Medical Director of Respite Programs

Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program•Boston, MA

3d•$172,000 - $275,200•Onsite

About The Position

Since 1985, BHCHP’s mission has been to ensure unconditionally equitable and dignified access to the highest quality health care for all individuals and families experiencing homelessness in greater Boston. Over 10,000 homeless individuals are cared for by Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program each year. We are committed to ensuring that every one of these individuals has access to comprehensive health care, from preventative dental care to cancer treatment. Our clinicians, case managers, and behavioral health professionals work in more than 30 locations to serve some of our community’s most vulnerable—and most resilient—citizens. From our earliest days as a program, we have always sought to do work that is transformational: recognizing our shared humanity; centering dignity, compassion, mutual respect and supporting the right of every individual to access the highest levels of health care and every staff member to reach their fullest potential. We continue to be committed to building bridges and breaking down barriers, including systemic racism which harms us all. We provide community-based health care services that are compassionate, dignified, and culturally appropriate, incorporating social determinants of health, with the goal of breaking down the physical and systemic barriers that our patients face. Repeated hospitalizations can take a significant physical and psychological toll on individuals who experience homelessness, who are socioeconomically marginalized and are often living with co-occurring medical or mental health challenges. BHCHP’s Medical Respite program— Barbara McInnis House (BMH) - is one of the oldest and largest in the country. BHCHP’s Medical Respite was created to provide short-term medical and recuperative services in a dignified setting for homeless individuals well enough for hospital discharge but too sick to be discharged to the shelter or street. Roughly half of patients enter medical respite directly from the street or shelter to avoid hospitalization. Patients are often medically complex: the most common conditions managed in medical respite include infections (e.g., pneumonia, cellulitis, abscesses, HIV, and most recently COVID-19), acute exacerbations of chronic disease (e.g., COPD, CHF, ESLD), peri-operative and peri-procedural care needs, cancer care, and end of life care. Co-morbid psychiatric illnesses and substance use disorders are prevalent. We are looking to hire a Medical Director of Respite Programs responsible for the leadership of the multi-disciplinary medical staff of BMH and establishes and maintains the high-quality standards of patient care. At BMH, which has 103 beds, the average length of stay is approximately 14 days, allowing for unique opportunities to develop innovative programming to support patients’ total health. Medical respite also plays a vital role in providing isolation for people with infectious diseases outside of congregate shelter settings—a critical need in the face of COVID-19 and other communicable illnesses like influenza, tuberculosis, shigella, and more. Working in close collaboration with the Director of Operations for Medical Respite, Director of Nursing for Medical Respite, and Associate Medical Director of Respite Programs, you will oversee the daily clinical operation of Medical Respite care at BHCHP. In this role, you will also maintain close working relationships with area hospitals, homeless shelters, and other community partners.

Requirements

MD with primary care specialty (Internal Medicine or Family Medicine)
At least 3 years of clinical experience as an MD caring for underserved populations
DEA X-waiver required
Familiarity with hospital medicine, addiction medicine, and/or Health Care for the Homeless program(s) is desired
Prior managerial/administrative experience is preferred
Strong understanding of the complex health problems of homeless people, substance use disorder, harm reduction strategies, and the social determinants of health. An understanding of the historical and current effects of racism and xenophobia in the health care setting is desired
A demonstrated interest in working with underserved populations, including those with co-morbid psychiatric illnesses and substance use disorders

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with hospital medicine, addiction medicine, and/or Health Care for the Homeless program(s) is desired
Prior managerial/administrative experience is preferred
An understanding of the historical and current effects of racism and xenophobia in the health care setting is desired

Responsibilities

Serves as clinical leader of the respite medical staff, providing support, guidance, patient care, and critical evaluation, with direct responsibility for overseeing patient care on one assigned clinical team within respite
Supervises, mentors, and collaborates with nurse practitioners and physician assistants
Hires and supervises an Associate Medical Director of Respite Programs, who shares on-call and clinical leadership responsibilities with the Medical Director of Respite Programs
Ensures that clinical care teams are properly staffed, equipped, and organized to render high-quality care
Reviews and revises and, when needed, develop clinical care policies and procedures
Shares responsibility with BHCHP Associate Medical Director for hiring and evaluating NP/PA clinicians for Medical Respite
Provides direct patient care at other BHCHP sites as needed or desired, after discussion with BHCHP Medical Director, and functions under job description of BHCHP Physician
Maintains life support training certification (e.g. CPR, BLS, ACLS) from a course that includes a hands-on, in-person component
This position may support up to 4 weeks per year of inpatient care at local hospitals
Working in close collaboration with the Associate Medical Director of Medical Respite, Director of Nursing for Medical Respite and Executive Director of Medical Respite, the Medical Director participates in the overall vision-setting, management, and resource stewardship of the Medical Respite Program, which employs roughly 250 staff, including over 100 nurses
Promotes communication between the Medical Respite program and other parts of BHCHP
Participates in relevant committees, serving as co-chair of the Clinical Care Committee and co-chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee
Participates in other appropriate BHCHP-wide committees including, but not limited to, Senior Management Team, Management Team, Emergency Preparedness and Safety Task Force, and the Quality and Efficiency Committee
Participates in other forums and work groups outside of BHCHP at the request of the BHCHP Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer
Ensures that all regulatory requirements related to clinical care are met
Prioritizes equity in the work environment and attends relevant equity & inclusion trainings; participation in BHCHP’s Equity and Social Justice Committee is strongly encouraged
Meaningfully engages Medical Respite patients in any new program improvement efforts
Develops and strengthens partnerships with key stakeholders in/of medical respite at the local, state, and national levels, including hospital/health care partners, shelters, academic institutions, national respite provider networks, treatment programs, harm reduction programs, public agencies, and many others
Shares 24 hours-a-day, 365 days-a-year medical respite administrative on-call duties with the Associate Medical Director of Medical Respite
Performs other appropriate duties at the request of the BHCHP Medical Director and Chief Medical Officer
Ensures growth of the clinical knowledge of Medical Respite staff (including NPs and PAs) and trainees from local medical schools/hospitals through educational opportunities and individual mentoring
Holds regular educational seminars on topics relevant to Medical Respite clinical care, including case conferences and Morbidity & Mortality Reviews of any adverse clinical events
Acts as the champion of quality improvement initiatives, ensuring active, on-going evaluation of Medical Respite processes and leading QI initiatives as needed
Monitors key performance metrics, such as hospital readmission rate and length of stay, with an additional focus on health equity