Physician (Regular Ft) Chief of Diagnostic Services

Job Title

Services under Diagnostics include Imaging, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Audiology and Speech Pathology, Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy.

Provide direction and oversight for all clinical and administrative activities of the service with commitment to continuous improvement of patient outcomes and services delivered.

Collaborate and coordinate with the service Administrative Officer for all administrative activities of the service.

Integrate the service into the primary functions of the organization and integrate the service mission and goals into those of the Medical Center, Network, and Department of Veterans Affairs.

Coordinate and integrate clinical functions shared by services, including all issues and concerns between services.

Develop and implement service policies and procedures that guide and support the provision of the service.

Identify and recommend the sufficient number of qualified and competent staff to provide clinical care and services.

Provide continuing supervision/surveillance of the professional performance of all individuals who have delineated privileges or defined scopes of practice in the service.

Develop and implement a performance improvement plan for continuous assessment and improvement of the quality of services provided.

Identify or recommend space and other resources needed by the service to provide safe, efficient, and effective clinical care.

Assess and recommend off-station sources for indicated patient care services not provided by the service or by the organization.

Review monitors of service performance to ensure compliance with local, network, and central policies, procedures, and mandates.

Responsible and accountable for the quantity and quality of patient care delivered by each employee under his/her supervision.

Provide guidance and counseling for staff members directly supervised, and initiate disciplinary actions, when appropriate, in accordance with VHA rules and regulations.

Assure adherence, by those under the supervision of the Service Chief, to the medical staff bylaws, rules, and regulations.

Promulgate an on-call roster for those supervised positions that take call.

Coordinate the leave schedules of supervised staff, optimally a year in advance, to ensure adequate clinical coverage for all supervised areas.

Build collaborative working relationships among members of the service and with other services.

Implement local, network, and central clinical policies and procedures including practice guidelines, and take a leadership role in improving important clinical functions, some of which are contained in local, network, or national performance measures.

Hear and resolve informal complaints and grievances, develop individual performance improvement plans when indicated, and recommend personnel actions as appropriate for staff members supervised.

Work closely with facility leadership as well as with education and other affiliates, to ensure proper house staff/student supervision and educational goals are met.

Assure adequate and proper supervision of all residents, students, and trainees associated with the service.

Collaborate, negotiate, and coordinate with other service chiefs and management officials concerning all aspects of patient care, research programs and educational programs.

Assure that all survey and reporting functions assigned to the service are completed and submitted within specified time frames.

Responsible for service compliance with all VA policies and mandates, as well as with external review organizations including The Joint Commission.

Determine, with input from appropriate technical staff, the qualifications and competence of service personnel who are not licensed independent practitioners and who provide patient care services.

Assure service compliance with all Human Resource policies and regulations.

Provide direct patient care.

Other duties as assigned.

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

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

Work Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm; however, subject to change based on the needs of the service/medical center.

US Department of Veterans Affairs