Job Description

GENERAL SUMMARY:

The Stroke Data Analyst (SDA) is a key member of the team running the Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) at Tufts Medical Center, a 415 bed tertiary care, academic medical center in downtown Boston, MA providing care for more than 1000 patients with stroke each year. The SDA is an expert in data tracking for clinical performance metrics, database management, data visualization, data analysis to facilitate process improvement, external reporting, and certification. The SDA reports to and works in partnership with the Medical Director of the CSC and the Stroke Advanced Practice Nurse to guide the care processes of the CSC

PRINCIPAL DUTIES AND ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Maintain and improve a concurrent database tracking the clinical care of hospitalized patients with acute stroke, monitoring achievement of core performance measures and areas identified for process improvement, and informing the Stroke APN and clinical teams of missing actions
• Maintain and improve a database evaluating clinical performance during Stroke Codes with time tracking and including patients eligible for intravenous fibrinolysis and/or endovascular therapy in order to guide process improvement.
• Maintain and improve an adverse event database to identify and facilitate clinical review of selected adverse events among hospitalized patients with acute stroke to help guide process improvement.
• Maintain high fidelity in data representation of clinical care performance for external reporting agencies including the Joint Commission, Get with the Guidelines, Coverdell/Department of Health, Center for Medicare/Medicaid Services, and others, working with data abstractors, the Quality department, administrators, and clinicians to reconcile these data with the concurrent database.
• Facilitate external reporting of clinical care performance measures to the Joint Commission, Get with the Guidelines, Coverdell/Department of Health, etc.
• Periodically audit patient charts (select number per month) to assess adequacy of clinical documentation practices.
• Prepare weekly reports of stroke case numbers and current performance for high priority quality assurance/process improvement initiatives, and other scheduled, defined reports as requested by the Medical Director of the CSC.
• Maintain and improve a core performance metric dashboard, and present this data at monthly meetings of the multidisciplinary Stroke Council.
• Analyze databases and summary reports, identify trends in clinical performance, and perform statistical analyses and data visualizations to help understand the magnitude and potential factors influencing these trends.
• Perform “drill down” investigations when clinical or process measures are not met to identify potential factors influencing these trends.
• Facilitate case updates for allied clinicians including Emergency Medical Services, referring physicians at community hospitals, and clinical care teams at Tufts MC.
• Coordinate and facilitate maintenance of Joint Commission certification of the Comprehensive Stroke Center along with the Stroke APN and Medical Director of the CSC, including preparing presentations on data use and clinical performance metrics.
• Track annual education requirements for CSC clinicians to help facilitate Joint Commission maintenance of certification.

Qualifications

JOB REQUIREMENTS:

JOB KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS:

• Knowledge of statistics and research methodologies.

• Knowledge of relational databases, report writing, and software packages for database management and presentations.

• Experience with SAS, R, or other similar statistical software.

• Ability to present complex data and concepts to clinicians.

• Analytical skills needed to work independently with databases, perform appropriate statistical analyses, and develop data visualizations to inform quality assurance and process improvement activities.

• Interpersonal skills needed to interact effectively with clinicians including physicians, nurses, and others in an academic medical center.

• Working understanding of quality assurance and process improvement methodologies preferred

EDUCATION:

• Masters degree or equivalent in a clinical discipline, statistics/biostatistics, data science, or science

EXPERIENCE:

• Three or more years of experience working in health care or a health care-related field in a position requiring database management preferred

• Prior experience interfacing with regulatory agencies such as the Joint Commission, Department of Health, etc., in the certification of clinical programs or hospitals preferred

Additional Information

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES STATEMENT:

Must be able to perform all essential functions of this position with reasonable accommodation if disabled.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed, as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. Tufts Medical Center reserves the right to modify position duties at any time, to reflect process improvements and business necessity.

COVID-19 POLICY:

Please note that effective October 1, 2021, as a condition of employment at Tufts Medical Center, all employees and new hires must have received their complete dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, unless they have been granted an exemption.