Physician (Chief Primary Care)

This is an Open Continuous Announcement. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis and qualified candidates will be considered as vacancies become available. Applications will remain on file until September 30, 2027.

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

Position(s) listed under this Open Continuous Announcement (OCA) MAY be eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. Applicants selected for an EDRP-eligible position will be notified in their conditional job offer. The selectee must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit an EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program approval, award amount (up to $200,000), and 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 are ineligible to apply.

Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized to a highly qualified candidate
Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact VISN7EDRPFacilityCoordinators2@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance
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

The Chief of Primary Care functions in a lead management role within Primary Care Service and reports directly to the Deputy Chief of Staff, Uptown Division. The Chief provides professional and administrative leadership for the Primary Care Service, holding responsibility for strategic direction, business planning, program development, organization, and implementation of Primary Care across all facility sites of care, including VA-owned, leased, and contracted community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs). The Chief directly or indirectly supervises Physicians, Physician Assistants, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs), and Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) staff. The position is 90% administrative and 10% direct clinical practice.

MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Strategic Leadership and Business Planning

• Develop and execute a Primary Care Service Business Plan aligned with facility, VISN 7, and VHA Primary Care Services strategic priorities.
• Provide strategic direction for program development, organization, and implementation of Primary Care across the facility and CBOCs.

Resource Management and Fiscal Accountability

• Serve as accountable official for resources used, directly and indirectly, by the Primary Care Service, including personnel, space, equipment, supplies, and operating budget.
• Ensure Primary Care clinics are appropriately resourced and functioning to provide timely access and clinical efficiency, consistent with VHA Handbook 1101.10(1) (PACT Handbook) and VHA Directive 1231.

Clinical Operations and Access

• Ensure Primary Care services, including appropriate consultation services and Veteran same-day access, are available to meet the needs of Veterans and their providers.
• Ensure adequate staffing, alert surrogate coverage, and timely patient access across all Primary Care sites of care.

Quality, Safety, and Performance Improvement

• Direct continuous measurement and improvement of quality of care within Primary Care Service.
• Develop and implement measures to monitor staff performance and assess clinical outcomes, including Pay-for-Performance metrics, PACT Compass measures, and access, coordination, and continuity of care indicators.

Human Resources and Team Development

• Participate in the selection of team members; oversee recruitment, onboarding, and retention of Primary Care providers and PACT staff.
• Provide supervision and assure appropriate actions in promotions, selections, rewards, recognition, training, discipline, and problem resolution.

Additional Duties

• Participate in facility, VISN, and national committees, workgroups, and task forces relevant to Primary Care.
• Support academic affiliations, resident and student rotations, and clinical teaching within Primary Care as applicable.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Chief of Staff.

Work Schedule: Monday-Friday - 07:30am-4:00pm. Work Schedule subject to change based on agency needs.

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: Preferred candidates will have progressively responsible leadership experience in an outpatient Primary Care setting. That includes directing or overseeing Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT), Women's Health, same-day access, and community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs). Ideal candidates will have shown the ability to supervise physicians, physician assistants, and APRNs, and to manage personnel, space, equipment, and an operating budget. They should be able to develop and carry out a service-level business plan and drive performance improvement using access, continuity, quality, and Veteran experience metrics. Experience with Joint Commission/OIG readiness, provider evaluation processes (FPPE/OPPE), and VA/VHA Primary Care policy (PACT Handbook 1101.10, Directive 1231) is highly desired. Experience supporting academic affiliations and clinical teaching is preferred

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

Physical Requirements: Eligible applicants must be physically and mentally able to perform efficiently the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation, without hazard to themselves or others. Depending on the essential duties of a specific position, usable vision, color vision, hearing or speech may be required. however, in most cases, a specific physical condition or impairment of a specific function may be compensated for by the satisfactory use of a prosthesis or mechanical aid.

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.