Physician (Cardiology Section Chief)

The Lt. Col. Luke Weathers, Jr., VAMC in Memphis, TN is recruiting for a Cardiology Section Chief to serve as a full-time Specialty Care physician. The position is accountable to the Chief of Specialty Care, for assuring the most effective delivery of state-of-the-art care by meeting or exceeding compliance standards.

Duties include but are not limited to:

• Oversees all aspects of the multidisciplinary clinical activities in the Cardiology Section.
• Board eligible/certified in Internal Medicine and Board Certified/Eligible in Cardiovascular Diseases.
• The Chief possesses qualifications sufficient to be accredited by the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center at an Assistant, Associate or Professor level in the Department of Medicine.
• Oversees all aspects of the multidisciplinary clinical activities in the Cardiology Section.
• Develops, coordinates and provides input on the development and maintenance of practice guidelines, policies, and methodologies for patient care in the Cardiology Section.
• Manages patients in consultation with referring physicians and provides feedback regarding clinical care.
• Collaborates with the Medicine Service Chief and other Service and Section Chiefs to establish program goals and objectives.
• Performs and participates in (credentialing) process of cardiologists in the Section.
• Oversees, participates and develops projects that ensure cost-effectiveness of care provided by physicians and hospital.
• Coordinates, participates and meets with the Cardiology Section team as needed or required.
• Ensures establishment of Cardiology call schedules.
• Ensures compliance of the care with all regulatory and designation/verification requirements including Joint Commission, OSHA, EMT ALA and local designating agencies.
• Develops strategic relationships with referring hospitals and physicians.
• Ensures effective supervision, strategic planning, coordination, and implementation of new services of, the
  Cardiac Cath lab and its numerous functions.
• Ensures effective management of all Medical Service employees with the Cardiology Section.
• Ensures effective management of the EKG/echocardiogram/ambulatory telemetry monitoring functions of the Cardiology section.
• Ensures effective management and inventorying of all equipment in the Cardiology Section's Equipment Inventory List (EIL) on a regular basis.
• Works closely both with the Site Director and Program Director of the Cardiology Fellowship Program for the proper evaluation of the Cardiology Fellows at the VA Medical Center.
• Clinical practice, supervising and teaching Cardiology fellows, residents and medical students.
• Any other duties as assigned by the supervising physician or his/her designee as it relates to scope of practice.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be eligible for highly qualified applicants.

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 allopathic 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 accrediting bodies for graduate medical education, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA), in the list published for the year the residency, or fellowship if applicable, was completed; OR
  • (2) One year of post medical school training (internship, first year of residency, or transitional year residency) approved by ACGME or AOA followed by two years of post-training independent practice (performing under a full and unrestricted license) in the United States; OR
  • (3) Non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of three years of verified independent practice in the United States (performing under a full and unrestricted license) performing duties related to the position they are applying for (United States fellowships would be creditable towards this requirement), 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.
  • Exceptions:
    • 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 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.
    • In rare and unusual circumstances, the Facility Director can submit a memo to the VISN Director through the VISN Chief Medical Officer, who may approve requests for reasonable exceptions to the residency training requirement for Physicians whose composite record of experience, accomplishments, performance, and qualifications warrant such action.
• Proficiency in spoken and written English.

Preferred Experience:

• Substantial experience in cardiology and or cardiology subspecialty.
• Substantial direct supervisory experience in cardiology services that include managing both inpatient and outpatient clinical settings and diagnostic services including but not limited to echocardiogram and electrocardiography.
• Experience supervising a multidisciplinary group of providers, for example noninvasive cardiology, interventional cardiology, electrophysiology, and structural cardiology.
• Demonstrated experience leading a large group > 30 staff members.
• Experience with Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) metrics, specifically productivity measures.
• Experience with VA metrics including bookability, productivity, SAIL and CART programs.
• Experience within the federal government navigating the complex administrative systems either in the department of defense or veteran health administration.
• Successful applicants must be able to obtain academic appointment at our affiliate University of Tennessee Health Sciences
• Excellent communication and dinner personal skills
• Experience with quality improvement initiatives
• Ability to manage multiple task and prioritize effectively to meet VISN goals and VHA mission statement
• Proven track record of implementing and successful service line programs and process improvement
• Experience with budget management and resource allocation managing a multimillion-dollar budget

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

Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019

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.
2. Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA) for the year in which the degree was granted.
3. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, confirmation must be made that the medical school meets (or met) Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) eligibility requirement for year 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.