Summary The Assistant Chief of Primary Care- directs and supervises clinical activities of the Primary Care physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners at the Lexington Clinics and collaborates with other members of the teams to provide medical care to Veterans enrolled at those clinics. Supports other Service Chiefs and Medical Directors in overseeing the operations of Primary Care, Women Veterans, specialty, and all ancillary services. Reports directly to the Chief of Primary Care. Responsibilities Duties may include but are not limited to: Clinical: Participates in both Medical Center and Primary Care Service-level management discussions, decision, and policymaking. Supervises the clinical activities of Ambulatory Care Physicians, Physician Assistants, and APRN's and will provide input to the Chief of Primary Care. Will work with Clinics and Services within the Medical Center to achieve compliance with internal and external regulatory and accreditation standards such as the Joint Commission, Office of the Inspector General and the US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety & Health Administration. Provides primary care to a panel of patients, proportionately adjusted to accommodate administrative responsibilities. Administrative: The Assistant Chief will attend administrative and clinical meetings as designated. Works jointly with the Associate Chief of Nursing and the AO for the Primary Care Service, to assist with the operational management of Primary Care. Participates in Primary Care Provider recruitment, retention, resource management, and clinical practice management in all functional areas under her/his oversight. Writes, edits, and/or provides review of standard operating procedures for VA Clinics. Participate in recruitment, strategic planning, health care quality performance monitoring and management. Other activities include resource oversight, including fiscal and human resource management, and program management within Primary Care Service as designated. Duties will include the following: primary assistance in the preparation of annual provider performance evaluations; OPPE/FPPE completion and review, per policy; preparation/submission of Pay for Performance (P4P) documents, per policy Validates provider staffing daily; de-conflicts leave requests, ensures appropriate coverage and surrogacy plan in place. Collaborates with NM and AO for overall clinic coverage. Completes projects or duties as assigned by the Chief-PC. The Assistant Chief will be responsible for leave approval, time and attendance, and intervening in labor negotiations. The Assistant Chief will be primarily responsible for covering in the absence of the Chief of the service and will be responsible for carrying on the service and making administrative and clinical decisions as necessary. Performance Improvement/Education: Identifies areas for continuous improvement by monitoring multiple quality measurement tools within primary care. (S)he participates in performance improvement activities in key management indicators such as access, efficient and effective business operations, and patient satisfaction. Review Performance Data and/or additional peer review programs and provide feedback to providers through mentoring and the performance appraisal system. Interpersonal: Promotes, maintains and nurtures positive relationships within the provider teams with the goal of efficient healthcare delivery. Empowers staff to resolve problems and complaints independently at the lowest level. Ensure new providers are mentored and integrated; responsible for the completion of Provider Performance evaluations. The Assistant Chief will act as Clinical Champion for performance improvement activities to ensure service compliance of the service for critical measures and monitors. The service is responsible for multiple activities including access to care, encounter form completion, consult management, and customer satisfaction. Organizational: Actively promotes a customer-oriented culture and promotes the hiring of persons who demonstrate the VA's iCARE values of integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence. Work Schedule: 8am-4:30pm, Monday-Friday Requirements 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 dentification cards that are not REAL ID compliant cannot be utilized as an acceptable form of identification for employment. Must pass pre-employment physical examination. 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 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR[(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR(3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), 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. 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 or fee-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. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience: - Board eligible/board certified in family practice or internal medicine, preferred but not required.- At least 1 years of Administrative experience in a Primary Care Service setting is preferred but not required. Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Moderate Lifting (15-25 lbs); Moderate Carrying (15-25lbs); Straight Pulling (up to 2-3 hours); Pushing (up to 2-3 hours); Reaching above shoulder; Walking (up to 1-2 hours); Kneeling(up to 1-2 hours); Repeated bending (up to 1-2 hours); Ability for rapid mental and muscular coordination simultaneously; Near vision correctable; Far vision correctable; Depth perception; Ability to distinguish basic colors; Hearing (aid permitted). 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: Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or Schools of osteopathic medicine approved by the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation of the American Osteopathic Association for the year in which the degree was granted. For foreign medical graduates not covered in (1) or (2) above, facility officials must verify with the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) that the applicant has met requirements for certification, and must obtain a copy of the ECFMG certificate, if claimed by the applicant. [If the applicant does not claim an ECFMG certificate, facility officials must still confirm that the medical school meets (or met) ECFMG eligibility requirements for the year the candidate 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. VA encourages persons with disabilities to apply. The health-related positions in VA are covered by Title 38, and are not covered by the Schedule A excepted appointment authority. 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. Under the Fair Chance to Compete Act, the Department of Veterans Affairs prohibits requesting an applicant's criminal history prior to accepting a tentative job offer. For more information about the Act and the complaint process, visit Human Resources and Administration/Operations, Security, and Preparedness (HRA/OSP) at The Fair Chance Act.
