Career Center

This position is eligible for the Education Debt Reduction Program (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 appointment. 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. Learn more. 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 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 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), b) OR [(2) Those approved by the American Osteopathic Association (AOA),OR (3) Other residencies (non-US residency training programs followed by a minimum of five years of verified practice in the United States), 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. 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 or fee-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. Proficiency in spoken and written English. Preferred Experience and Desired Qualifications: 1) Quality, Patient Safety, and/or Performance Improvement Leadership Experience 2) Knowledge of Six Sigma, Lean Methodology, and/or certification in quality (e.g. CPHQ, ASQ) 3) Data-driven, results orientated and solid track record in achieving success Reference: VA Regulations, specifically VA Handbook 5005, Part II, Appendix G-2 Physician Qualification Standard. This can be found in the local Human Resources Office. Physical Requirements: Daily intermittent walking, standing, bending, stooping, reaching, and carrying of lightweight items required. Rigid deadlines and need for high degree of accuracy periodically becomes stressful. ["VA offers a comprehensive total rewards package. VHA Physician Total Rewards. Recruitment Incentive (Sign-on Bonus): Not Authorized.\nPermanent Change of Station (Relocation Assistance): May be authorized for highly qualified applicants.\nEDRP Authorized: Contact VHAVISN23EDRP@va.gov, the EDRP Coordinator for questions/assistance Pay: Competitive salary, annual performance bonus, regular salary increases\nPaid 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)\nRetirement: Traditional federal pension (5 years vesting) and federal 401K with up to 5% in contributions by VA\nInsurance: Federal health/vision/dental/term life/long-term care (many federal insurance programs can be carried into retirement)\nLicensure: 1 full and unrestricted license from any US State or territory\nCME: Possible $1,000 per year reimbursement\nMalpractice: Free liability protection with tail coverage provided\nContract: No Physician Employment Contract and no significant restriction on moonlighting Summary:\nThe Chief of Quality and Patient Safety participates in upper-level management decisions to speak on quality, safety and value and other hospital administration issues. Duties and Responsibilities include, but are not limited to:\n1) Lead the Iowa City Health Care System in a continued journey to optimize patient quality and safety and as such, be the voice of the institution for quality and safety and to assure this communication is effective in moving toward continuous improvement.\n2) Provide executive oversight of the Quality department including management of personnel (including recruitment and training, evaluation of performance, and retention), budget, structure and duties, priorities, and service standards.\n3) Demonstrates professional practice in leadership assignments.\n4) Responsible for strategic planning, organizing, directing, and controlling program resources to include financial, human, material, and/or informational.\n5) Supervises staff consisting of clinical and administrative employees.\n6) Responsible for planning, organizing, initiating, and directing activities related to survey readiness for the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), The Joint Commission (TJC), Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), Office of the Medical Inspector and other accrediting bodies.\n7) Coordinates and provides oversight of the External Peer Review Program (EPRP) as it relates to VA Performance and SAIL measures.\n8) Promotes interdisciplinary collaboration with Executive Leadership for organizational excellence.\n9) Establishes and maintains effective relationships with all levels of ICVAHCS staff.\n10) Serves as the High Reliability Champion.\n11) Serve as the Leader for Quality and Patient Safety.\n12) Serve as Quality/HR lead/member to facility/VISN/national committees/workgroups as assigned.\n13) Fosters a culture of quality, safety, and continuous performance improvement. Work Schedule: Monday through Friday, 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM or 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM"]