Primary Care Leadership Opportunity In Scenic Colorado

VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System

Primary Care Service

Deputy Associate Chief of Staff (DACOS), Primary Care Service

Position Information:

The VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System (VAECHCS), PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom VA Clinic, in Colorado, CO (location within CO is negotiable for a well-qualified candidate), is seeking a full-time Deputy Associate Chief of Staff (DACOS), Primary Care Service

Requirements

• Must be U.S. Citizen (Non-Citizen May Be Considered IAW VA Policy)
• Must have current, active & unencumbered US State Medical License (any State)
• Must be FM/IM Board Certified
• 2+ years’ leadership experience

Responsibilities

• In the absence of the Chief, the DACOS acts as the Service Chief, coordinating the efforts of Primary Care providers and interacting with the leadership of other PACT members.
• Serves as a subject matter expert (SME) for PACT operations and provides oversight across the service.
• Directly supervises the cohort of supervisory physicians (Section Chiefs), ensuring accountability for performance at each site/unit.
• Leads CBOC provider staff meetings in the absence of supervisory physicians.
• Participates in daily site huddles with service leadership team to support front-line management and problem-solve staffing and operational challenges.
• Leads weekly service-HR collaborative meetings to address and support ER/LR activities across the system.
• Collaborates with service leadership to address OIG/WH, PATS-R, and congressional complaints/suspense.
• Reviews service level data and collaborates with service leadership on action plans for improvement.
• Participates in monthly service leadership committee and weekly service operations meetings.
• Collaborates with PMOP program leadership to support the OSI.
• Collaborates with specialty care services to manage and streamline consultations and care coordination/community care.
• Works with service leadership to identify and propose awards/recognition for superior employee performance.
• Travels to one or more sites to facilitate the above items and rounds with the staff.
• Will see patients and maintain a panel as a Primary Care provider at one of the clinics.

Qualifications: The ideal candidate for the DACOS position must be a highly effective communicator, comfortable interacting with all levels of the organization, and able to successfully partner with facility leadership and other services. They should have a passion for maintaining the highest quality standards and developing a team for growth.

Work Schedule: The DACOS will work Monday to Friday, either from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm or 7:30 am to 4:00 pm

Facility Information: 

The PFC Floyd K. Lindstrom Outpatient Clinic Colorado Springs is a welcomed step forward in meeting the increased health care needs of today's Veteran population.

Features

• Primary care services for veterans in the Colorado Springs area
• Handicapped Accessible: full and easy to access for all veterans
• Personal Care: Highly qualified primary and specialty care and mental health providers with referrals to the Denver VA Medical Center
• Laboratory: Blood drawing services available
• Prescriptions: Routine prescriptions processed through the mail or My HealtheVet

Services Offered

• Optometry, Audiology, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Laboratory, Compensation and Pension, CWT, Homeless, and the Pre and Post-Surgical Clinic will be located on the first floor
• Primary Care services, OEF/OIF, wound care, and MOVE classroom will be located on the second floor. Dental, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Clinics will be located on the third floor
• New Services: MRI, CT, ultrasound, and x-ray services as well as the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) will be located on the first floor.

Community Information:

Located just an hour and a half from Denver, Colorado Springs is Olympic City USA, where a timeless culture of achievement, national pride, and dedication sits comfortably alongside the awe-inspiring beauty of some of America’s most beautiful mountains.  Colorado’s second largest city, with a population of 479,000, boasts a thriving community, rich in business experience, with a historic background of achievement.  With short commute times, affordable housing, great schools, and friendly neighbors, it’s no wonder Colorado Springs consistently ranks as one of the best places to live. 

Benefits Information:

• The VA supports healthy work-life-family balance by offering a robust menu of employee benefits and features
• The expected range of annual salary is $275,000 to $295,000 and includes biennial longevity pay increases
• Physician staff may be considered for an annual performance pay bonus up to $15,000.00 or 7.5% (whichever is less) 
• Annual Paid time off includes 26 days’ of vacation with pay, 13 days sick leave, 11 federal holidays observed and CME (up to 5 days authorized annually)
• 12 weeks paid parental leave
• Health-Dental-Vision-Life Insurance with premiums partially offset or paid by the government with retirement portability
• Retirement Plans includes Federal Employee Retirement System (DB) and Thrift Savings Plan (DC) with 5% matching

About the VA:

The Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, offers Veterans the largest, most technologically advanced integrated health care system in the United States. We operate more than 1,400 clinical sites of care, including 153 medical centers, 909 ambulatory and community-based outpatient clinics, 135 nursing homes 232 Veterans centers, 47 readjustment counseling centers, and 108 comprehensive home care programs, across all 50 states, the District of Columbia and U.S. Territories.

