Sr. SAS Programmer (RSDC)

Who We Are

Point32Health is a leading health and wellbeing organization, delivering an ever-better personalized health care experience to everyone in our communities. At Point32Health, we are building on the quality, nonprofit heritage of our founding organizations, Tufts Health Plan and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, where we leverage our experience and expertise to help people find their version of healthier living through a broad range of health plans and tools that make navigating health and wellbeing easier.

We enjoy the important work we do every day in service to our members, partners, colleagues and communities. To learn more about who we are at Point32Health, click here .

Job Summary

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute is currently seeking a highly motivated programmer/analyst to join the Research Support Data Center (RSDC) within the Department of Population Medicine ( The Department of Population Medicine is the home of several large, complex multi-institutional research initiatives focused on using electronic health and administrative claims data to support major national public health activities including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Sentinel System ( and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccine Safety Datalink ( Our mission is to improve health care delivery and population health through research and education and SAS Programmer/Analysts play a critical role in delivering on that mission.

In addition to supporting large national public health activities, we also work with other federal funders and private entities to bring our strong data assets and analytic skillset to solve the most pressing health problems facing health plan delivery systems.

Key Responsibilities/Duties – what you will be doing

• Develop, design, clean, manage, and analyze data from all internal data sources using Unix and PC software including clinical information systems, automated medical records, hospital claims, outpatient claims, pharmacy, enrollment and benefits data. In addition to utilizing internal databases, will also utilize data developed from surveys, medical chart reviews, and external sources such as state-based registries.
• Develop automated scripts for frequent updating of analytic datasets to add information in near-real time including developing reconciliation procedures.
• Develop scripts to construct and receive routine HL7 messages to be used for information exchange in building data assets.
• Perform data management and analysis tasks on multiple epidemiological research projects for internal and external investigators, including developing data dictionaries and related documentation. Support all aspects of the project, including work plan development, project design, developing SAS programs, data problem identification and resolution and results reporting.
• Lead analytic and statistical programming activities on curated analysis datasets and custom analytics for various research groups.
• Manage, perform and document quality control (QC) testing of SAS programs, in accordance with internal standard operating procedures (SOPs) and guidelines.
• Use good judgment and practice in working with highly confidential information. Follow all applicable privacy and confidentiality procedures in daily work.
• Perform out-of-the-box thinking, collaborate with others, and make a difference every day!

Qualifications – what you need to perform the job

• BA/BS in public health, quantitative social sciences, economics, statistics, mathematics or related field required. MA/MS in related field (e.g., statistics, quantitative social sciences, public health, epidemiology, economics or mathematics) preferred.
• Minimum 5 years of SAS programming experience, including experience as a senior level SAS developer in a healthcare-related setting. Extensive SAS macro development experience, including but not limited to the development of applications/systems that are exclusively macro- and table/data-driven. SAS hash object programming experience, including but not limited to its use in table merging/joining and look-up techniques. Experience writing and reviewing functional and technical programming specifications.
• Prior experience retrieving, manipulating and analyzing data on UNIX computer systems. Working knowledge of TERADATA and SQL required.
• Knowledge and experience in Health Level Seven (HL7) standards such as HL7 CDA, HL7 V2.x, Clinical Query Language (CQL), HL7 FHIR, and HL7 processes.
• Experience analyzing large administrative healthcare data a must (Medicare/Medicaid, other claims-based or electronic medical records databases). Experience with medical coding systems (e.g., NDC, ICD-9, HCPCS/CPT, SNOMED CT, LOINC), basic medical terminology, and epidemiologic principles a must.
• Experience with testing and implementing programming efficiency techniques with respect to optimization in the following areas: CPU time, real time, data storage, I/O and memory a plus. Experience with other analysis software packages (e.g., R, SQL, Stata, etc.) or other programming languages (Python, Java, VB/VBA) a plus.
• Experience implementing study designs and statistical methods that address bias and confounding in observational data (e.g., self-controlled designs, propensity score methods) a plus.

• Excellent interpersonal, oral, and written communication skills.
• Resilient, collaborative, flexible, innovative.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) and Health Equity

Point32Health is committed to making diversity, equity, inclusion, accessibility and health equity part of everything we do—from product design to the workforce driving that innovation. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Accessibility (DEIA) and Health Equity team's strategy is deeply connected to our core values and will evolve as the changing nature of work shifts. Programming, events, and an inclusion infrastructure play a role in how we spread cultural awareness, train people leaders on engaging with their teams and provide parameters on how to recruit and retain talented and dynamic talent. We welcome all applicants and qualified individuals, who will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.