“Responsibilities
The Chief Healthcare Economist provides specialized expertise in health economics and guidance to maximize OIG’s effectiveness in investing its expanded resources and fulfilling its growing mission with respect to HHS’s health care programs. In carrying out these responsibilities, the Chief Healthcare Economist analyzes, interprets, synthesizes, and projects the movements and relationships among the many forces that play upon the health care economy. In this capacity, the Chief Healthcare Economist:
- Serves as strategic planner, consultant, and expert on particularly complex and high-priority matters related to health care payment and delivery. Conducts analyses of the effects of health care legislation, initiates or participates in studies of the drivers of health insurance premiums, studies and reports on the supply and price of health care items and services, and conducts further analyses of competitive models for Medicare, and other national health care programs.
- Contributes to a broad range of OIG responsibilities, which include preparing OIG reports and testimonies, designing and producing state-of-the-art analytical studies that underlie those OIG products, and constructing and improving associated analytic models.
- Maintains specialized expertise in the broad areas of health economics and health policy, conducts risk assessments, and identifies emerging issues and opportunities for impact to guide OIG’s strategic planning, in consultation with OIG’s senior executives;
- Conducts research and applies theories of production, efficiency, disparities, competition, and regulation to better inform policymakers on the most efficient, or cost-effective, and equitable course of action. Such research may include the economic evaluation of new technologies, as well as the study of appropriate prices, competition, optimal public and private investment, and strategic behavior.
- Develops and maintains relationships with HHS program officials and other policy and academic experts in health economics to inform strategic planning and advance OIG’s opportunities for impact;
- Reviews and analyzes policy documents on issues affecting the program or operations of OIG, makes recommendations to OIG senior executives for action on such documents, and performs staff work as needed to ensure appropriate followup;
- Independently or in collaboration with the OIG Chief Data Officer, identifies opportunities and methodologies for expanding OIG’s use of advanced data analytics to support audits, evaluations, and investigations of health care programs;
- Advises component offices on recommendations arising from audits, evaluations, and other analyses, including conducting more sophisticated cost-benefit analyses of recommended program and policy changes;
- Provides OIG senior executives the necessary data, information, and advice to make policy decisions. Ensures that OIG senior executives are fully prepared in advance of meetings with HHS program officials or Congressional briefings on significant policy issues to be discussed, appropriate background information needed, and the most recent status of relevant issues;
- Participates in and keeps informed of all OIG programs and activities in this portfolio, and reports significant problems to OIG senior executives with recommendations for their resolution;
- Serves as an expert advisor on OIG’s audits, evaluations, enforcement activities, public outreach, and communications in this portfolio; and
- Oversees or participates in special projects, work groups, and other collaborative efforts that cut across organizational and functional lines and ensures that the OIG senior executives are fully informed of the progress of such projects and that OIG leadership’s views and policies are represented and incorporated into final products.”
Read the full job description here.
G2X TAKE: Those who support the Department of Health and Human Services may want to influence who applies for this role that, independently or in collaboration with the OIG Chief Data Officer, identifies opportunities and methodologies for expanding OIG’s use of advanced data analytics to support audits, evaluations, and investigations of health care programs.
