UC San Diego Health is seeking an Associate Director of Value Based Population Health (VBPH), responsible for overseeing and guiding the VBPH team. This position plays a critical role in shaping and implementing strategies to enhance population health management and value-based care through innovative data-driven solutions and applications. The Associate Director will report to the Director of Value Based Population Health (IS) within the Information Services department. While it is not expected that candidates will have full expertise in every aspect of this multifaceted role, having a majority of the relevant experience coupled with a strong desire to learn and grow is highly valued.

UC San Diego Health seeks a motivated and experienced Associate Director of Value Based Population Health to lead the VBPH team within the Information Services (IS) Department. The Associate Director oversees strategic initiatives that enhance population health management and value-based care through innovative data-driven solutions and applications. This leadership role currently includes direct supervision of managers over (5) functional teams: Data Architecture, Data Science & Analytics, Applications, Digital Health & Remote Patient Monitoring, and Business Analysis. This role reports directly to the Director of Value Based Population Health (IS) and works closely with other departmental leaders within Information Services (IS), Population Health Services Organization (PHSO), across the enterprise, affiliates, and vendors, aligning the team's initiatives with organizational goals.

Organization Summary

UC San Diego Health's Population Health programs aim to advance the Quintuple Aim: the simultaneous improvement of patient outcomes, patient experience, provider experience, reduction of cost of care, and the improvement of health equity. Insightful and timely analytics, data science, and AI directly drive clinical and operational population health efforts to achieve all five outcomes in a program scalable in the community across county lines. Familiarity with health plan delegated risk, full risk, ACO contracts, clinically integrated affiliate networks, and statistical and financial analysis is strongly preferred.The Value Based Population Health (VBPH) team is the primary IS support for the Population Health Services Organization (PHSO). PHSO is the population health, value-based care, managed care, and affiliate network entity at UC San Diego Health alongside the Medical Center and Physician Group. PHSO is comprised of (5) business units, each with distinct and complementary operations:

Network Management: This unit is the backbone for managed health care operations, encompassing both commercial and senior/MA plans. They handle enrollment, capitation, accounts payable claims processing, customer service operations, and provider contracting. They also support Value Based Care programs like MSSP ACO, Primary Care First, and Kidney Care First for the aforementioned functions.

Population Health: This unit focuses on several key programs: Ambulatory Quality, Utilization Management, at-home digital health programs and wearables, chronic care management, complex care management, ED-to-Home, Hospital-to-Home, Transitions of Care (TOC), Transitions Care Management (TCM), and whole-person longitudinal care including social determinants of health (SDoH). These programs support all patients receiving primary care within our network, regardless of their inclusion of a value-based care program.

Health Plan Contracting: This unit manages and negotiates contracts with all health plans, aligning financial and operational objectives with payer requirements and expectations. Their work is foundational to maintaining sustainable care models and financial health, enabling us to provide continuous, high-quality care to our diverse patient population.

Clinically Integrated Network (CIN: This network serves as a robust framework of over 120 community organizations and more than 1,000 providers spread across four Southern California counties. It functions as a community resource fostering collaborations that enhance care delivery, advance value-based care, and achieve the full potential of population health. The combination of the Network Management, Population Health, and Health Plan Contracting departments comprises an MSO that provides managed services across the CIN and other affiliated practices.

Business Development: By building and maintaining active relationships within the community and educating potential partners and patients about UCSD's comprehensive healthcare capabilities, this unit helps to expand our reach and impact, ensuring that the community understands and engages with the services we provide. Active partners often consider partnering with PHSO for an MSO and/or CIN relationships.

Each of these units operates under the guidance of an operational director and is led by an executive team consisting of a Chief Operating Officer (COO), Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), and Chief Contracting Officer (CCO). As the Associate Director, you will play a pivotal role in ensuring the technical capabilities across units are aligned, staying ahead of the ever-changing needs to advance population health management. The Associate Director works directly with the operational directors and executive team ensuring strategic alignment and effective execution of health initiatives. This role is positioned to be a close partner with operations and actively participate in strategic and operational conversations.

Product Management and Performance Monitoring

The Associate Director will lead the strategic planning and continuous evolution of the VBPH product portfolio. This entails collaborating with senior leadership and operational stakeholders to develop product roadmaps, overseeing the design and specification of analytics products to ensure scalability and alignment with business requirements, facilitating strategic planning sessions, developing product requirements and specifications, and coordinating the integration of VBPH products into the broader enterprise portfolio. This role is accountable for the product management of all technical products and services, including ensuring SDLC, DevOps, Change Management, Governance, and other related processes are effectively implemented. Additionally, the Associate Director will regularly review the performance of value-based health products, adjusting as necessary to meet operations goals. This entails developing and implementing performance metrics for VBPH programs, conducting regular performance reviews and assessments, and making data-driven adjustments to improve program outcomes.

