Physician (Chief of Primary Care)

Chief Of Primary Care

Now is the time to take your career to the next level and become part of the high-caliber talent that is VA. Experience what 250,000 current VA employees already have state-of-the-art practice settings, access to the latest technology, a multi-disciplinary team environment and the opportunity to provide the men and women who have bravely served this country with the finest patient care, benefits and customer satisfaction. And with VA Patient Satisfaction Scores leading the healthcare industry, you'll be joining one of the most respected facilities in the Nation. The Alexandria VA Health Care System is seeking a Chief of Primary Care who will be responsible for planning, developing, implementing, managing, and refining a comprehensive patient management setting.

The Alexandria VA Health Care System, Alexandria, Louisiana is a Joint Commission accredited, complexity level 3 facility serving Veterans within 23 of Louisiana's 64 parishes. The VAMC is located in Pineville, Louisiana with community based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) in Jennings, Lafayette, Fort Polk, and Natchitoches, Louisiana.

The Chief, Primary Care, is a creative, experienced and dynamic leader and visionary with strong administrative, interpersonal and organizational skills. As a key member of the clinical leadership team, you have the administrative and managerial responsibilities for Alexandria VA Health Care System (AVAHCS) Primary Care Services and reports directly to the Chief of Staff. The Chief must possess a broad spectrum of clinical and administrative knowledge which provides the ability to manage a primary care program, specifically with regard to Veteran and Staff customer satisfaction, quality of services provided, and efficiency of service delivery.

The Chief, Primary Care, will provide leadership and direction for the primary care providers, clinical leaders and administrative support staff located at the Alexandria VA Medical Center and the Community Based Outpatient Clinics(CBOCs). You are responsible for planning, developing, implementing, managing, and refining a comprehensive patient management, clinical support, and administrative program which provides services and technical counsel necessary to meet clinical, procedural, legal and administrative requirements relating to the care and treatment of outpatients to achieve maximum utilization of patient care resources in a cost-effective, efficient, and timely manner.

A comprehensive skill set of clinical and administrative expertise is required to integrate primary functions among the Medical Center, and Community Based Outpatient Clinics (CBOCs), and coordinate Veteran care with entities. The Chief is responsible for implementing VHA Handbooks, rules, directives, policies and regulations governing a widespread range of administrative aspects. In order to affect and effectively manage VHA policies, you must have skills in management theory, cost-benefit analysis, and statistical analysis. The Chief will be committed to supporting Patient Centered Care, to include the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model.

You will also provide direct patient care, and coverage for primary care panels, which will be commensurate/proportionate with his/her administrative time. The Chief, Primary Care, will participate as a member, lead or champion of process improvement teams, leadership committees such as Executive Committee of the Medical Staff, Patient Aligned Care Team Committees, Peer Review Committee, etc. He/she is tasked with providing active leadership and decision making; is responsible for strategic and tactical planning, the budget process, and performance improvement initiatives for the organization.

You must demonstrate knowledge and skills in interpersonal relations, including the ability to appropriately and courteously relate to internal and external customers. The Chief, Primary Care, is responsible for assuring services provided meet the standards set by accrediting agencies which govern the quality of care for this Medical Center. The incumbent will initiate and supervise the hiring of new primary care physicians and other providers; oversee the quality of care and performance of primary care providers across all delivery methods associated with primary care practices. This will include initiating and maintaining credentialing and privileging, ongoing quality care projects, and educational programs for primary care providers.

The Chief will ensure appropriate primary care provider workload, efficiency, productivity, and patient access is met to include institutional benchmarks for clinical care delivery.

Required Skills: Qualifications Required: In order to qualify for this position you must meet the following:

Basic Requirements: 1. Citizenship: Citizen of the United States. 2. Education: Degree of doctor of medicine or an equivalent degree resulting from a course of education in medicine or osteopathic medicine. The degree must have been obtained from one of the schools approved by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs for the year in which the course of study was completed. 3. Licensure and Registration: 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.

Physical Requirements: Pre-employment Physical Required

Probationary Period: This position requires completion of a 2-year probationary period, if not already served. This position also requires completion of a 1-year SUPERVISORY/MANAGERIAL probationary period.

English Language Proficiency: Physicians, including residents, appointed to direct patient-care positions must be proficient in spoken and written English as required by 38 U.S.C. 7402(d) and 7407(d).

Drug-Free Workplace: The VA has established a Drug-Free Federal Workplace Policy. All applicants tentatively selected for VA employment in a testing designated position are subject to urinalysis to screen for illegal drug use prior to appointment. Applicants who refuse to be tested will be denied employment with the VA for a period of six months. This policy extends to random testing for the use of illegal drugs by employees who occupy testing designated positions defined as sensitive in Section 7(d) of Executive Order 12564. This is a testing designated position.