Entry Level Operations Research Analyst Jobs in Minnesota

The Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI) has an exciting new opportunity for an experienced Epic Applications Analyst to support our growing research. The Analyst will be responsible for supporting Epic applications through planning, designing, implementing, maintaining, and optimizing Epic-based tools that support clinical research, innovation, and grant-funded initiatives across Hennepin Healthcare.

This is a hybrid remote position. Work will primarily be done from home with opportunities to meet in-person with other staff and analysts at least weekly at our office in downtown Minneapolis, MN.

POSITION SUMMARY:

This position will work within the Research and Evaluation Data Analytics Core (REDAC) at Hennepin Healthcare Research Institute (HHRI). REDAC is a dedicated, single-entry point resource providing centralized support with data analytics, program evaluation, and research methodology across the Hennepin Healthcare System (HHS) and HHRI. The new Epic Applications analyst will build and support Epic-based research and innovation infrastructure, with a focus on Cadence (registration and scheduling) and Epic Revenue Cycle (Hospital Billing and Professional Billing) functionality. The analyst will partner with clinicians, researchers, informaticists, data analysts, and operational leaders to translate funded research and improvement initiatives into Epic workflows, tools, data capture, and financial/reporting solutions. This role will also partner with Hennepin Healthcare IT teams that house and maintain the EPIC system to collaborate in the shared environments.

Unlike traditional Epic analyst roles that focus primarily on operational support, this position will support innovative, grant-funded projects that evolve over time, requiring the ability to adapt scheduling, registration, and billing workflows to meet emerging research and operational needs. This includes supporting research participant identification, project-related scheduling, and alignment of clinical and financial workflows for research and care delivery. Examples of projects that will occur in the first 12 months of the role include:

• Supporting the Brain Health Clinic initiative that is integrating neurology into primary care to screen for and treat early-stage dementia
• Updating the applications and workflow for healthcare at the Hennepin County jail to prepare to support Medicaid billing and reimbursement

The analyst will play a key role in enabling research and innovation teams to leverage the electronic health record as a platform for care delivery, research operations, and financial transparency, ensuring that front-end workflows (registration/scheduling) and downstream billing processes support accurate data capture, reporting, and sustainability of funded initiatives. Depending on the needs of funded research initiatives, the scope of this role may expand to support additional Epic applications and data analysis functionality.

This role will be integrated into the REDAC team, which is made up of data analysts, research methodologists, informaticists, and project managers. This role is well suited for an individual who is collaborative, creative, flexible, and self-driven, and who enjoys working in a dynamic environment where technology, informatics, data analytics, and research intersect to improve clinical care and health system performance

ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

• Designs, builds, and maintains Epic Cadence and Billing workflows that support clinical operations, research activities, and grant-funded projects within Hennepin Healthcare and HHRI.
• Collaborate with clinicians, researchers, informaticists, revenue cycle teams, and REDAC analysts to translate research and operational requirements into Epic system design and technical specifications.
• Develops and optimizes registration, scheduling, and billing workflows to support research participant identification, enrollment, and study-related encounters.
• Supports alignment of front-end workflows (Cadence/registration) with downstream billing, charging, and reimbursement processes to ensure data integrity and financial accuracy.
• Contributes to the design of Epic workflows that enable tracking of research-related services, encounters, and associated financial activity.
• Demonstrates flexibility in supporting a variety of projects whose workflow and financial requirements may evolve as grant-funded initiatives progress.
• Analyzes and diagnoses system issues, identifies root causes, and resolves problems or escalates issues to appropriate IT staff when necessary.
• Plans, designs, implements, maintains, and provides ongoing optimization and support for Epic applications supporting research and revenue cycle operations.
• Gathers, validates, and translates business and research requirements into system design specifications.
• Builds and maintains Epic workflows supporting patient access, scheduling optimization, registration accuracy, charge capture, and billing processes.
• Works collaboratively with IT teams, clinicians, operational leaders, and researchers to evaluate, design, test, implement, and maintain Epic-based solutions.
• Participates in the preparation, coding, testing, and debugging of complex Epic configurations and workflows.
• Supports integration of Epic Cadence and Billing functionality with research data infrastructure, including reporting and analytics workflows.
• Identifies reporting needs and works with data analytics and reporting teams to support operational, financial, and research reporting requirements.
• Documents system design, application configuration, and technical specifications and contributes to training and support materials for end users.
• Reviews Epic upgrade documentation and evaluates potential impacts on scheduling, registration, billing, and research workflows.
• Partners with Epic and other vendors to troubleshoot system issues and identify opportunities for system improvement.
• Provides Tier 2 support for Epic applications related to Cadence, registration, and revenue cycle workflows.

EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS:

Education/Experience:

Any equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the required knowledge and skills is qualifying. Typical minimum qualifications include Associates of Arts (AA) or Bachelor's degree in health informatics, information systems, healthcare administration, computer science, or a related field may substitute for required experience. Minimum of three (3) years of experience supporting Epic applications or related healthcare IT systems required.

• Experience working with healthcare data systems or research-related IT environments preferred.

• Experience working with patient access, scheduling, registration, or revenue cycle workflows strongly preferred, as is prior experience working as an Epic Analyst.

Skill, Knowledge & Ability (SKA):

Required:

• Ability to think strategically and demonstrate flexibility to adapt to changes in organizational or department priorities.
• Demonstrated analytical, critical thinking, problem solving and conflict resolution skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and work in a dynamic, evolving environment
• Ability to communicate technical concepts effectively to clinical, operational, and research audiences

Certification:

Epic certification in a primary application will be required within four months of hire.

Preference will be given to applicants with Epic certification in:

• Epic Cadence (Scheduling)
• Epic Prelude/ADT (Registration)
• Epic Billing (HB/PB)

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience supporting Cadence, registration, or revenue cycle workflows within Epic
• Experience working with financial, billing, or charge capture processes in healthcare systems
• Experience supporting research or grant-funded initiatives involving operational or financial workflows
• Familiarity with how front-end workflows impact downstream billing, reporting, and reimbursement
• Experience working with clinical informatics, research teams, or healthcare analytics groups
• Understanding of data capture, reporting structures, and operational/financial analytics
• Experience collaborating with multidisciplinary teams including clinicians, researchers, analysts, revenue cycle staff, and IT professionals
• Interest in innovative approaches to integrating clinical operations, financial data, and research

HHRI is an Equal Opportunity Employer