Phys-Family Practice - Physician Leader - Southcoast Health

PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN LEADER

Physician’s Administrative Duties

The role of the physician leader (“Physician Leader”) is critical to ensure optimal quality, service, regulatory/policy compliance, and efficiency of the Providers under Physician Leader’s purview.  The Physician Leader, in partnership with the Practice Manager will be accountable for managing all dimensions of practice performance including clinical, cultural, operational, and financial.  Physician Leaders must be self-driven and committed to putting in the time and effort to effectively execute in this role. 

The Physician Leader must:

• support providers’ success and wellbeing through close, trusting relationships in which they feel respected, appreciated, and engaged in Southcoast’s mission
• actively recruit, manage, and retain high-performing primary care providers
• contribute to primary care strategic planning and maintain accountability for successful execution of strategies and tactics that advance organizational goals
• demonstrate a positive, solution-oriented demeanor that exemplifies the code of conduct
• exercise good judgment regarding clinical, operational, and managerial decision-making
• communicate effectively and respectfully with all team members
• adapt and help others adapt to a changing work environment
• engage in leadership development training and activities

Direct Reports: Physicians and Advanced Practice Professionals (“APPs”) as determined by the Primary Care Center Senior Leadership Team.

Reports to: Primary Care Center Physician in Chief (“PIC”).

Key Relationships: Office Managers, Physician Leader peers, Care Center Medical Directors, Epic Physician Champion, Vice President of Operations, Executive Director of Continuous Improvement, Directors of Operations, Southcoast Health Network Leadership, HR Business Partner, Compliance Officer(s), Risk Manager, Legal counsel

Scope and Duties

Estimated time requirements associated with each of the following duties are provided to enable calculation of Physician Leader’s administrative FTE as described in Section 2. Physician Leader Compensation.  It is understood and expected that the execution of the role may require more or less time as needed.  Significant deviations from estimated time requirements should be discussed with PIC.

Provider Management

• Provide direct support to each primary care provider that Physician Leader oversees including:
  • At least one 1:1 comprehensive performance review annually for each provider.  New providers or those needing more intensive support/performance management may require additional meetings.  These comprehensive 1:1 meetings should occur no fewer than 3 times per year for any provider within his/her first year of employment at Southcoast.  The initial 1:1 meeting should occur at or around 90 days of employment and include review of at least 5 patient charts with feedback on charting documented in the meeting summary.  It is estimated that each meeting should require approximately 90 minutes (60 minutes for the actual meeting and 30 minutes for preparation and post-meeting documentation).  These meetings should employ a standard approach:

• assess well-being and identify drivers of professional satisfaction and/or burnout
• provide data-informed performance evaluation
• co-develop personal goals for wellbeing and performance
• establish a timeline for follow up that will ensure ongoing progress and support
• following meeting, provide and retain a written summary for provider
  • Check in frequently (ideally weekly) with each provider for 5-10 minutes to assess his/her ongoing needs and wellbeing. 

Each Physician Leader will be allocated a maximum of 7.5 hours per year per provider for this function to account for variability of individual provider needs. 

Practice Leadership

• Conduct monthly provider-only meetings and document key decisions/takeaways, except for months in which a quarterly practice meeting is held.  Estimated time requirement: 1.5 hours per month per practice including preparation and follow-up documentation for providers (cc PIC)
• Collaborate with Practice Manager in providing Quarterly Practice Operational Reviews to senior care center leadership.  Estimated time requirement:  1.5 hours per quarter
• Work with practice manager drive ongoing clinical operational improvement and successfully manage change.  Holding whole-practice meetings (staff + providers) is included in this responsibility.   Estimated time requirement: 4.5 hours per month

Departmental Leadership

• Actively participate in in-person monthly Physician Leader meetings.  Estimated time requirement: 1.5 hours per month
• Participate in leadership retreats as needed.  Estimated time requirement: 12 hours per year
• Meaningfully contribute to departmental projects/workgroups.  Estimated time requirement: 2 hours per month
• Use StandOut for weekly leadership check-ins with PIC.  Estimated time requirement: 5 minutes per week
• Meet with PIC once annually for Physician Leader performance review.  Estimated time 1 hour per year.
• Complete and submit monthly summary of provider status / time tracker: Estimated time requirement: 10 minutes per month

Physician Leader Compensation

The Corporation shall pay Physician Leaders a rate of $170 per hour on a monthly basis subject to submission of timesheets and supporting documentation as outlined in Section 1. Scope and Duties above.  The Physician Leader’s clinical full time equivalent (cFTE) will be reduced by the anticipated amount of administrative time needed to complete the Scope and Duties of the role based on the number of providers that the Physician Leader oversees (see example in table 1 for Physician Leader overseeing 5 providers).  Adjustments to cFTE can be made annually based on changes in the count of providers under the Physician Leader’s supervision.  If a practice expands significantly within the contract year, requests for additional adjustments to cFTE can be submitted to the Physician in Chief for consideration.

EXAMPLE – Physician Leader overseeing 5 providers at one practice site