Initial Posting Date:

05/03/2024

Application Deadline:

05/13/2024

Agency:

Oregon Health Authority

Salary Range:

$5,747 - $8,831

Position Type:

Employee

Position Title:

Medicaid Children and Young Adult focused Policy Analysts – three (3) positions (Operations & Policy Analyst 3)

Job Description:

Do you have experience developing, implementing, and providing oversight of policies and programs at the community, state, and/or national level that promote equity and inclusion and reduce disparities? Are you passionate about ensuring equitable access and high quality health care services and supports for children and youth, and the providers who serve them? We look forward to hearing from you!

This is a Pool Recruitment, which means that applicants are able to be considered for all of the positions linked to this posting. As candidates successfully move through the recruitment process, they will have the opportunity to express which positions are of most interest.

Click Here to view a Dashboard of all current recruitments for the Behavioral Health Division, Medicaid Division, and the Business Information Systems section (which were previously all part of OHA's Health Systems Division ). The specific positions associated with this posting are listed under REQ-155954. The dashboard identifies the business area (“Section”) and Unit for each position and also provides a link to a position description to offer you greater context for the role. Section 1 of the position description outlines Position Information, including Work Location and Supervisor Name. Section 3 outlines the Description of Duties.

This posting will be used to fill two (2) permanent, full-time positions and one (1) 24-month Limited Duration, full-time position. These positions are classified and are represented by a union.

Work Location: Salem/Marion or Portland/Multnomah; hybrid position

What you will do!

Early & Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment (EPSDT) Quality Improvement Analyst. Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic & Treatment (EPSDT) is a federally mandated Medicaid program which covers more than one-third of Oregon Health Plan members (approximately 500,000 children and youth under age 21). Starting in 2025, the program will begin to extend EPSDT benefits to young adults with special health care needs (YSHCN) up to 26 years of age, as well as provide certain benefits to youth while incarcerated. This primary purpose of this position is to lead EPSDT program monitoring, quality assurance and quality improvement efforts. This position will work closely with the EPSDT Research Analyst and with the Coordinated Care Organization (CCO) and Fee-for-Service (FFS) Open Card Quality Improvement / Quality Assurance teams.

The position monitors EPSDT program outcomes with an emphasis on Race, Ethnicity, Language and Disability (REALD) and Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) indicators and addressing disparities in access and quality of services. This position provides recommendations for program improvement and to the EPSDT Team Lead, EPSDT Project Manager, and Medicaid Programs managers and leads improvement activities for the program. The position will listen to and understand community voice and operationalize community priorities for these programs to the greatest degree possible. In doing so, this position will consider services to clients, impact on access to services, quality of services, program effectiveness, and cost containment.

Child Welfare and Medicaid Liaison. The purpose of this position is to provide leadership, coordination, and oversight to statewide Medicaid health policy, programs and treatment service delivery system for children, young adults and their families. This includes oversight of managed care systems, evidence-based practices, and providing or arranging for technical assistance to maintain the programs. The employee focuses specifically on the planning, policy and program development, budget monitoring, and implementation of specialized programs serving children, young adults and families in child welfare programs.

This position programs include the integration of policy development for children and families through coordination between Medicaid and Child Welfare. The person in this position will guide and coordinate the work of other relevant staff in the agency to plan, design and direct Medicaid health care regulations, policies and priorities as they relate to these special populations. This includes assuring that state and local planning processes are conducted as authorized by state statutes and federal regulations. The person in this position will identify policy and program development needs, including administrative, legislative, and funding changes to improve the effectiveness of services.

This position will be responsible for developing policies to continue and expand access to children and adolescents exiting child welfare services. Along with other units within OHA, this position will work to expand the scope of services children and adolescents can access, develop cost-based analyses, and inform transition to value-based payments.

Medicaid BH Children Multi-system Analyst (LIMITED DURATION). In accordance with Senate Bill 1557 (2024), the Medicaid Behavioral Health Multi-system analyst will work to ensure OHA prioritizes child, youth and family-centered supports towards prevention and recovery, are provided with access to all services for which the children or youth are eligible regardless of their disability type or family situation, and are not restricted to a single-service setting or delivery system. This work aims to support youth and their families in accessing the appropriate and comprehensive home and community-based services and supports intended to prevent crises and hospitalization from happening or reoccurring and provide stabilization in the event of crisis. This includes collaboration between multiple state agencies and community partners to deliver wraparound, child, youth, and family-centered, trauma-responsive, culturally and linguistically appropriate, disability-affirming and family-focused supports to children, youth, and their families, including foster families.

