Summary

The Internal Medicine Physician is responsible for providing comprehensive direct primary and urgent care to an ethnically and socially diverse patient population in accordance with protocols, policies, and procedures. The Internal Medicine Physician will ensure a high level of quality in delivery of patient services. In addition, the Internal Medicine physician must provide leadership and supervision for other medical professionals in the clinic and support staff to enhance their patient care skills. The Internal Medicine Physician will also manage specific clinic programs or initiatives as assigned.

CORE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES (Essential Duties):

Patient services:

Ensures that patients/clients receive quality, timely, professional care in accordance with VCH’s mission and values, and leads the care team by utilizing the Patient Centered Medical Home model.

• Perform complete examinations, assessments, and formulates treatment plans for patients including adults and adolescents over 14 years of age.
• Delivers patient care via in person, telephonic, and/or telehealth modalities. Ensures that all documentation for patient care complies with medical-legal standards.
• Obtains and reviews patient histories and develops patient care plans, ensuring completeness and accuracy in both electronic health record and paper record documentation.
• Orders and interprets in a timely fashion result of laboratory, radiology, and other tests.
• Determines and implements courses of treatment according to evidence-based practices.
• Provides and monitors the results of treatment and adjusts as needed.
• Proactively assists the patient and family through all facets of accessing care at VCH and serves as a resource to resolve patient and family concerns.
• Confers with staff regarding care and treatment of patients and assists/mentors them in management of patient care.
• Manages acute and chronic conditions and participates in disease registry.
• Screens all patients for health maintenance needs, including but not limited to immunizations, cancer screening, and behavioral health screening.
• Educates patients and family members in health promotion, disease prevention and birth

control methods as appropriate.

• Assists in preparation and selection of patient education materials.
• Participates in the After-hours on call physician rotation as assigned by the CMO and completes all documentation for after-hours calls in accordance with VCH protocol. Directs patients to the appropriate location for care, ranging from the clinic, an urgent care, or an emergency room.
• Contacts patients for follow-up care in case of life-threatening illness.
• Helps coordinate efficient flow of patients through the system of care.
• Actively monitors and appropriately directs referrals placed for patient care.

Compliance:

Ensures services provided comply with regulatory agency requirements, contractual obligations, and funding sources.

• Performs/supervises functions, duties, and services in compliance with regulatory agencies,

contractual obligations and funding sources such as HRSA, CHDP, EWC, Medi-Cal, HCLA,

MHLA, FPact, and Title X.

• Monitors and ensures compliance with clinical evidence-based guidelines for adult and adolescent health care.
• Participates in the review, revision, and implementation of policies and procedures to ensure medical practices are in full compliance with regulatory requirements.
• Oversees the maintenance of records/documents in accordance with clinic policies and procedures, contractual obligations, regulations, and funding sources.
• Monitors strict adherence to universal infection precautions as established by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Occupational Safety and Health Administration; DHS/OA; and clinic standards.

Administrative

• Participates in Quality Improvement initiatives, Quality Assurance assessments, peer review processes, performance evaluations, and maintains confidentiality.
• Participates in team meetings and administrative tasks as assigned by Lead Physicians, Associate Medical Directors, or the Chief Medical Officer.
• Actively reviews no-show visits and lab results.
• Reviews and implements guidelines and protocols as disseminated by administration.
• Responds to patient questions for medical advice, directs staff to schedule patient appointments.
• Executes appropriate and timely refill of patient medications.
• Participates or collaborates with marketing and other health education staff on education and

patient recruitment health fairs.

• Maintains current knowledge-base and appropriate licensure and provides proof of Continuing Medical Education activities and board certification activities to clinic administration.
• Maintains productivity and quality of care per VCH standards.
• Ensures compliance with license requirements as stated in Title 22.
• Performs miscellaneous job-related duties as assigned.

Communication:

a. Creates and maintains effective interpersonal relationships with all employees; keeps employees informed of changes which may affect the work environment.

b. Communicates effectively with all levels of staff throughout the clinic by consistently utilizing and facilitating effective strategies to encourage collaborative problem solving and decision making.

c. Trouble shoots difficult problems or situations and takes independent action to resolve them.

d. Through teamwork and accountability, exhibits behaviors and attitudes of courtesy and respect for all staff at the clinic in accordance with its mission and values.

e. Establishes and maintains effective and positive working relationships with representatives of outside agencies, government entities, vendors, as well as other clinical staff, volunteers, and staff; represents the clinic site when appropriate.

f. Ensures patient confidentiality and demonstrates complete discretion when discussing patient information.

Fiscal management:

• Practices cost-effective medicine by executing appropriate laboratory and prescription orders in line with clinic preferred laboratory and drug formulary.
• Completes documentation for clinic sessions in a timely manner ensuring accuracy and completeness to ensure the clinic can collect funds for the services.

Physical and Mental Conditions:

These physical and mental demands are representative of the physical and mental requirements necessary for an employee to successfully perform the major duties and responsibilities of this position. Reasonable accommodation can be provided to enable people with disabilities to perform the described major duties and responsibilities.

Physical Conditions:

Possess vision sufficient to read standard text and a computer monitor and to drive a vehicle; travel as needed; speak and hear well enough to communicate clearly and understandably in person to individuals and groups and over the telephone; possess body mobility to stand, sit, walk, stoop and bend routinely to perform daily tasks and to access a standard office environment shared with other employees; possess manual dexterity sufficient to use hands, arms and shoulders repetitively to operate a keyboard, utilize office equipment and to write notes, treatment plan comments, track records, reports; and drive between all VCH locations; reliable transportation and care insurance as required by the state.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

These are general guidelines based on the minimum experience normally considered essential to the satisfactory performance of this job. Individual abilities may result in some deviation from these guidelines. To perform effectively in this position, the candidate must have:

• A valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Texas
• Board certification or eligibility in Internal Medicine.
• Current DEA registration (all schedules) and a minimum of a BLS certificate.
• Competency in evaluating and treating general adult and adolescent (over age 14) ambulatory care.
• Exhibit a high level of professionalism.
• Experience in Federally Qualified Health Centers and/or an NCQA recognized Patient Centered Medical Home is preferred.
• Working knowledge of state of the art medical scientific and treatment methods in area of

specialty.

• Understanding of current medical, educational, and psychosocial intervention procedures.
• Ability to perform clinical duties within established guidelines in an organized, efficient manner.
• Ability to relate and communicate well to all cultural and ethnic groups in the community,

including fluency in written and spoken English. Bilingual skills in written and spoken Spanish are preferred.

• Ability to complete and maintain records in accordance with procedures utilizing an electronic health record system.
• General computer skills in Microsoft Office programs (Word, Excel, etc.) and patient medical record system.