Features

* Primary care services for veterans in the Colorado Springs area.
* Handicapped Accessible: full and easy access for all veterans.
* Personal Care: Highly qualified primary and specialty care and mental health providers with referrals to the Denver VA Medical Center.
* Laboratory: Blood drawing services available.
* Prescriptions: Routine prescriptions processed through the mail or My HealtheVet.

Services at the New Colorado Springs Clinic:

*Optometry, Audiology, Pharmacy, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Laboratory, Compensation and Pension, CWT, Homeless, and the Pre and Post-Surgical Clinic will be located on the first floor.

*Primary Care services, OEF/OIF, wound care, and MOVE classroom will be located on the second floor. Dental, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Clinics will be located on the third floor.

*New Services: MRI, CT, ultrasound, and x-ray services as well as the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) will be located on the first floor.

*The new clinic will be a tobacco-free campus. Please help us make this move to an improved health environment by refraining from using any form of tobacco on the campus, including the parking lot.                                 

Paid Time Off:

• 26 Days paid annual (vacation/personal) leave
• 13 Days paid sick leave each year with no limit on accumulation
• 11 paid Federal holidays per year
• 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 2020, employees under the age of 50 may contribute up to $19,500, while those over age 50 are eligible to make catch-up contributions that allow them to defer up to $25,500.
• 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

Magnificent scenic beauty, a favorable climate, and dreams of gold have lured visitors to Colorado Springs and neighboring Pikes Peak Country for well over 100 years.

In 1806, army Lt. Zebulon Pike led a company of soldiers on a trek around the base of an enormous mountain. He called it "Grand Peak," declared it unconquerable, and moved on. Today, the 14,110-foot mountain we know as Pikes Peak has been conquered so often that an auto highway and a cog railway take visitors to the top.

Unlike many Colorado towns, neither mineral wealth nor ranching was the cornerstone of Colorado Springs' economy during the 19th century -- tourism was. In fact, Colorado Springs, founded in 1871, was the first genuine resort community west of Chicago. Gen. William J. Palmer, builder of the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad, established the resort on his rail line, at an elevation of 6,035 feet. The state's growing reputation as a health center, with its high mountains and mineral springs, convinced him to build at the foot of Pikes Peak. In an attempt to lure affluent easterners, he named the resort Colorado Springs, because most fashionable eastern resorts were called "springs." The mineral waters at Manitou Springs were only 5 miles away, and soon Palmer exploited them by installing a resident physician, Dr. Samuel Solly, who exuberantly trumpeted the benefits of Manitou's springs both in print and in person.

The 1890s gold strikes at Cripple Creek, on the southwestern slope of Pikes Peak, added a new dimension to life in Colorado Springs. Among those who cashed in on the boom was Spencer Penrose, a middle-aged Philadelphian and Harvard graduate who arrived in 1892, made some astute investments, and became quite rich. Penrose, who believed that the automobile would revolutionize life in the United States, promoted the creation of new highways. To show the effectiveness of motorcars in the mountains, he built the Pikes Peak Highway (1913-15), using more than $250,000 of his own money. Then, during World War I, at a cost of more than $2 million, he built the luxurious Broadmoor hotel at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain. World War II brought the military and defense industry to this area, and in 1958 the $200-million U.S. Air Force Academy opened.

Modern Colorado Springs is a growing city of about 400,000, with more than 600,000 in the metropolitan area. The majority of its residents are conservative, and the city is also home to some of the country's largest nondenominational churches and conservative groups.

To many visitors, the city retains the feel and mood of a small Western town. Most tourists come to see the Air Force Academy, marvel at the scenery at Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak, and explore the history of America's West. I'm pleased to report that Colorado Springs also has some of the best lodging and dining in the state.