Summary

The Community Care Medical Director executes responsibilities that demonstrate leadership, experience, and creative approaches in the management of complex patient care and community health care programs. S/he functions as an administrator, educator, and consultant with a wide range of experience demonstrating leadership and performance that is broad enough to improve care for large groups of Veterans through influencing policies and decisions at the healthcare system level and beyond.

Duties

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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

The Community Care Medical Director is knowledgeable in clinical care and will be charged with integrating the Washington DC VA Medical Center (VAMC) into the established practices and processes of Community Care at the local, VISN, and Veterans Health Administration levels. Clinical practices will be formed within the Primary & Specialty Medicine Service Line and cooperatively supervised with the Deputy Chief of Staff.

Major duties include, but are not limited to:

• Focus of clinical practice is the evaluation and treatment recommendations of Veteran patients in the incumbent's field of expertise.
• Responsible for referral to management of clinical concerns that are found during these evaluations.
• Functions as a member of a care team collaborating with clinical and administrative support to provide timely, quality, coordinated care for Veterans.
• Utilizes and promotes approved standards of care, procedures, methods and techniques, safety precautions and protocols in their application to this population in all settings.
• Educates DC VAMC colleagues on Community Care processes, procedures, data and changes to relevant laws, directives, and policy that impact Community Care.
• Collaborates with DC VAMC service chiefs to manage and improve Community Care processes.
• Collaborates with other health care resources to ensure continuity of care.
• Develops strategies and evaluates effectiveness of the Care in the Community to achieve optimum patient outcomes in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.
• Keeps abreast of latest trends, skills, procedures, and protocols in health care and serves as a resource person for the medical center staff.
• Works in conjunction with the Deputy Chief of Staff and other medical facility departments and staff on projects pertaining to the delivery of comprehensive community health care for Veterans.
• Provides leadership in the operations of the Washington DC VA Medical Center, including staff training, education, scheduling, and coordination of care within the Community Care Office.
• Assesses the needs of Community Care and advocates for changes in the organizational chart and staffing FTEE to meet strategic goals and objectives.
• Facilitates referrals to community providers, as well as clinical approvals, authorizations and record/results retrievals.
• Serves as a point of contact for urgent referrals to community providers, requests from OIG, Congressional inquiries, and the IVC.
• Develops, implements and evaluates Quality Improvement activities relating to Community Care.
• Reviews, tracks and evaluates quality improvement initiatives related to Community Care.
• Monitors and tracks maintenance of proficiency for Community Care.
• Directs coordination of educational programs and dissemination of information on educational offerings related to Community Care.
• Develops and/or reviews protocols, order sets, clinical reminders, and note templates relating to Community Care.
• Serves as the Chair of the Care in the Community Oversight Council.
• Leads multi-disciplinary team meetings for the community care of Veterans.
• Participates and attends medical center committees as assigned by the Deputy Chief of Staff.
• Coordinates and participates in Research and Development, when appropriate.
• Develops and fosters care relationships with community providers and their staff, including community hospitals.
• Develops and fosters relationships with DOD Medical Treatment Facilities in the DC Metro Area.
• Acts as leadership liaison between DC VAMC, the VISN and IVC. Works closely with VISN and IVC to implement programmatic changes.
• Responsible for leading Community Care to take a data-driven approach to achieving metric goals and measuring productivity.
• Analyzes Community Care data and needs to prepare yearly budget plan and articulate and advocate for Community Care with DC VAMC leadership.
• Implements and operationalizes changes in Community Care practice in accordance with directives issued by the Secretary of the VA, the IVC and/or the VISN.

Work Schedule: Monday thru Friday; 8:00am - 4:30pm

Requirements

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Conditions of employment

• U.S. Citizenship; non-citizens may only be appointed when it is not possible to recruit qualified citizens in accordance with VA 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 VA.
• Selective Service Registration is required for males born after 12/31/1959.
• Must be proficient in written and spoken English.
• Subject to background/security investigation.
• Selected applicants will be required to complete an online onboarding process. Acceptable form(s) of identification will be required to complete pre-employment requirements (https://www.uscis.gov/i-9-central/form-i-9-acceptable-documents). Effective May 7, 2025, driver's licenses or state-issued identification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment.
• Participation in the seasonal influenza vaccination program is a requirement for all Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Personnel (HCP).
• You may be required to serve a probationary period.
• Complete all application requirements detailed in the "Required Documents" section of this announcement.

Qualifications

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.

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

Physical Requirements: Lifting up to 35 pounds, intermittently; moderate carrying (15-35 pounds), intermittently; lifting over 35 pounds with assistive devices in accordance with the Safe Patient Handling Policy except in emergent situations requiring prompt patient care; pulling, intermittently; pushing, intermittently; reaching above the shoulders, intermittently, both hands required; walking, intermittently; standing, intermittently; kneeling, intermittently; and repeated bending.

Education

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.

Additional information

This job opportunity announcement may be used to fill additional vacancies.

It is the policy of the VA to not deny employment to those that have faced financial hardships or periods of unemployment.

This position is in the Excepted Service and does not confer competitive status.

If you are unable to apply online or need an alternate method to submit documents, please reach out to the Agency Contact listed in this Job Opportunity Announcement.

Whole Health is an approach to health care that empowers and equips people to take charge of their health and well-being and live their life to the fullest. The VA is committed to Whole Health and values Veteran and Employee health and wellbeing. As a VA employee, you will practice Whole Health in an environment that supports personalized and proactive care.

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