Strategic Leadership and Program Development

Provide strategic leadership in the development and implementation of value-based population health strategies that align with organizational goals. This involves developing and executing strategic plans for population health initiatives, ensuring alignment of VBPH strategies with the broader organizational objectives, and leading continuous improvement and innovation efforts in value-based care. Additionally, this role focuses on being a key strategic partner to PHSO senior/executive leaders on overall business strategy, specifically where technology enables priority opportunities. The Associate Director coordinates the design and implementation of systems and programs that support value-based care initiatives, ensuring integration across various health IT platforms. This includes leading the development and deployment of VBPH systems and programs, ensuring seamless integration of VBPH initiatives across multiple health IT platforms, and driving innovation in program development to enhance population health management.

Stakeholder Engagement and Compliance Best Practices

Collaborate with key internal and external stakeholders, including healthcare providers, IT professionals, and senior management, to drive forward the organization's population health objectives. This includes building and maintaining strong relationships with stakeholders, ensuring stakeholder alignment with VBPH goals and initiatives, and facilitating effective communication and collaboration among stakeholders. The Associate Director will ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards while staying abreast of emerging trends and best practices in population health management. This includes monitoring compliance with healthcare regulations and standards, implementing best practices in VBPH management, and staying informed about emerging trends in population health and value-based care.

Technical Skills

The Associate Director will oversee the development and implementation of advanced analytics, data science, AI, applications, and data architecture solutions that support VBPH initiatives. This includes overseeing a wide range of technologies such as EHR applications (Epic and non-Epic), analytics, AI, architecture, ETL, visualization, mobile apps, patient engagement, and wearable devices. Managing primary responsibilities for Tapestry (Eligibility & Enrollment, Benefits Engine, Capitation, CRM, AP Claims, Referrals, Vendor Contracts, Epic/Plan Link, etc.) and Healthy Planet (Compass Rose, Social Care Module, Epic/Healthy Planet Link, etc.) is critical, along with familiarity with Cadence, Prelude, Grand Central, Ambulatory, Resolute PB, Resolute HB, MyChart, and Interfaces (HL7, FHIR). Overseeing the full Epic Cogito stack (Chronicles, Clarity, Caboodle, Nebula, Reporting Workbench, Slicer Dicer) and utilizing tools such as SQL Server, Visual Studio, Azure DevOps/Git, Tableau, and MS Fabric is essential. Leveraging platforms like AWS and Azure for AI, as well as managing devices and consumer-grade wearables like iOS and Android devices, Omron, Eko, Tyto, Withings, Apple, FitBit, etc., are also part of the technical skill set required.

Team Management and Personnel Development

Directly manage and mentor heads of analytics, data science, AI, applications, and digital health teams, fostering a collaborative environment that encourages innovation and operational excellence. This includes supervising and mentoring technical managers and their respective teams, fostering a collaborative and high-performance culture, and supporting professional development and continuous learning among team members. The Associate Director will manage and develop a high-performing VBPH team, promoting a workplace culture that aligns with UC San Diego Health's mission, vision, and values, facilitating conflict resolution and collaboration across teams, and leading process improvement efforts and enabling change management.

Program & Project Management

The Associate Director will have primary oversight of the PPM (portfolio program management) for the VBPH projects. This includes developing and maintaining project plans, directing work across the VBPH team, coordinating with other project managers, creating status reports, facilitating decisions, identifying and mitigating risks, and presenting project outcomes to senior leadership. Experience in Agile Project Management methodologies, such as SAFe, is preferred.

• Eleven (11) years of related experience or a Bachelor's degree in related area plus seven (7) years of related experience and / or equivalent experience / training.

• Strong knowledge of clinical informatics systems, concepts, policies, practices, and methodologies, including programming design, modification, deployment, data security, and quality assurance.

• Proven ability to organize, manage multiple priorities, meet deadlines, and delegate clinical informatics work functions efficiently, with strong human resources management skills and knowledge.

• Demonstrated leadership skills managing IT professionals and collaborating with clinicians. Proven managerial, skills in planning and delegating work, deploying staff, resource management, budgeting, and financial management.

• Strong critical-thinking, project-management, and business process optimization skills, with the ability to troubleshoot, analyze, and interpret complex data and systems to quickly identify problems and implement solutions.

• Proven ability to work effectively with senior management on operational and performance issues in developing goals, policies, plans, strategies, quality improvement programs, and systems for ensuring user competence in clinical informatics.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills to create a climate of teamwork and collaborative problem solving across departments among IT staff and clinical applications users. Ability to convey complex information in a clear, concise, and specific manner, and to cultivate a strong commitment to quality and achievement of goals.

• Strong knowledge of healthcare information technology, clinical workflow and processes and medical terminology. Comprehensive understanding of the application of computational tools to enhance and improve clinical practice.

• Employment is subject to a criminal background check and pre-employment physical.