Physician - Director for Hospice and Palliative Care

This Physician - Director for Hospice and Palliative Care position is with Veterans Health Administration (Department of Veterans Affairs) in Phoenix, AZ. This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP), a student loan payment reimbursement program. You must meet specific eligibility requirements per VHA policy and submit your EDRP application within four months of appointment. Program Approval, award amount (up to $200,000) & eligibility period (one to five years) are determined by the VHA Education Loan Repayment Services program office after review of the EDRP application. Former EDRP participants ineligible to apply. Key duties: • The Director of Palliative Care and Hospice is the physician leader of the Palliative Care Consult Team (PCCT) at the Carl T Hayden, VA Hospital, Phoenix, AZ. The Director is responsible for managing the operations of the Palliative Care and Hospice service, ensuring a high level of clinical oversight, overseeing and driving programmatic growth, establishing and monitoring program policies and procedures, and fostering positive team dynamics. VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Major duties include, but are not limited to: Provide oversight and facilitation of all palliative and hospice program activities in the Medical Center. Collaborates with executive leadership teams and interdisciplinary clinicians in carrying out the functions and activities of the Palliative Care and Hospice program. Collaborates with other services such as Community Care, CLC and Geriatrics to ensure adherence to local and national policies, monitoring of daily and high-level program operations, and ensuring collaboration with Medical Center and community partners. May rotate as the Attending Physician through the inpatient Palliative Care consult service and the Outpatient Palliative Care clinic. Provide leadership and direction in the development and review of clinical protocols, quality assurance, and compliance programs, including initiating quality improvement cycles and ensuring relevant follow up is completed. Ensure that performance objectives established by VACO, VISN, and the local facility are met, including sharing and communicating program activities and metrics at relevant local, regional and national meetings and conferences. Assist in the recruitment and training of the Palliative Care and Hospice team members. Oversee the members of the Hospice and Palliative Care Interdisciplinary Team, including direct supervision of medical providers. Ensure that the Palliative Medicine Service: Respond to all Palliative Care consults, including inpatient, outpatient, and econsultation within the expected timeframe, per local and national guidelines. Respond to and determine appropriateness for Hospice referrals, including review of clinical documentation and communication with relevant clinical staff throughout transfer process. Conduct thorough medical assessments and developing plans of care in collaboration with patients experiencing serious illness. Manage medications to palliate symptoms related to serious illness such as pain, dyspnea, nausea, agitation, anxiety, and other symptoms. Ensure clear communication of medical information and options for care and treatments to improve understanding and assist Veterans and their families in navigating the complexity of serious illnesses. Facilitate advance care planning and goals of care conversations to ensure the care being provided is aligned with the goals and preferences of Veterans, including providing education and support to patients and their families regarding serious illness and end-of-life issues. Ensure compliance with facility policy for timely completion of progress notes, consults, discharge summaries, encounters, and ensuring performance objectives established by VACO, VISN, local facility are met. Other duties as assigned. Recruitment/Relocation Incentives (Sign-on Bonus): Not Applicable Permanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): Not Applicable Education Debt Reduction Program (Student Loan Repayment): Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP) Authorized: This position is eligible for 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 your start date. 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. Contact VHA.ELRSProgramSupport@va.gov for questions/assistance. Learn more. 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--$2,500 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, 8:00am-4:30pm 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. Preferred Experience: Board certification in Hospice and Palliative Care Reference: For more information on this qualification standard, please visit https://www.va.gov/ohrm/QualificationStandards/. Physical Requirements: See VA Directive and Handbook 5019. View the full announcement and apply on USAJOBS.gov.