.

We welcome applicants who share the vision for a city where all New Yorkers can realize their full health potential, regardless of who they are, where they are from or where they live. DOHMH extends this vision of wellness by providing every member of our team and prospective job applicants dynamic benefits: Benefits - NYC Health , and a robust Worksite Wellness program with a wide range of offerings. As a current or prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs.

Please review the notice to see if you may be eligible for programs and how to apply at nyc.gov/studentloans

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:

* Onboard immunizing provider facilities for real-time, complete and accurate reporting of emergency and routine vaccinations to the CIR.

* Collaborate with the Adult Immunization Unit to develop recruitment strategies and establish relationships with relevant partners to increase enrollment of adult immunizing facilities in the CIR.

* Run standard and ad-hoc queries to monitor the number and types of immunizing facilities enrolled and reporting to CIR, and monitor reporting of emergency and routine vaccines administered to adults and children to the CIR; resolve reporting problems, e.g., interruptions in reporting or inaccurate data submissions.

* Implement bidirectional interfaces between providers' EHRs and the CIR to facilitate real-time access for providers to patient immunization records in the CIR and recommendations for emergency and routine vaccines based on CIR's immunization forecaster.

* Conduct analyses to identify gaps in data completeness and accuracy of immunization reporting as well as issues with the HL7 Web Service, e.g., spikes in message failures or connectivity problems.

* Collaborate with computer consultants and BOI staff to research, develop, test, and implement enhancements to the CIR's Health level 7 (HL7) Web Service to better align the national standards.
* Fulfill internal and external data requests and answer questions related to the HL7 Web Service connection and reporting requirements.

* Assist the Unit chief in determining goals and priorities for the Interoperability Unit based on directives from BOI leadership, changes in the national standards, and changes in national and local policies related to electronic exchange of health information.

* Participate in research activities designed to measure and improve CIR data quality, including preparation of abstracts, articles, or presentations for national, regional, and local publications, conferences and meetings.

**IMPORTANT NOTES TO ALL CANDIDATES:

Please note: If you are called for an interview you will be required to bring to your interview copies of original documentation, such as:
- A document that establishes identity for employment eligibility, such as: A Valid U.S. Passport, Permanent Resident Card/Green Card, or Driver’s license.

- Proof of Education according to the education requirements of the civil service title.

- Current Resume

- Proof of Address/NYC Residency dated within the last 60 days, such as: Recent Utility Bill (i.e. Telephone, Cable, Mobile Phone)

Additional documentation may be required to evaluate your qualification as outlined in this posting’s “Minimum Qualification Requirements” section. Examples of additional documentation may be, but not limited to: college transcript, experience verification or professional trade licenses.

If after your interview you are the selected candidate you will be contacted to schedule an on-boarding appointment. By the time of this appointment you will be asked to produce the originals of the above documents along with your original Social Security card.

**LOAN FORGIVENESS

As a prospective employee of the City of New York, you may be eligible for federal loan forgiveness programs and state repayment assistance programs. For more information, please visit the U.S. Department of Education’s website at StudentAid.gov/PSLF.

"FINAL APPOINTMENTS ARE SUBJECT TO OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT & BUDGET APPROVAL”

Minimum Qualifications

1. For Assignment Level I (only physical, biological and environmental sciences and public health) A master's degree from an accredited college or university with a specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological or environmental science or in public health.
To be appointed to Assignment Level II and above, candidates must have:
1. A doctorate degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and one year of full-time experience in a responsible supervisory, administrative or research capacity in the appropriate field of specialization; or
2. A master's degree from an accredited college or university with specialization in an appropriate field of physical, biological, environmental or social science and three years of responsible full-time research experience in the appropriate field of specialization; or
3. Education and/or experience which is equivalent to "1" or "2" above. However, all candidates must have at least a master's degree in an appropriate field of specialization and at least two years of experience described in "2" above. Two years as a City Research Scientist Level I can be substituted for the experience required in "1" and "2" above.

NOTE:
Probationary Period
Appointments to this position are subject to a minimum probationary period of one year.

Preferred Skills
* Extensive data analysis and data quality assurance (QA) experience* Working knowledge of Health Level 7 (HL7) messaging format and standards * Proficiency in SQL, R and data visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI * Experience in research methods and using quantitative data analysis techniques and tools * Proficiency in Microsoft applications * Experience in manipulation of large datasets, preferably healthcare data * Experience working with providers and/or EHR technical specialists * Ability to interpret and present findings in various settings * Excellent oral and written communication skills * Strong organizational skills and ability to multi-task
Residency Requirement
New York City residency is generally required within 90 days of appointment. However, City Employees in certain titles who have worked for the City for 2 continuous years may also be eligible to reside in Nassau, Suffolk, Putnam, Westchester, Rockland, or Orange County. To determine if the residency requirement applies to you, please discuss with the agency representative at the time of interview.

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