Physician (Pain Management)

Staff Physician, Pain Management

The Staff Physician, Pain Management, provides direct clinical pain care to Veterans as a member of the interdisciplinary Pain Management Team at VA Augusta Health Care System, established in accordance with the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) of 2016. The incumbent delivers comprehensive, patient-centered pain medical care through biopsychosocial assessment, diagnosis, and longitudinal treatment aimed at improving Veteran function and quality of life, applying the VHA Stepped Care Model for Pain Management. The Staff Physician reports to the Medical Director, Pain Management.

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

Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): May be authorized to highly qualified candidates.

Relocation Incentive: Authorized

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

Clinical Duties:

• Provides comprehensive pain evaluation, diagnosis, and longitudinal management for Veterans referred to Pain Management, including chronic non-cancer pain, cancer pain, post-surgical pain, neuropathic pain, and complex regional pain syndromes.
• Delivers care using a biopsychosocial framework, integrating pharmacologic, procedural, behavioral, rehabilitation, and Whole Health / complementary and integrative health modalities appropriate to each Veteran.
• Performs pain-related procedures within credentialed scope of privileges as clinically indicated (procedures may include trigger point injections, joint and bursal injections, epidural steroid injections, medial branch blocks, radiofrequency ablation, sympathetic blocks, and similar interventional pain procedures).
• Manages pharmacologic pain therapy in accordance with the VA/DoD Clinical Practice Guideline for Opioid Therapy for Chronic Pain, the Opioid Safety Initiative, and VHA controlled substance prescribing standards.
• Provides Medication-Assisted Treatment (MOUD) for Veterans with Opioid Use Disorder within the scope of DEA authority and X-Waiver credentialing (where applicable) in coordination with the Substance Use Disorder program.
• Adheres to Message Manager, encounter completion, and documentation timeliness standards.
• Provides consultative services via e-consult, SCAN-ECHO, telehealth, and clinical video telehealth as assigned.
• Provides Primary Care-Pain integrated services and consultation as assigned to Primary Care Service.
• Functions as a member of (or works closely with) the facility PMOP Triad and participates in program development and process improvement activities as assigned.
• Coordinates care with the interdisciplinary Pain Management Team, including addiction medicine, behavioral medicine, rehabilitation medicine, pharmacy, nursing, and Whole Health team members.
• Participates in interdisciplinary case conferences, pain team huddles, and complex patient case reviews.
• Coordinates transitions of care with Primary Care, Specialty Care, Mental Health, Palliative Care, and Community Care providers.
• Supports patient care in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Service (PM&RS) when assigned, including coverage of Pain clinic providers on leave.
• Complies with all Opioid Safety Initiative requirements including MME monitoring, urine drug screening, PDMP queries, informed consent documentation, and naloxone offering.
• Documents pain treatment agreements and long-term opioid therapy informed consent per facility policy.
• Participates in ongoing peer review, OPPE, and FPPE processes per VHA Handbook 1100.19.
• Reports adverse events and near-misses via JPSR per VHA Handbook 1050.01.
• Maintains compliance with all VHA clinical performance measures applicable to Pain Management.

Work Schedule: 7:30am - 4:00pm Subject to change based on the needs of the agency.