Senior Medical Director - Seattle, United States - Downtown Emergency Service Center
Description
Job Type Full-timeDescriptionSupervised by: Executive DirectorDays Off:
Saturday, SundayShift: Office Day
Insurance Benefits:
Medical, Dental, Life, Long-term Disability
Other Benefits:
Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement PlanPlease include in your application a cover letter that includes a statement regarding your interest in the role as well as DESC as an agency
About DESC:
DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing.
As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 2,000 people each day.
Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness.JOB DEFINITION:
The Senior Medical Director is a member of the senior leadership team of DESC, oversees the psychiatric and other medical services provided by DESC medical personnel, and coordinates with partner organizations to bring additional healthcare services to DESC clients.
The Senior Medical Director is a physician, board certified in psychiatry, who provides some direct clinical care to DESC clients.
Management responsibilities include oversight of a team comprised of more than 40 personnel (as of March 2023) including nurses, nurse practitioners, doctors, and others.
This position directly supervises the Director of Nursing, any other Medical Directors and other physicians, and indirectly supervises all other DESC medical personnel.
This position has administrative duties associated with planning, hiring, and quality assurance/improvement, represents the organization externally, participates in leadership and management of the organization overall, and organizes and collaborates with other health system partners.
Additional activities include engagement on behalf of DESC in related healthcare and public health system policy work, and leadership support and/or direct involvement in DESC evaluation and other research efforts.
The range of DESC-operated behavioral health services includes: Outpatient mental health services for 1,200+ people with serious and persistent mental illnessOne high-fidelity Program for Assertive Community Treatment teamOutpatient substance use disorder treatmentStreet outreach and engagement services for people with untreated serious psychiatric conditionsLow-barrier buprenorphine induction and maintenance20-bed short-term shelter program for people discharged from psychiatric hospitalizationMulti-program Crisis Solutions Center providing mobile crisis teams, licensed 16-bed residential treatment facility to divert people in crisis from jails and hospitals, and step-down 30-bed facilityAdditional multi-disciplinary pre-crisis and post-crisis intensive support teamsOverdose response including OD reversals and follow-up stabilization servicesAdditionally, many DESC behavioral health program clients live in DESC-operated permanent supportive housing (~1,600 units) or emergency shelter/emergency housing programs (~380 beds).
DESC doctors, nurses, and mental health case managers visit clients in these facilities, and some DESC mental health case managers are fully sited in those locations.
Clients living in DESC-operated permanent supportive housing or emergency shelter/emergency housing programs, whether or not enrolled in DESC's behavioral health services, express a wide range of health conditions and needs.
Physicians and nurses from partner organizations such as Harborview Medical Center and Neighborcare Health are also sited in various DESC locations.
DESC medical staff collaborate with these partner clinicians to serve shared clients.DESC also partners with Harborview Medical Center to jointly operate the Clinic at Hobson Place, an integrated physical and behavioral health clinic located in a DESC property but open to the broader community.
MAJOR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Administration, Planning, and Supervision In coordination with the Executive Director, Clinical Programs Director, and other senior directors, assume responsibility for the planning, implementation, operation and evaluation of behavioral health medical services at DESCDevelop a vision for the future of medical services at DESC and contribute to planning efforts to ensure the availability of robust medical services that meet the needs of DESC clientsCollaborate closely with Clinical Programs Director and other relevant directors and managers on budgeting, finance, and compliance activitiesOversee the recruitment, selection, orientation, deployment, supervision, professional development and evaluation of all medical staffOversee and participate in credentialing reviews of contracted providers of medical servicesEstablish and maintain high quality practice standards for all medical staffSupervise and evaluate assigned staff, encompassing clinical performance, work efficiency and output, and team collaborationIn coordination with other relevant staff, oversee development of operating procedures and duties for medical staff, and the development and enforcement of program rules and practices for client and staff safetyEnsure that medical services comply with agency, funder, State, and Federal regulationsAssume responsibility for the maintenance of standards of medical services quality as defined in Washington Administrative Code and other applicable guidelines and contractsEstablish and ensure the efficient and equitable scheduling of clients for initial treatment and follow-up treatmentEnsure the timely investigation and follow-up of extraordinary incidentsParticipate in planning and coordination activities of management team; provide information to that team about issues in areas of responsibilityParticipate in planning and implementation of integration of behavioral health and physical health, including efforts to reduce health disparities and improve health equity for DESC clientsPreside over medical staff meetings, including discussion of complex cases, clinical performance standards, literature reviews, and general information sharingRepresent the agency and program on community and health system committees, work groups and task forcesAdvise the Executive Director and Clinical Programs Director regarding clinical program planning, matters of regulatory compliance for medical staff, and other issues relating to delivery, and integration of, psychiatric and other healthcare servicesEnsure participation by appropriate medical department staff in the Quality Assurance/ Quality Improvement CommitteeEnsure participation by appropriate medical department staff in developing proposals for on-going and new fundingDevelop and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external parties, including partner agencies, funders and relevant other entitiesMaintain sensitivity to needs/goals/objectives of communities in which programs are located, balanced with the needs and interests of DESC clientsParticipate in a range of advocacy activityOther duties as assigned Clinical Practice as a licensed physician by diagnosing, analyzing, and treating complex conditionsReview clients' DESC charts, obtain medical histories from relevant DESC staff and other providers and record medical histories and diagnoses in DESC chartConduct annual diagnostic reviews in concert with clinicians from other disciplines to ensure accurate diagnosisCollaborate with clinical and program managers for clinical services and supervision of all patient care disciplines; Continually work with staff at all levels to assure high quality clinical care to clientsTreat clients' disorders through prescribing medication and/or recommending rehabilitation services provided by other clinical staffCoordinate client care with an interdisciplinary team of social workers/case managers, substance use disorder professionals, nurses, mental health staff, and othersEvaluate clients in crisis and advise course of treatment.
