EL1 Health Information Officer, MedicineInsight

The Measurement for Improvement (MFI) Program is responsible for a range of projects to support the meaningful use of indicators, analysis and data including clinical quality registries and clinical trials. These projects aim to support the feedback of safety and quality data to multiple levels of the health system including consumers, clinicians, administrators and funders. This work also supports the Commission’s national health information role and commitments under the National Health Reform Act 2011, and the National Health Reform and Information Agreements.

MedicineInsight operates within this program area after the transition to the Commission in January 2023 when the Commission became the custodian of a range of Quality Use of Medicines (QUM) functions. The Commission promotes QUM stewardship by collecting data and reporting on the quality use of medicines, developing national guidance, and generating cross sector engagement on the appropriate use of therapeutics, diagnostics and pathology.

MedicineInsight is a quality improvement program which allows general practitioners to reflect on their own patterns of prescribing and patient care and compare these with other GPs in their practice and at a national level. Participating practices are offered customised quality improvement recommendations that support alignment with best practice and identify key areas for improvement which benefit patients. 

The Health Information Officer will be expected to work with limited supervision, within a team context and with internal and external stakeholders. The role provides support to the Manager with the end-to-end management, maintenance and preparation of analysis of the MedicineInsight data collection.

The Health Information Officer will have a superior understanding of the Australian health system and have in-depth knowledge of health data coding including knowledge on, data extraction, analysis, cleaning and clinical classification. They must have a high level of experience in:

• Working with data collections and reporting
• Planning and implementing major projects
• Engaging in, developing and managing relationships with stakeholders.

Duties of the Health Information Officer will include, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Provide expert health informatics (GP systems, workflows, terminologies) advice and support to inform the management, maintenance, review and continuous improvement to the MedicineInsight data collection. 
2. Apply sound knowledge of clinical coding to ensure data quality and identify gaps in dataset requirements. 
3. Manage the creation of condition flags in the database as required for reports, data extracts and Practice reports. Ensure this is transferred to the associated Condition Flag dictionary.
4. Apply expert health informatics skills to improve data quality in preparation for analysis. Have a good understanding to interpret, classify and report on health data to produce valid and useful information for GPs, practices, policy makers and other stakeholders.
5. Understand relevant legislative requirements, and governance and security frameworks for the MedicineInsight data collection and escalate if required.
6. Demonstrate sound experience in business intelligence tools and the suite of Microsoft products to support report production. 
7. Prepare briefs, procurement documents and manage stakeholder relationships through superior writing skills and strong communication skills.
8. Manage delivery of various products including reports and data extracts using MedicineInsight, and other relevant data collections where appropriate.
9. Collaborate with team members and other program teams within the Commission to support the work of the team.
10. Other duties as required by the Commission.

The successful candidate will have:

• An extensive and comprehensive understanding of Australia’s healthcare system, including sound understanding of current primary health care safety and quality issues, data, and general practice information, systems and standards.
• High-level experience in health data/disease coding including demonstrated hands-on experience in preparing data aligned to primary care indicators for analysis.
• Excellent analytical skills and conceptual ability, with the demonstrated capacity for sound judgement and innovative problem-solving.
• Highly developed oral and written communication skills including demonstrated ability to prepare high quality documents and submissions, present to a range of audiences, and explain complex technical and clinical issues simply.
• A high level of knowledge and comprehensive understanding of key safety and quality issues relevant to primary care.

To apply for this position, please complete an application form and upload: 

• A CV summarising your relevant experience and qualifications
• A two-page cover letter broadly addressing your suitability against both the position description and selection criteria. 

Candidates must be Australian citizens to be eligible to apply.

Please note: All staff are required to provide evidence of a COVID-19 primary vaccination course, which is the first two doses of a Therapeutic Goods Administration approved or recognised COVID-19 vaccine.

Questions about the role can be directed to Anna Lewis (02) 7232 6059.