Patient Safety & Maternal Health Research Assistant, Betsy Lehman Center

An independent state agency, the Betsy Lehman Center is charged with fostering a statewide program of research, data analysis, and information-sharing that engages health care agencies, providers, and consumers in initiatives that will reduce medical error and enhance patient safety in the Commonwealth. The Center was re-established by Chapter 224 of the Acts of 2012, An Act Improving the Quality of Health Care and Reducing Costs through Increased Transparency, Efficiency and Innovation, and is supported by the state’s Center for Health Information and Analysis (CHIA). 

The Betsy Lehman Center is seeking a full-time Research Assistant, Patient Safety & Maternal Health, who reports to the Center’s Director of Research. The successful candidate will be able to work in a hybrid environment with up to three days remote and at least two team days (currently Wednesday and Thursday) in the office at 501 Boylston Street, Boston. The annual salary is between $61,551.88 and $102,269.96.

The research assistant will work on data and data-related projects pertaining to maternal health and patient safety in Massachusetts. The ideal candidate will be goal-oriented, creative, and a fast learner; will enjoy working in a collaborative team environment; and will be excited by the prospect of building foundational data sets and reports from the ground up. 

Specifically, the research assistant will: 

• Collect, construct, and analyze data pertaining to patient safety, such as reported adverse events in medical claims and survey data 
• Utilize appropriate software, including Excel, SAS, REDCaP, Tableau and other analytic software (SQL, STATA, R, or Access), as needed
• Perform more complex multivariate analyses such as linear and logistic regression 
• Create clear and concise graphics, including charts and tables, to visually represent data and communicate inferences to diverse audiences 
• Help develop and maintain surveys and data repositories to manage, organize, and track multiple datasets for research and quality improvement projects  
• Provide technical assistance to organizations that submit data to the Center’s repository
• Ensure adherence to all relevant standards for secure use of data including documentation and storage 
• Interpret data accurately and produce clear and comprehensive written analyses, graphics, tables, and presentations for diverse internal and external audiences, including peer-reviewed journals 
• Under supervision, plan, organize, and prioritize assigned projects, creating and managing work plans that reflect the tasks, time frames, and processes required to successfully complete each 
• Represent the Center at external meetings when necessary 
• Facilitate clear communication between the Center’s research staff and external partners
• Schedule and organize meetings, maintain agendas and take notes
• Assist the Center’s Director of Research with other tasks as necessary 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Experience utilizing SAS, REDCaP and/or SQL to extract, cleanse, link, and integrate health care data from various platforms and large data sets, with demonstrable proficiency in writing maintainable, supportable, and well-documented code 
• Experience interpreting and analyzing health care utilization, access, quality, performance, patient safety, and/or survey data to produce clear and comprehensive written analyses for distribution to diverse internal and external groups 
• Experience with implementing and using data quality processes, including the demonstrated ability to assess accuracy of output at a report level and to investigate potential issues at a more granular level 
• Proficiency in producing graphs, tables, reports and presentations using Excel, PowerPoint, Word and/or Tableau 
• General understanding of patient safety, health care policy, financing, and delivery systems in Massachusetts 
• Ability to communicate clearly and effectively—both orally and in writing—with others internal and external to an organization 
• Strong judgment and discretion; ability to strictly adhere to relevant policies governing confidential data 
• Experience working on multiple projects while successfully meeting deadlines 
• Experience working collaboratively, as well as independently, with multidisciplinary teams 

Minimum Entrance Requirements:

Reimbursement Systems Analyst I:

Applicants must have at least two years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional experience in business administration, health care planning or administration, public health policy or administration, human services policy analysis or administration or economics. 

Substitutions: 

I. A Bachelor's degree or higher degree with a major in health care administration, hospital administration, public health or health services administration, business administration, business management, public policy, public administration, economics, or similar degree may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required experience.* 

II. A graduate degree with a major in health care administration, hospital administration, public health or health services administration, business administration, business management, public policy, public administration, economics, or a similar degree may be substituted for a maximum of three years of the required experience.* 

*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

BARGAINING UNIT:

06 NAGE, Reimbursement Systems Analyst I, Salary range: $61,551.88- $87,921.34

Reimbursement Systems Analyst II:

Applicants must have at least three years of full-time, or equivalent part-time, professional experience in business administration, health care planning or administration, public health policy or administration, human services policy analysis or administration or economics. 

Substitutions: 

I. A Bachelor's degree with a major in health care administration, hospital administration, public health or health services administration, business administration, business management, public policy, public administration, economics, or similar degree may be substituted for a maximum of two years of the required experience.* 

II. A graduate degree with a major in health care administration, hospital administration, public health or health services administration, business administration, business management, public policy, public administration, economics, or a similar degree may be substituted for a maximum of three years of the required experience.* 

*Education toward such a degree will be prorated on the basis of the proportion of the requirements actually completed.

BARGAINING UNIT:

06 NAGE, Reimbursement Systems Analyst II, Salary range: $70,757.18- $102,269.96

Comprehensive Benefits:

When you embark on a career with the Commonwealth, you are offered an outstanding suite of employee benefits that add to the overall value of your compensation package. We take pride in providing a work experience that supports you, your loved ones, and your future.

Want the specifics? Explore our Employee Benefits and Rewards!

• CHIA offers agency-specific flexible work and IT arrangements.

An Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action Employer. Females, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.

The Commonwealth is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, veteran status, or any other basis covered by appropriate law. Research suggests that qualified women, Black, Indigenous, and Persons of Color (BIPOC) may self-select out of opportunities if they don't meet 100% of the job requirements. We encourage individuals who believe they have the skills necessary to thrive to apply for this role.

Information submitted by applicants is collected through the JazzHR Platform, your submission of application materials constitutes your express consent for this information to be provided to JazzHR for processing. Please do not include any personally identifiable information with your application materials other than that specifically requested by CHIA. CHIA requests basic information such as name, address, telephone number, and email address. You may also self-identify with your race/ethnicity, gender, disability and/or veteran status. However, you should not provide more detailed personal information such as your date of birth or Social Security Number with your application materials.