Pathology - Physician

The VA San Diego Healthcare System is seeking an experienced physician to serve as our Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine. The Chief of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine responsibilities include administration, management, maintaining accreditation and medical directorship for CLIA licensure and leadership of the entire Path and Lab Service at the facility. The service chief will report to the Network Chief, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, who is responsible for the overall clinical and administrative function of the pathologist physician staff. The major duties of this position include but are not limited to:

• Serves as the VA medical facility CLIA Laboratory Director, fulfilling all responsibilities of the VA medical facility CLIA Laboratory Director.
• Oversees all laboratory testing performed at VA medical facility laboratories, serves as a consultant for specialty laboratories and ensures all testing is compliant with federal regulations.
• Directs and coordinates the patient care, administration, education and research functions of the VA medical facility PALMS.
• Responsible for all quality measures regarding patient services.
• Provides consultation and guidance to VA health care providers regarding matters pertaining to pathology and laboratory medicine and the medical significance of laboratory findings.
• As the CLIA Medical Director (or delegates a voting member) participates on the VA medical facility Clinical Executive Board or analogous medical staff committee and all other appropriate committees.
• Participates in applicable cross-organizational performance-improvement activities, developing and communicating to the VA medical facility Chief Of Staff (COS) objectives and coordinating efforts to integrate patient care and support services.
• Directs and coordinates the functions of the VA medical facility PALMS and outreach functions based upon the mission, special needs and size of the VA medical facility.
• Ensures that VA medical facility laboratories performing patient care testing meet requirements for hospital accreditation.
• Ensures, if the VA medical facility, PALMS has a blood bank or transfusion service, it maintains its current Association for the Advancement of Blood & Biotherapies (AABB) accreditation.
• Acts as a consultant for the VA medical facility when a community care provider is contracted to perform laboratory testing for VA patients. The VA medical facility Chief, PALMS must ensure that documentation is obtained to verify the contracted laboratory is appropriately CLIA certified and, if it's a non-waived laboratory, accreditation is documented.
• Ensures OPPE of VA medical facility pathology physicians and all technical and quality aspects of anatomic pathology are met.
• Ensures FPPEs are performed as appropriate.
• Oversees all PALMS-related quality reviews (e.g., OPPE, FPPE, the PLM QM Program, anatomic pathology internal quality review).
• Reviews and approves VA medical facility CLIA Laboratory Director appointments at VA medical facility specialty laboratories when the appointee is not a pathology physician.
• Establishes and implements criteria for rescreening cytopathology specimens for high-risk patients.
• In conjunction with the VA medical facility COS, ensuring an ongoing mechanism for monitoring and evaluating the usefulness and appropriateness of specialized testing requests to outside reference laboratories and ensuring the testing is appropriate for patient care.
• Equitably assigns pathology workload to pathology staff and establishes and maintains the pathologist's daily schedule to include on-call services.
• Participates in multidisciplinary conferences (i.e. Tumor Board, Chest Conference, GI Conference etc.).

• U.S. Citizenship.
• Unrestricted U.S. Medical License.
• Successful completion of an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) or American Osteopathic Association (AOA) accredited fellowship in their specialty.
• Board Certification within their specialty.

• Prior VA Experience
• 5 years of supervisory experience.

• $300,000 - $400,000 compensation package based on training, specialty, experience, and local labor market.
• CME: $1,000/year.
• Malpractice: VHA physicians are covered under the Federal Tort Claims Act.
• No employment contracts, non-compete clauses, or restrictive covenants.
• 26 days paid vacation; 13 days paid sick time; 11 paid federal holidays.
• Federal Retirement Pension and a separate 401K with a 5% agency match.
• Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance.