This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific individual eligibility requirements in accordance with VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) and eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after complete review of the EDRP application.

Duties

VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment/Relocation Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Authorized Learn more. EDRP Authorized: Contact [email protected], the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance 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 Utilization Management (UM) Director will serve as the primary point of accountability and work to ensure the provision of a continuum of high-quality care for our veterans by applying clinical knowledge and expertise to inpatient cases not meeting utilization criteria and formulating recommendations for optimal management of the patient. Through close collaboration with multiple inpatient sections, s/he will facilitate timeliness of services provided and compliance with standards of accrediting bodies. This physician will be responsible for the leadership, education, and training of professional staff at VAPA HCS with a significant portion of time (up to 0.8 FTE) dedicated to leadership in utilization management activities. The remainder of the time will be spent in direct patient care. Major duties and responsibilities include, but are not limited to: Serve as content expert for utilization management at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Understand the uses of InterQual and other appropriateness criteria. Recommend and oversee process improvement initiatives to optimize health care delivery by aligning InterQual appropriateness criteria with health care processes Understand the current facility-wide strategies at VAPA HCS to delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time. Build coalitions to identify and execute on major improvement opportunities using scientifically based, patient-centered principles that will allow staff to examine and redesign health care delivery processes with the goal of eliminating waste and providing right care at the right time for the right patient. Serve as a Physician Utilization Management Advisor (PUMA) and collaborate with facility Utilization Management staff on referred cases that do not meet medical criteria, including evaluation and documentation of secondary reviews. Provide real-time feedback to attending and consulting physicians regarding level of care, length of stay, resource utilization, coordination of care, documentation, and evidence-based clinical practices. Attend daily patient flow meetings to align utilization management with the Clinical Command Center, the Palo Alto operations center for inpatient flow. Serve as liaison with the ED to discuss alternatives to acute care when acute care is not warranted. Seek out best practices by conferring with other VA facilities as well as non-VA healthcare systems to review and implement successful methodologies with regards to improving utilization management. Work Schedule: 8:00am to 4:30pm, Monday through Friday

Requirements

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 Certification or Board Eligibility in Internal Medicine At least three (3) years of professional experience as a Hospitalist At least one (1) year of professional experience in Utilization Management 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: This position requires visual acuity, keen hearing, clear distinctive speech, and manual dexterity. This position requires potentially long periods of continued walking, standing, stooping, sitting, bending, pulling, and pushing. Transferring patients and objects may be required. The incumbent may be exposed to infected patients and contaminated materials and may be required to don protective clothing in isolation situations or operative/invasive procedures. The incumbent may occasionally be exposed to patients who are combative secondary to delirium, dementia, or psychiatric disorders. The incumbent must be a mature, flexible, sensible individual capable of working effectively in stressful situations, able to shift priorities based on patient needs. Must complete annual Employee Health requirements, such as annual TB screening or testing, as a condition of employment.

Education

1. Schools of medicine accredited by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) for the year in which the degree was granted, or
2. 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.
3. 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.]

Contacts

• Address Palo Alto VA Medical Center 3801 Miranda Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94304 US
• Name: Fernando Ochoa
• Phone: 4152214810
• Email: [email protected]