Physician/Section Chief - Home and Community Based Care

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.

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

Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Learn more.
EDRP Authorized: Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply for incentive. Contact visn15edrp@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 Medical Director, Home and Community Based Care (HCBC) in the Extended Care and Rehabilitation Service (ECRS) of the St. Louis VA Healthcare System (VAHCS), serves as the Section Chief of HCBC and is involved in the St. Louis VAHCS's leadership and management of resources, organizational performance improvement, patient and employee satisfaction, environment of care, and strategic planning.

The incumbents accountable and responsible for the coordination of clinical activities, clinical staff and administrative oversight of HCBC programs. The incumbent will be providing administrative, clinical, and program leadership to ensure achievement of clinical, programmatic and VHA goals and performance measures for all programs in HCBC. The incumbent will, also provide clinical coverage in HBPC . Will monitor and ensure medical staff compliance with agency regulations, medical staff bylaws, facility policies, Joint Commission (JC) standards, and other regulations.
Specific duties and responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Reports to the Associate Chief of Staff ACOS), ECRS and works in association with the Program Director, HBPC and the Director of Long Term Supports and Services.
• Serves as Medical Director of HBPC and supervises HBPC physicians and nurse practitioners.
• Is the clinical reviewer and approving authority for all purchased HCBC.
• Participates in interdisciplinary meetings, works with interdisciplinary teams and provides oversight for the programs in HCBC services.
• Provides Attending-level medical supervision and oversight to medical students, residents and fellows if any; may also serve as a collaborating/supervising physician to advanced
• practice professionals.
• Serves on service, medical center, VISN and/or national committees.
• Takes part in continuing medical education (as defined by licensure), and quality assurance activities.
• Other duties as assigned by the ACOS, ECRS.
• Administrative time and clinical time divided 50% each but may be adjusted per needs of the program.
• In addition, the candidate may qualify for an academic appointment with our academic affiliate(s).

DUTY STATION: The duty station is at Jefferson Barracks location in St. Louis, Missouri; however, the duty station may be changed to one or multiple associated VAMC locations within the metropolitan St. Louis, MO area based on the needs of the medical center.


Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm.
Ad-Hoc telework may be authorized with approvals.

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: Candidates should have Internal Medicine or Family Medicine board certification, Geriatrics board eligibility or certification is preferred. A minimum of 2 years clinical and management experience in Geriatrics/Extended Care programs or services is preferred. Experience in building programs and in teaching physician and other trainees is preferred.

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

Physical Requirements: More information can be found in VA 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.