The individual in this role will lead and coordinate cross-agency collaborative efforts for children, youth and their families needing behavioral health services and supports across OHA’s Behavioral Health Division, the Office Developmental Disabilities Services (ODDS), Child Welfare (CW), the Oregon Department of Education (ODE) and the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA). This position must lead efforts that access, to the maximum extent possible, all federal funds available to support children and youth with complex needs at home, in substitute care, in the community and at school. Furthermore, they will be responsible for identifying waiver flexibilities, opportunities for shared funding models and building setting options to support this population. This will include coordination with the Medicaid/Childrens Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Operations Steering Committee, Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) and OHA to analyze and revise existing Oregon administrative rules (OARs) and when necessary, identify and adopt new rules requested in SB 1557.

This position, recognizing that children, youth, and their families are the experts on their lives and needs, will ensure their lived experiences are meaningfully included in all decisions about their individual services and supports. The individual in this position will proactively build upon the unique strengths and potential of each child, youth and family to break down historical communication and outreach barriers and ensure that people with lived experience are continually involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of policy making and service design.

OHA values service excellence, leadership, integrity, health equity and partnership and has a strategic goal to end all health inequities by 2030.

The OHA mission is helping people and communities achieve optimum physical, mental, and social well-being through partnership, prevention and access to quality, affordable health care. OHA’s work is organized into three broad goals: Improve the lifelong health of all Oregonians, increase the quality, reliability, and availability of care for all Oregonians and lower or contain the cost of care so it is affordable to everyone.

What's in it for you?
Oregon Health Authority is a team of passionate individuals working to promote health across the lifespan of individuals, families, and communities. We value and support unique perspectives using a trauma-informed approach and aim to reflect these values in our hiring practices, professional development, and workplace.

• We offer exceptional medical, vision and dental benefits packages for you and your qualified family members, with very low monthly out-of-pocket costs. Try this free virtual benefits counselor by clicking here: https://www.oregon.gov/oha/pebb/pages/alex.aspx
• Paid Leave Days:
  • 11 paid holidays each year
  • 3 additional paid "Personal Business Days" each year
  • 8 hours of paid sick leave accumulated every month
  • Progressive vacation leave accrual with increases every 5 years
• Pension and retirement programs
• Optional benefits include short-term disability, long-term disability, deferred compensation savings program, and flexible spending accounts for health care and childcare expenses.
• Click here to learn more about State of Oregon benefits.

OHA values health equity, service excellence, integrity, leadership, partnership, innovation and transparency. OHA’s health equity definition is “Oregon will have established a health system that creates health equity when all people can reach their full potential and well-being and are not disadvantaged by their race, ethnicity, language, disability, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, social class, intersections among these communities or identities, or other socially determined circumstances. Achieving health equity requires the ongoing collaboration of all regions and sectors of the state, including tribal governments to address: the equitable distribution or redistributing of resources and power; and recognizing, reconciling, and rectifying historical and contemporary injustices.” OHA’s 10-year goal is to eliminate health inequities. Click here , t o learn more about OHA’s mission, vision and core values.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR:

Minimum Qualifications

Any combination of experience and education equivalent to seven years professional-level evaluative, analytical and planning work.

Example:

A Bachelor's Degree in Business or Public Administration, Behavioral or Social Sciences, Finance, Political Science or any degree demonstrating the capacity for the knowledge and skills; and four years professional-level evaluative, analytical and planning work.

