Position Description       Final Version: 2/9/2004

MEDICAL DIRECTOR

Overview:

The Medical Director is essential for the success of the ambulatory medical practice and is responsible for ensuring that high quality, service-oriented patient care is delivered on a consistent basis in accordance with “best practice” models. The Medical Director must have strong leadership skills and develop a close, collaborative working relationship with the Clinic Manager as well as the Chairman of the Department and relevant Division Chief. The Chairman of the Department must empower and collaborate with the Medical Director in defining priorities, plans and budgets in the clinic. The Medical Director will share responsibility for recruitment and retention of clinical faculty with the Division Chief and Chairman of the Department. The success in delivery of patient services within the group practice will require the Medical Director to ensure the compliance to institutionally determined group practice standards that encompass both the local unit’s standards and the Medical Center’s standards.

The Medical Director has a shared, and equal, overall responsibilities with the Clinic Manager for patient care and service in the clinic. The Medical Director has accountability to the department chair/division chief and to the ambulatory services administration. Input from these persons will be incorporated into the Medical Director’s performance evaluation.

Competencies:

• Sets vision and clear goals
• Adjusts his/her leadership style to the specific needs and talents of clinic manager and staff
• Responds quickly and meaningfully to patient and clinic manager’s needs
• Communicates effectively with physician providers in order to positively affect behavior and institute new policies and procedures related to the physician practice
• Serves as a role model and projects a positive image of Southwestern Medical Center to faculty, patients, visitors and staff
• Possesses demonstrated business and financial acumen
• Is fully committed to the goals and principles of the organization
• Maintains strict confidentiality regarding patient information
• Applies the principles of continuous quality improvement to the work processes

Patient Care Responsibilities

• Has a close working relationship with the Clinic Manager to ensure excellent quality of patient care and service:
o Communicates performance and service standards and expectations to faculty and clinic staff
o Leads quality assurance activities
o Collaborates with the Division/ Department chair to select clinical faculty and staff
o Orients new patient care providers
o Receives and communicates regular information about ambulatory practice goals, initiatives and policies
o Evaluates individual faculty performance, with respect to their care and service, including patient access, in the clinic (per faculty performance evaluation protocol) and in conjunction with the department chair and/ or division chief provides meaningful, and direct feedback to the faculty regarding clinical performance
o Provides recommendations on individual faculty incentives related to clinical performance
o Coaches and mentors faculty and staff
o Educates/ trains and/or orients faculty on specific patient care protocols and service standards

Operational Responsibilities:

• Monitors and manages the clinic’s operational processes with the clinic manager:

o Ensures successful implementation of Clinical Services Initiative
o Tracks bumped/ cancelled appointments and communicates information to clinical chair, division chief and individual faculty
o Monitors and works to improve clinic dwell times
o Coordinates and communicates practice and procedure changes
o Reviews customer satisfaction surveys and develops responses to them
o Manages patient complaint evaluation and follow up (per protocol)
o Oversees scheduling and staffing to ensure excellent patient care and service
o Ensures Quality control and HIPAA compliance

• Ensures successful financial performance of the clinic:

o Works collaboratively with the clinic manager, departmental business manager and clinical chair to develop the clinic budget
o Works collaboratively with the clinic manager to monitor and manage the billings, collections and timely submission of charges
o Monitors the system of financial controls over transactions including dual control of cash handling and implementation of internal audit recommendations
o Understands financial performance and variances and has ability to communicate these issues to faculty to ensure optimal revenue

Time Commitment and Remuneration

• A specified time commitment allocated to the duties of the medical director decided after a discussion between the medical director and department chair and / or division chief.
(For a complicated or busy clinic a 20 -25% time commitment might be required).
• Equivalent (to time commitment) release from other faculty responsibilities.
• Appropriate, defined, remuneration specifically for duties of the medical director decided after a discussion between the medical director and department chair and/or division chief.
• Recognition of performance as medical director in considerations regarding promotions (and tenure) and incentives.
• Annual re-evaluation of performance, time commitment, remuneration etc.