Physician - Primary Care Clinic Director

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 Demetrius Roberts, the EDRP Coordinator at demetrius.roberts@va.gov, 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

This position is stationed at a community-based outpatient clinic. The Clinic Director reports to CBOC Executive.
Duties include, but are not limited to:

• Performing initial histories and physical examinations.
• Performing periodic physical examinations.
• Screening outpatients to determine the need for further healthcare.
• Ordering diagnostic studies such as laboratory tests, x-rays, electrocardiograms.
• Carry out health promotion and disease prevention activities.
• Initiating and expediting requests for consultations and scheduling special tests and studies.
• Provides education and counseling of patients and families in preventative care, medical conditions, and use of prescribed treatments and drugs.
• The incumbent will be expected to be proficient in other components of patient management such as charting, progress notes, signatures, preparation of consults, referrals, and telephone consults with specialists at the Medical Center that are an integral part of the clinical team.
• The incumbent will integrate both mandated health screening and guidelines for treatment into the practice. The incumbent will have basic proficiency with a computer and willingness to learn VA's Computerized Patient Record System (CPRS). The clinical and administrative time is adjusted accordingly per each clinic.
• Provides clinical practice leadership in the implementation of MEDVAMC policies and procedures at the CBOC and applies PACT principles to attain PACT performance measure goals to provide timely access and quality care to Veterans in a patient-centered fashion and to attain high patient satisfaction ratings.
• Responsible and accountable for planning, organizing, and coordinating all clinical programs and interdisciplinary programs for the CBOC through teamwork. Keeps MEDVAMC management apprised of all issues.
• Provides leadership for CBOC programs in an effective manner and demonstrates a high level of initiative and independence in carrying out the administrative and patient care functions in accordance with the MEDVAMC, Veterans Health Administration policies, and procedures. Initiates and delivers timely reports to ensure superiors are informed about CBOC operations.
• Provides day-to-day supervision for all clinical staff at the CBOC and participates in the performance appraisal process for all clinical staff and the nonclinical supervisors at the CBOC.
• Serves as a member of the MEDVAMC leadership team and possibly serves on other committees as well.
• Knowledgeable of the interdisciplinary Performance Improvement Program for MEDVAMC and systematically monitors the quality and appropriateness of care in all programs.
• Assures clinical practice guidelines compliance. Provides an environment supportive of education training and research for all health care professionals.
• Responsible for enforcement of MEDVAMC policies, rules and regulations and the Medical Staff Bylaws Rules and Regulations within the CBOC.
• Coordinates delivery of patient care; maximizes budgetary efficiency to meet performance goals; develops programs and strategic planning; implements clinical guidelines and practice patterns; monitors strategic initiatives; and measures parameters critical to the success of care services.
• Responsible for safety and environmental standards for the CBOC.
• Serves as a resource person for standards development in health care in the area of quality improvement concerns.

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday 8:00am - 4:30pm May include extended hours and some Saturdays.

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:

• Primary care physicians with leadership experience within the outpatient setting, working within the PACT model.
• Board Certified/Eligible preferred.

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

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.