Application System Specialist, Demand Management

Community Health Systems is a leading operator of general acute care hospitals and outpatient care centers in communities across the United States. CHS affiliates own, lease or operate 83 affiliated hospitals in 16 states with an aggregate of approximately 13,000 licensed beds. Healthcare services are also provided in more than 1,000 outpatient sites of care including affiliated physician practices, urgent care centers, freestanding emergency departments, imaging centers, cancer centers, and ambulatory surgery centers.

Summary:

The Application System Specialist Demand Management (DM) is a strategic business partner who shares ownership of both coordination of technical resources and demand feasibility analysis. The DM owns feasibility analysis, IT resource coordination, Stakeholders engagement, vendor coordination and status reporting to executives. The DM also serves as a single point of focus, working to converge IT and one or more lines of business or value streams. This is achieved by stimulating, surfacing, and shaping demand for capabilities and assets, in addition to ensuring that the potential business value from those capabilities and assets are captured, optimized, and recognized. Additionally, the DM shapes business demand into supply by 1) partnering with appropriate resources to capture and document all requirements related to planning, design, implementation, and support of the request; 2) ensuring value optimization and communication; and 3) enabling continuous improvement in all areas and people around them.

Key Responsibilities

Feasibility Analysis:

• Collaborate with business leaders to articulate and document the request's value propositions
• Partner with vendor teams to gather vendor requirements (hosting needs, integration, configurations, etc) and costs related to implementation and ongoing subscriptions and/or services
• Collaborate and document/collect key deliverables from the vendor, which include:
  • Contract(s)
  • Technical requirements
  • Costs associated with implementation and subscriptions
  • Implementation plan and general timeline
  • Training and support structure
• Partner with the Application Portfolio Management team to review current standard applications as alternatives, or to review upgrade opportunities
• Create, assign, and maintain resource tasks and assignments across various teams, both internal and external
• Provide frequent status updates to Market and Corporate level Executives

Knowledge and Skill Requirements:

• Relationship-building:
  • Ability to listen, build rapport, and credibility as a strategic partner vertically within the business unit, as well as with leadership and functional teams
  • Lead as the strategic interface between the BRM's function and business partner to stimulate, surface, and shape business demand and ensure that the potential business value from those assets and capabilities is captured, realized, optimized, and recognized.
  • Establish and earn value-adding, strategic partner relationship maturity for yourself in the role of a BRM and for the entire function.
  • Develop a deep knowledge of the business partner's business unit and build positive relationship development, both horizontally and vertically.
  • Ensure business value realization and optimization, from value plans through consultancy, business case development, financial awareness, managing expectations, and identifying opportunities to add value.
  • Ensure project and initiative progress, including consistent and effective communication. This includes managing escalation and avoiding risk.
  • Educate business partners about processes, roles, and capabilities.
  • Establish communication processes and channels across business functions.
  • Measure and communicate business value realized with the business partner on a periodic basis.
• Strategic thinker:
  • Ability to map joint organizational vision and long-term thinking, imagination, and idea generation
• Energy, focus, assertiveness, and diplomacy:
  • Knowing when to push an agenda and when to let a situation develop, rest, or advance
• Highly developed communication skills:
  • Ability and comfort with working at executive levels
  • Highly skilled and experienced at negotiating conflict and problem-solving to achieve win-win outcomes at executive levels
  • Exceptional ability to lead change using positive and collaborative methods
• Leadership:
  • Setting the standard for demand management
  • Leading by example, mentoring, and motivating others in the demand management team and all around you
  • Ability to set expectations with business partners and effectively leverage governance for a positive business partner experience
  • Ability to influence and break down silos within an organization as well across organizations
  • Ability to focus on business value results, rather than solutions
• Functional / Technical:
  • Financial and/or clinical experience in a healthcare setting desired.
  • Strong understanding of Revenue Cycle in a healthcare setting.
  • Understanding of how security, networking, integration, database and server functions align with and between software applications.
  • Experience with software RFP and vendor selection processes.
  • Technical aptitude, requirements management, and the ability to assess and articulate risk variables
  • Strong understanding of evaluating costs associated with hardware and software related projects.
  • Understanding of the differences, risks, pros and cons of Saas, PaaS, Iaas, and On-Premise solutions
• Other
  • Must have and maintain credibility with the business community
  • Must demonstrate acumen in business and function disciplines
  • Understand and integrate business strategies and trends in technology to deliver value
  • Be able to influence others, using personal rather than positional power
  • Strong communication skills in writing, speaking, listening, and presenting
  • An outside-in focus
  • Outstanding end customer/consumer relationship skills
  • Solid understanding of IT assets and capabilities
  • Be able to identify gaps and areas that need improvement
  • Strong humility, listening, creativity, and negotiation skills
  • Accept ownership

Education Required/Preferred:

• High School Diploma required.
• Bachelor's degree in related field, which may include Healthcare IT, Project Management, Computer Science, Business or Engineer preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years of related experience required.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Successfully managed project portfolio with projects ranging from $100K-$200K
• Good influence and negotiating skills.
• Proven experience and understanding of the complete software life cycle.
• Good communication skills both verbal and written.
• Track record and business knowledge in health care industry
• Technology knowledge of the following disciplines a plus Acute Care, Ambulatory care, revenue cycle, ERP, Call Center System & Business Analytics
• Experience with vendor management, Phase 0s, Statement of Work (SOW) and Request for Proposals (RFP) reviews.
• Must be comfortable in collaborating with business leads, understanding business strategy/processes, looking for innovative solutions to drive business enhancements both for internal business users and external customers.
• Must have worked effectively with all levels of management up to and including Regional Directors, Sr.Director, VPs and SVPs.