Recommend and coordinate crisis prevention with primary therapyRespond to emergency situations as neededConduct initial and follow-up visits in accordance with reasonable standards of careEvaluate client conditions for needed referrals or consultations with other practitioners.
When appropriate, refer clients to other specialists Other Serve as a medical liaison to community physicians, hospitals, and other providersProvide consultation to treatment teamsProvide education to clinical teams/other agency staff and individually as opportunity and need presentsProvide in-service education to physicians and medical service staff at all levels.
Works with quality assurance and others to verify compliance with administrative rules such as and not limited to patient and records privacyParticipate in research and program evaluation activities, including review of proposals to conduct research at DESC, participation on research teams, and leadership of design and implementation of research projectsDemonstrate the ability to work effectively under supervision, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and independently, when necessaryTake initiative to meet the changing needs of DESC's client population, including pursuit of additional medical servicesOversee agency response to public health events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and other disease outbreaksDocument all client contacts and pertinent information according to agency, County, and State requirements within stated timelinesProvide treatment in compliance with relevant HCA policies and procedures, WACs, Washington State RCWs, CFR, and MCO requirements PHYSICAL DEMANDS The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be required sit for long periods of time, communicate with other persons by talking and hearing, required to lift and carry items weighing up to 25 pounds and to operate computer hardware systems.
Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER DESC is committed to diversity in the workplace, and promotes equal employment opportunities for all staff members and applicants.
The Agency will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment on the basis of race, creed, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, age, national origin, caste, marital status, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability in any employment practice, unless based on a bona fide occupational qualification.
Minorities and veterans are encouraged to apply.RequirementsMINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:
Licensed to practice medicine in the State of WashingtonBoard certification in psychiatryCertification in addiction medicine a plusRegistration with the Drug Enforcement Agency including buprenorphine waiverA minimum of three years of operational leadership experienceSpecific training in research of health services or other public health disciplines a plus Experience as principal investigator of funded research a plusPublication of research papers in scientific journals a plusExperience in health system policy planning and implementation a plusAbility to relate to a wide range of people, demonstration of highly developed communication skills, and a desire to serve people with complex needs who are or have been experiencing homeless and are living with serious and persistent mental illness, other behavioral health disabilities, and other complex medical conditionsSolid grounding in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, health care integration, and equity and social justice principlesAbility and interest in providing case consultations with a multi-disciplinary staffAbility to remain open and receptive to constructive feedbackAbility to communicate and work effectively with staff from various backgroundsSubscription to the value of cooperation and continuity across programs and of consideration and respect for clients
IMPORTANT SKILLS:
Strong oral and written communication skillsEffective interpersonal skillsAbility to analyze complex policies and procedures and apply them to services delivered in programAbility to prioritize and to shift focus rapidly to address the spectrum of issues which occur in a typical dayAbility to balance service values with financial limitationsAbility to communicate and work effectively with staff from variety of backgrounds, supervise others, exercise independent judgment and promote teamworkAbility to facilitate meetings and the growth of program staffAbility to use personal computer and learn new software as neededStrong understanding of budgeting processes and management of budgetsPublic speakingAbility to develop and analyze contractsUnderstanding of clinical best practices relevant to DESC client population Salary Description $300, $339,598.
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