Desired Attributes

• Experience in advancing health equity, including effective delivery of culturally responsive and inclusive services, evidence of ongoing development of personal cultural awareness and humility, and knowledge of social determinants of health and their impacts on health outcomes.
• Experience developing, implementing policies and programs at the community, state, and/or national level that promote equity and inclusion and address systemic health disparities, with an emphasis on integrating the voice of consumers with lived experience.
• Experience in collaborating with diverse populations most harmed by social injustice and inequities; demonstrated ability to build and steward positive, collaborative and partnership-based relationships with diverse community groups including communities of color, immigrant groups, the disability and neurodivergent communities, veterans, older adults, individuals identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ and other communities that have been traditionally marginalized.
• Knowledge of health services delivery systems, particularly the Oregon Health Plan/ Medicaid administration in Oregon, and experience in working with Community Mental Health Programs, Behavioral Health Service Providers, Coordinated Care Organizations or other managed care entities and their leadership to guide operations and policies.
• Experience interpreting, applying and enforcing relevant federal and state Medicaid laws and regulations, including Medicaid Managed Care regulations.
• Specific knowledge of Oregon Administrative Rules and Oregon Revised Statutes, other applicable regulations, and program requirements.
• [for Child Welfare and Medicaid Liaison and Medicaid BH Children multi-system analyst] Lived experience with behavioral health needs or accessing child-serving system services – including education (IEP, school based healthcare, etc), child welfare, foster care, juvenile justice, substance-use treatment, mental healthcare, or other similar system services.
• [for Child Welfare and Medicaid Liaison and Medicaid BH Children multi-system analyst] Established relationships with, or demonstrated ability to develop, strong, collaborative, and partnership-based relationships with people with lived experience, the peer community, and those participating in services within Oregon’s child-serving system.
• [for Child Welfare and Medicaid Liaison and Medicaid BH Children multi-system analyst] familiarity with state and local best practices that can help to advance person-directed, trauma-informed, and equitable behavioral health care and child-serving system transformation in Oregon.
• Knowledge about contracts/interagency agreement administration, procurement, and project management within the context of Oregon state government (e.g. OHA/ODHS) or other complex health services delivery organizations.
• Ability to demonstrate advanced Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Outlook skillset; and skilled use of collaboration tools such as Microsoft Teams, SharePoint, and Smartsheet.
• Specific knowledge of business and management principles involved in strategic planning, resource allocation, leadership technique, iterative design, and improvement science.
• Experience and knowledge of quality improvement methodologies and metrics within the context of health policy, health systems, and health care delivery settings.
• Ability to provide organizational leadership to support inter-and cross-agency collaboration and systems-wide changes that facilitate advocacy, equity, and client-centered policies and solutions.
• Demonstrated project management experience, including ability to effectively manage multiple project timelines, contracts, plans, and deliverables.
• Experience using a wide variety of research and evaluation methods, including quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods; demonstrated skill in presenting and articulating the value and relevance of data, research, and administrative studies.
• Strong communication skills across a variety of forms that demonstrate the ability to facilitate appreciative inquiry, foster trust and transparency, and promote human-centered change management.
• Experience communicating qualitative and quantitative information, verbal and written, that are accessible to and understood by audiences with different levels of comprehension or interest and that are culturally responsive, inclusive, and appropriate.
• Ability to navigate complex relationships; ability to demonstrate collaborative problem-solving skills, consensus-building and solution driven approaches.
• Ability to demonstrate successful meeting facilitation with variety of internal and external partners including program-policy-fiscal staff, community members, community groups, government officials and legislators.
• Demonstrates skills in the following areas:
  • Community and Partner Engagement
  • Contract Administration
  • Data Synthesis, Analysis and Reporting
  • Legislative Coordination
  • Performance / Process / Quality Improvement
  • Policy Advisement
  • Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation
  • Project Management
  • Strong Oral and Written Communication
  • Systems and Organizational Improvement
  • Expert level Technical Assistance

How to apply:

• Complete the online application

• Attach a Cover Letter, no more than 2 pages, specifically focused on your qualifications for this position as identified in the Desired Attributes section of this announcement.

Please ensure you’ve provided a thorough and updated application as it pertains to the position for which you are applying. Your application materials will be used to determine salary based on a pay equity assessment. For further information, please visit the Pay Equity Project homepage.

Questions/Need Help?

If you need assistance to participate in the application process, including an accommodation request under the American with Disabilities Act contact: Stephanie Mitchell at Voice: [503-979-7679] (TTY 711) or Email: stephanie.d.mitchell@oha.oregon.gov.

TTY users may dial 711 or 1-800-735-2900.

For Workday technical support dial 1-855-524-5627.

Additional Information

• Please monitor your Workday account, as all communication will be sent to your Workday account. You must have a valid e-mail address to apply.
• Candidates gathered from this job announcement may be used to fill future vacancies.
• If you are a veteran, you may receive preference. Click here for more information about veterans’ preference. If you checked that you are a veteran, we will ask you for your documents later in the process.
• Oregon Health Authority (OHA) does not offer VISA sponsorship. Within three days of hire, you will be required to complete the US Department of Homeland Security’s I-9 form confirming authorization to work in the United States. OHA is an E-Verify employer and will use E-Verify to confirm that hires are authorized to work in the United States.
• If you are offered employment, the offer will be contingent upon the outcome of an abuse check, criminal records check and driving records check, and the information shall be shared with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), Office of Human Resources (OHR). Any criminal or founded abuse history will be reviewed and could result in the withdrawal of the offer or termination of employment.
• Please only attach documents that are related to the position. Additional documents that are attached will not be reviewed.
• Attention current State of Oregon employees : To apply for posted positions, please close this window and log into your Workday account and apply through the Career worklet.
• Applicant Help and Support webpage
  

The Oregon Health Authority is committed to fair employment practices and non-discrimination, including pay equity for all employees. We do not discriminate on the basis of protected class (race, sex, veteran status, disability, age, color, religion, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation) in the payment of wages or screen applicants on the basis of their current or past compensation. We determine salary by completing a review of your application materials to evaluate your related education, experience, and training for this position.

The Oregon Health Authority is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer committed to work force diversity and anti-racism.