Specialty Care Lead

The Syracuse VAMC is seeking a Physician to provide leadership in the Specialty Care Service, under the supervision of the Service Director. 

Open to the following specialties: Cardiology, Dermatology, Endocrinology, Gastroenterology, Hematology Oncology, Infectious Disease, Nephrology, Neurology, and Rheumatology. 

Duties will be 50% administrative, 50% clinical. The Section Chief for Specialty Care ICC is expected to remain privileged and practicing in his/her specialty field.

The responsibilities of the Section Chief for Specialty Services within Specialty Care ICC include, but are not limited to:

• Promotes the development of health care professionals within their Section
• Monitors and promotes compliance with VHA regulations, professional standards, and ethical conduct
• Works in a managerial capacity to ensure that the Syracuse VAMC programs reflect the mission and priorities of the VHA
• Participates in the selection of qualified professional staff
• Conducts quarterly meetings with Section staff
• Ensures that appropriate systems are in place to review and evaluate patient care activities and that corrective actions are initiated and carried out
• Monitors and tracks performance measures under Specialty Care ICC scope of practice, serves as service quality oversight leader
• Monitors and ensures each service section's staff is in compliance with agency regulations, medical staff bylaws, Joint Commission standards, and other appropriate regulations
• Evaluates, gathers information, and monitors section specific activities including, but not limited to: SPARQ metrics, Consult management, DSS data on RVUs, utilization and workload, Section productivity, Clinic utilization, Access to care
• Creates an environment of system-oriented continuous quality improvement
• Ensures that clinical, education, and research programs that complement the primary mission of patient care are established, maintained, and reviewed regularly
• Actively participates in the development of goals in support of VISN/VHA mission
• Responsible for conscientious use of Non-VA and Community resources based on VA regulations
• Establishes and maintains effective relationships with other Sections and Services within the Medical Center and VA affiliates
• Serves as a member of the assigned committees and closely follows actions
• Participates in Service/Syracuse VAMC/VHA initiatives to improve patient care
• Provides patient care that is compassionate, appropriate, and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, treatment of disease, and care at the end of life
• Demonstrates knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical and social sciences, and the application of their knowledge to patient care and the education of others
• Uses scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care
• Demonstrates interpersonal and communication skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families, and other members of the health care team
• Reflects a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and understanding and sensitivity to diversity, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession
• Demonstrates both an understanding of the contexts and systems in which health care is provided, and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve optimizing health care

Work Schedule: Full time, Monday - Friday 8:00am-4:30pm (or as per the needs of the service)

About the Syracuse VA Medical Center The Syracuse VA Medical Center, part of VA Healthcare Network Upstate New York opened its doors on June 14, 1953. The Medical Center utilizes state-of-the-art technology to provide a full range of patient care services, education and research. The 106-bed general medical and surgical facility provides comprehensive:

• Primary Care
• Mental Health
• Tertiary care
• Long-term care
• Physical Medicine
• Rehabilitation
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Dentistry
• Geriatrics

The Syracuse VA Medical Center also operates a Community Care Center that provides a community day program, mental health intensive case management program, homeless veteran program, and vocational services.

The Department of Veterans Affairs named the Syracuse VA Medical Center as a Center of Excellence for its Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom and Polytrauma programs. The Syracuse facility is also the principal referral center for neurosurgery and urological renal stone treatment, serving all of upstate New York and northern Pennsylvania veterans.

Syracuse VA provides primary and behavioral health care in a 13-county area of Central New York through eight community based outpatient clinics in Auburn, Binghampton, Carthage, Cortland, Ithaca, Massena, Oswego, and Rome.

The Syracuse VA Medical Center has an active affiliation with the State University of New York Upstate Medical University where over 650 of their students, residents, interns, and fellows receive training at the Medical Center each year. The Syracuse VA has eight affiliated nursing education programs and a physician assistant externship with LeMoyne College and a long-standing educational partnership with Syracuse University for field experience for audiology, speech pathology and social work students.

There is a $2.5 million research and development program that includes 95 studies on a variety of topics. The research program is fully accredited by the National Commission of Quality Assurance.

Syracuse recently completed a six-floor addition that houses a new spinal cord injury/disease center with a therapeutic pool, expanded outpatient services, dialysis program, and six new operating rooms. The Medical Center continues renovations for an expanded parking garage and recently completed construction on a new MRI suite, heart catheterization suite and a state-of-the-art emergency department. Information about the Syracuse area can be found at the Chamber of Commerce.

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 2025, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $23,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $31,000.
• 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