At Houston Methodist, the Nurse Informaticist position is responsible for leadership, planning, and coordination of technology initiatives to meet clinical business goals and objectives for customers and serves as the architect for innovative technology solutions to enhance clinical practice. This position educates and assists leadership in developing strategies to respond to industry drivers that can be impacted by information solutions; the incumbent will interact with all levels of the organization, from front-line staff to senior management. The Nurse Informaticist position collaborates with executive leaders and system hospitals for sharing best practices, reporting methodologies, and ensuring a system approach to decisions. This position collaborates with information technology (IT) and clinical leaders/executives on strategic initiative spanning over years that impact business operations and works to ensure project success.

PATIENT AGE GROUP(S) AND POPULATION(S) SERVED
Refer to departmental "Scope of Service" and "Provision of Care" plans, as applicable, for description of primary age groups and populations served by this job for the respective HM entity.

HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience.

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Displays cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion principles

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Serves as liaison between IT and hospital leadership to facilitate system enhancement decisions through the governance process for impacted groups.

• Leads Subject Matter Experts (SME's) and super users' engagement in design, usability, and system testing.

• Coordinates and/or provides direct support to clinicians for EHR and other clinical systems and technology changes, implementations, or downtimes.

• Advises Senior Leadership on the role and function of information management in operations and on information systems and technology trends.

• Participates in hospital-wide and system-wide committees as a designee of the Chief Nursing Informatics Executive to impact technology decisions that improve organizational processes, performance, and outcomes.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assesses opportunities for technology improvements through collaboration with frontline clinicians to understand workflows and review of data to accurately define the problem, develop solutions to defined outcomes.

• Develops and implements communication strategies throughout the organization/system to ensure accurate information regarding key technology initiatives: goals, objectives, purpose, improvement strategies, status, and outcomes.

• Facilitates, plans, and directs the development, implementation, evaluation, and optimization of new applications, enhancement to existing applications, or technologies to ensure clinical/nursing goals are achieved.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Supports development and adoption of standards for evidenced-based knowledge practice and collaborates with educators to create education or competencies as appropriate.

• Ensures clinical systems design compliance with regulatory and certification program requirements in collaboration with quality and regulatory experts.

• Leads in the development and execution of clinical integration and improvement strategies for value-added patient outcomes, enhance efficiencies and reduced variation in care.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Collaborates with customers in the creation of business cases for new technologies, including cost/benefit analysis for customer base and system selection efforts and to plan for budget considerations related to technology.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Analyzes data, industry trends, and best practices for identification of improvement opportunities and innovative approaches that drive achievement of organizational strategic initiatives and goals.

• Takes responsibility for own professional development. Completes the My Development Plan (MDP).

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree in Nursing

• Master's degree in Nursing, Business Administration or Healthcare Administration

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Six years experience in nursing or related healthcare experience

• Two years experience in informatics or IT systems management and implementation preferred

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• RN - Registered Nurse - Texas State Licensure and/or Compact State Licensure within 60 days OR
• RN-Temp - Registered Nurse - Temporary State Licensure within 60 days AND
• EPIC - Certification -- Epic proficiency or certification in at least one Epic clinical module or in clinical informatics within 1 year

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - PREFERRED

• RN-BC - Informatics Nurse (ANCC) AND
• CPHIMS - Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Demonstrates outstanding relationship building skills

• Strong knowledge of workflows within the system

• Ability to facilitate just in time training for end users

• Demonstrated program management skills and advanced change management methodologies

• Understanding of current IT environment to support appropriate system selections and system wide functionalities

• Ability to demonstrate and embrace creativity and innovation

• Ability to collaborate and work successfully with all levels of the organization to gain buy- in and support for program success

• Ability to think strategically and execute strategic programs that drive business success.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs No
• Business professional Yes
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area Yes
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area Yes

Houston Methodist (HM) is one of the nation’s leading health systems and academic medical centers.  HM consists of eight hospitals: Houston Methodist Hospital, its flagship academic hospital in the heart of the Texas Medical Center, and seven community hospitals throughout the greater Houston metropolitan area.  HM also includes an academic institute, a comprehensive residency program, a global business division, numerous physician practices and several free-standing emergency rooms and outpatient facilities.  Overall, HM employs over 25,000 employees.   Houston Methodist is supported by a wide variety of business functions that operate at the system level to help enable clinical departments to provide the best patient care and service in a spiritual environment.

 

In 2019 Houston Methodist and its physicians treat more than 6,333 international patients from more than 76 countries. Houston Methodist Global Health Care Services’ consulting and education divisions also provide advisory services and training and development to health care organizations around the world.