Physician (Primary Care)

The incumbent in this position is responsible for clinical duties in the Outpatient clinic setting. The duties include (but not limited to) managing a panel of patients utilizing the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model, achieving performance measure goals, serves as collaborating physician for Mid-level practitioners (including Peer chart review, assisting in performance evaluations, mentoring, and collaborating), and other duties as appointed, I.E., resident continuity clinic supervision.

NOTE: The 2-page Resume requirement does not apply to this occupational series. For more information, refer to Required Documents below.

This vacancy will remain open until filled.

The PCP that leads the PACT teamlet is expected to become familiar with and utilize performance improvement models in order to lead the teamlet in Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA or small tests of change) projects focusing on improvement in clinic flow, access, care coordination, and other systems redesign initiatives. The PCP is expected to guide the teamlet in utilizing alternatives to face-to-face visits to provide care to the team's assigned panel of patients. Such alternatives will include (but are not limited to) telephone visits, tele-health, Care Coordination and Home Telehealth (CCHT), secure messaging, nurse clinics, clinical pharmacy clinics, etc. The PCP must be comfortable with supporting all staff members to work at the top of their license, able to delegate effectively, and foster a team approach to providing care. The PCP participates in daily teamlet huddles to insure that outcome measures for PACT (which include optimizing access and continuity, redesigning primary care practices to become patient-centric, meeting Performance Measure goals in access and clinical care, and improving care management and coordination of care) are met. The PCP will provide input to the teamlet members' supervisors for performance appraisals.

Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Assists in performing performance appraisals on support staff working in the clinic.
• Completes evaluations on supervised medical students, if applicable.
• Actively participates in regularly scheduled staff meetings.
• Complies with all Coding and Encounter regulations in a timely manner.
• Responsible for direct patient care for a panel of patients utilizing the PACT model.
• Interfaces with other medical staff and health care professionals in the medical center regarding Primary Care.
• Achieves Performance measure goals and participate in performance improvement Initiatives including implementation of PACT model and other Systems Redesign Rapid Process Improvement projects.
• Ensures patients are vested as required.
• Serves as Collaborating Physician for Mid-level practitioners and participates in peer review and performance appraisal.
• Other duties as assigned.

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards.

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified applicants.
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive.

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of paid time off per year (26 days of annual leave, 13 days of sick leave, 11 paid Federal holidays per year and possible 5 day paid absence for CME)
Retirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA
Insurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)
Licensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory
CME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement (must be full-time with board certification)
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:00AM - 4:30PM

To qualify for this position, you must meet the basic requirements as well as any additional requirements (if applicable) listed in the job announcement. Applicants pending the completion of training or license requirements may be referred and tentatively selected but may not be hired until all requirements are met. Currently employed physician(s) in VA who met the requirements for appointment under the previous qualification standard at the time of their initial appointment are deemed to have met the basic requirements of the occupation.

Basic Requirements:

• United States Citizenship: Non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA Policy.
• Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed.
• Current, full and unrestricted license to practice medicine or surgery in a State, Territory, or Commonwealth of the United States, or in the District of Columbia.
• Residency Training: Physicians must have completed residency training, approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in an accredited core specialty training program leading to eligibility for board certification. (NOTE: VA physicians involved in academic training programs may be required to be board certified for faculty status.) Approved residencies are: (1) Those approved by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR
  [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR
  (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), which the local Medical Staff Executive Committee deems to have provided the applicant with appropriate professional training and believes has exposed the physician to an appropriate range of patient care experiences.
  Residents currently enrolled in ACGME/AOA accredited residency training programs and who would otherwise meet the basic requirements for appointment are eligible to be appointed as "Physician Resident Providers" (PRPs). PRPs must be fully licensed physicians (i.e., not a training license) and may only be appointed on an intermittent or fee-basis. PRPs are not considered independent practitioners and will not be privileged; rather, they are to have a "scope of practice" that allows them to perform certain restricted duties under supervision. Additionally, surgery residents in gap years may also be appointed as PRPs.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/.

Physical Requirements: To perform in a fully successful manner, the individual must have the physical ability to perform job-related duties which require lifting, standing, bending, transferring, stooping, stretching, walking, pushing, or pulling without assistance from another patient care provider or significant other. A health examination must be successfully complete prior to this assignment and periodically thereafter as required by the Employee Health Clinic policy. There will be intermittent exposure to blood and body fluids.

Degree of Doctor of Medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in allopathic medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from an institution whose accreditation was in place for the year in which the course of study was completed. Approved schools are:

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate graduated.]

NOTE: The Under Secretary of Health or designee in the VHA Central Office may approve the appointment under authority of 38 U.S.C. 7405 of a physician graduate of a school of medicine not covered above if the candidate is to be assigned to a research, academic, or administrative position with no patient care responsibilities. The appointment will be made only in exceptional circumstances where the candidate's credentials clearly demonstrate high professional attainment or expertise in the specialty area.