Physician (Geriatrics & Extended Care) HOME BASED Lovely McAllen Texas (Immediate opening)

The Geriatric and Extended Care (GEC) Staff Physician serves within the Geriatrics and Extended Care service line providing high quality patient centered care to Veterans under Geri-PACT clinic in collaboration with the Medical Director and Program Manager.

A Recruitment/Relocation Incentive may be authorized and/or eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (EDRP).

The Physician is responsible for the quality of care provided by the program, the productivity of the program and for the development and implementation of initiatives to meet the Valley Coastal Bend Health Care System (VCBHCS) mission.

Core duties include obtaining patient histories, performing physical exams, formulating a working diagnosis and developing/implementing a treatment plan according to clinical guidelines and patient's goals and preferences. Other duties are determining disposition to the emergency department, hospital, Assisted Living Facility, Community Nursing Home, Home Health, Home Based Primary Care, and Hospice Care. Other routine duties are ordering lab tests, x-rays, EKG's and other diagnostic procedures, initiating and expediting requests to medical or surgical specialty consults. Other key duties are providing education and counseling to patient and family in preventive care, medical conditions and proper use of medications.

The Staff Physician may collaborate with other providers, and specialists in and outside of the VA system to manage or co-manage patients' health. Select mental health, medical and surgical specialty services are available on-site. Other medical and surgical subspecialties services are available through community contracts.

In addition to observance of Federal National and Local regulatory, policy, and accreditation requirements governing this Health Care System, this position encompasses the following examples of responsibilities.

- Participate in chart reviews, staff meetings, committees, and other process improvement initiatives.
- Put in practice medical care advances and practice standards.
- Demonstrate effective communication both down to staff and up to leadership, to include patient outcomes and issue briefs.
- Adhere to clinic procedures for patient scheduling & access.
- Respond to critical lab/diagnostic test result notifications in a timely manner.
- Ensure all encounters are closed the same day the visit was made, and complete documentation requirements in CPRS in a timely manner.
- Maintain and upkeep credentials required for privileging and re-privileging, and achieve competencies and performance as approved by the professional board.
- Assure appropriate oversight of delegated care activities of Nurse Practitioner, Pharm D in your team.
- Provide cross coverage to physicians within the approved and recommended privileges by the Professional Standards Board.
- Communicate the plan of coverage to the team members when taking leave of absence.
- Complete training requirements, employee health requirements and Environmental and Occupational requirements.

Clinical:
- Provide clinical input and oversight for patients' treatment plans.
- Be readily available to the team members for collaboration when medical or other problems arise.
- Assure that care is provided in a timely manner and in an appropriate setting, which is in accordance with accepted practices and is evidenced based. - Assure appropriate oversight of delegated care activities of Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Pharm D's and others practicing with a "scope of practice".
- Complete documentation of patient's visit with appropriate encounters in CPRS in a timely manner.
- Facilitate appropriate consultation and implementation of consultant recommendations.
- Address issues related to infection control including skin testing, immunization and infection prevention.
- Provide cross coverage to the different clinical GEC services within the approved and recommended privileges by the Professional Standards Board. - The Practitioner is expected to remain privileged and practicing in his//her specialty field.

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

Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases
Paid Time Off: 50-55 days of annual paid time offer 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
Malpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided
Contract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 Federal holidays with pay annually
• 5 Days paid absence to attend approved CME courses

Insurance:

• Health Insurance: VA employees have an outstanding number of health insurance plans from which to choose (premiums are partially paid by VA) Lifetime Healthcare Insurance options available
• Dental & Vision: Our insurance options also include exceptional vision and dental plans (premiums are partially paid by VA)
• VA employees have the option to use Flexible Spending Accounts, which allow you to use tax-free dollars to pay for medical, dental, and vision care expenses that are not reimbursed by your health insurance plan
• Term life insurance, family, and additional coverage options are available with the cost shared by the Federal Government
• Long-term care insurance is available as an option

Federal Retirement Plan:

• VA employees are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan composed of 1) Social Security benefits, 2) FERS-RAE basic benefits (pension), and 3) Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) which is a 401K-type plan
• How is the pension funded? VA employees automatically contribute 4.4% of their salary each pay period and the VA contributes 12.2% of the employee’s salary each pay period for a total annual contribution percentage equal to 16.6% of the employee’s salary
• Similar to the 401(k) savings plans widely available in the private sector, the TSP allows employees to tax defer a portion of their income each year, subject to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service. For calendar year 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
• The Federal Government also provides an automatic basic contribution (1% of salary) and up to 4% of salary in matching contributions, depending on the amount of the employee contribution
• For retired military personnel, these benefits are in addition to full monthly retirement pay or pension
• In addition to FERS, VA provides health care insurance coverage for retired personnel
• Disability Retirement
• Employees are vested in a federal pension after only 5 years service

Primary care services for veterans in the McAllen area. In addition to primary care, this clinic has primary care, behavioral health, nutrition, social work, telemedicine, pharmacy, Women's health, radiology, laboratory, optometry, physical therapy, and prosthetics services available to eligible veterans. Prescriptions: Routine prescriptions processed through the mail or My HealtheVet. Visit our Pharmacy page for details on requesting prescription refills. Open Access Scheduling System with the goal to schedule appointments within five to seven days of request. Handicapped Accessible: full and easy access for all veterans. Personal Care: Highly qualified primary care providers, specialty care referrals as needed.