ORCA Provider Supervisor (Physician)

DESC•Seattle, WA

just now

About The Position

Schedule: Varies. This position will generally work weekdays 9am-5pm, with some night and weekend hours as needed for supervision and program coverage needs. Insurance Benefits: Dental, Life, Long-term Disability, Medical (no premiums/payroll deductions for employee coverage) Other Benefits: Employee Assistance Program (EAP), Flexible Spending Account (FSA), ORCA card subsidy, Paid Time Off (34 days per year), Retirement Plan Supervised by: ORCA Senior Medical Lead A cover letter is required as part of your application to be considered for this role. About DESC: DESC (Downtown Emergency Service Center) is a nonprofit organization working to help people with the complex needs of homelessness, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness achieve their highest potential for health and well-being through comprehensive services, treatment, and housing. Our vision is a community where no person is abandoned, ignored, or experiencing homelessness. As the region's leading provider of services to multiply disabled adults who have experienced chronic homelessness, DESC serves almost 3,000 people each day. Our integrated service model is designed to help people secure and maintain appropriate, safe and affordable housing. DESC is recognized nationally and regionally as an innovator in developing solutions to homelessness. About the Opioid Recovery & Care Access (ORCA) program DESC’s ORCA program provides compassionate, low-barrier, and evidence-based care to individuals who are recovering from opioid overdose and those seeking treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD). The ORCA Center, our brick-and-mortar location, provides post-overdose subacute stabilization services and provides walk-in access to medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD). The ORCA Patient Outreach Division (POD) delivers field-based MOUD care – meeting people where they literally are in the community. ORCA Center The ORCA Center is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week, including holidays. It is staffed by a multidisciplinary team, including providers, nurses, medical assistants, peers, and milieu specialists. The ORCA Center offers four overlapping types of services: Care to individuals in stable condition who have experienced an opioid overdose, brought to the ORCA Center by first responders or transferred from local emergency departments Rapid initiation of medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), including buprenorphine (sublingual and long-acting injectable) and methadone (under the “72-hour rule”, or CFR Title 21 §1306.07 (b)), for people with OUD, regardless of whether an opioid overdose has recently occurred. Harm reduction counseling and OUD-related physical and behavioral health services. Follow-up care for individuals who have started MOUD to ensure support in MOUD continuation. ORCA POD ORCA POD is ORCA’s field-based care team, bringing MOUD induction, stabilization, and maintenance services as well as education and other support services directly to patients in the community. ORCA POD operates during business hours (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.). ORCA POD is a multidisciplinary team, including providers, nurses, and peers, operating across several geographic areas throughout the greater Seattle region including: Permanent Supportive Housing (PSH) Emergency shelters Encampments or unsanctioned sites High-need geographic zones identified in collaboration with DESC and community partners Areas without easy access to low-barrier MOUD services JOB OVERVIEW: The ORCA Provider Supervisor is a physician, board certified or eligible in addiction medicine, who will work clinically at both the ORCA Center and with the ORCA POD team, support the hiring and supervision of the ORCA Program providers (FTE 5-6), and, together with the rest of the ORCA leadership team, be accountable for the clinical outcomes and impact of the ORCA Program. This position has administrative duties associated with planning, hiring, quality assurance/improvement, and collaboration with other health system partners. Additional activities include engagement on behalf of DESC in related healthcare and public health system policy work, and leadership support and/or direct involvement in DESC evaluation and other research efforts. This position will interface closely with ongoing efforts at DESC to care for individuals with opioid use disorder or at risk of opioid poisonings, through a variety of harm mitigation and treatment efforts.

Requirements

Active Washington State Department of Health license as a physician.
Registration with the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Board certification in addiction medicine, or ability to obtain within 12 months of hire, as well as certification in emergency medicine, family medicine, or internal medicine.
Experience working with adults experiencing homelessness, mental illness and/or substance use disorders.
Desire to serve people with complex needs who are or have been experiencing homelessness and are living with serious and persistent mental illness, substance use disorder, and other complex medical conditions.
Initiative and creativity in designing clinical programs and clinical protocols to optimize health outcomes and best meet the needs of the patient population.
Ability to prioritize and to shift focus rapidly to address the spectrum of issues which occur in a typical day.
Able to work effectively with clients displaying a wide range of challenging behaviors .
Adaptable to changing priorities, processes, or workflows as the program grows and evolves.
Able to give and receive constructive feedback.
Familiar with trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and equity and social justice principles.
Possess cultural humility and able to work effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds and identities.
Computer skills, including proficiency with Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
Strong organizational and administrative skills.
Strong ability to manage email.
Strong ability to approach those with differing opinions with curiosity and active listening.
Strong oral and written communication skills.
Willing to travel across the greater Seattle area.

Nice To Haves

Doctoral Degree.
At least one year working in a low-barrier buprenorphine program or a Federal Opioid Treatment Program.
Experience working in the emergency department or other acute care setting.
Experience working in field-based settings.
Experience implementing quality improvement strategies.
Experience in research or implementation science.
Supervision experience or other leadership experience.
Ability to drive an agency or personal vehicle to conduct agency related business, including a current Washington State driver's license and insurable driving record.

Responsibilities

In coordination with the Agency Medical Director, Agency Nursing Director, ORCA Senior Medical Lead, and other members of the ORCA leadership, the ORCA Provider Supervisor will support the operation and progress improvement of the services provided by the ORCA Center and POD.
Provide and document clinical supervision of the 5-6 providers in the ORCA Program.
Collaborate closely with the ORCA Center Operations Manager and ORCA Center Nurse Supervisors in the strategic structuring, recruitment, hiring, orientation, training, and supervision of a float pool of providers to work as needed to fill gaps in ORCA Center staffing.
Supervise and evaluate assigned staff, encompassing clinical performance, work efficiency and output, and team collaboration.
Incorporate an equity framework for all aspects of work across the ORCA Program in collaboration with other leaders.
Participate in DESC medical staff leadership meetings, as schedule allows.
Collaborate with other DESC leadership staff and teams whose work interacts with the ORCA Program for enhanced client care coordination and improved client experience as they seek services from different DESC programs.
Support ORCA Program staff meetings, including discussion of complex cases, clinical performance standards, literature reviews, and general information sharing.
Develop and maintain collaborative relationships with internal and external parties, including partner agencies, funders and relevant other entities.
Provide evidence-based MOUD treatment (buprenorphine, including LAI formulations; methadone under the 72-hour rule) in a variety of community settings.
Provide telemedicine care to patients and remote consultation for nurses in the field.
Deliver low-barrier clinical assessments, MOUD initiations, acute follow-up, and ongoing management for individuals engaged in outreach.
Conduct harm reduction counseling, including safer-use strategies and overdose prevention planning.
Provide screening, testing, and treatment related to infectious diseases commonly affecting people who use drugs (HCV, HIV, STIs).
Manage common conditions such as skin and soft tissue infections and connect individuals to primary care or mental health services as needed.
Participate in Seattle Fire Department Mobile Integrated Health joint outreach operations, pop-up MOUD access points, and targeted “hot spot” engagement based on real-time overdose and EMS data.
Support field-based follow-up after overdose, SFD encounters, or ORCA Center visits to ensure MOUD continuation and reduce treatment drop-off.
Provide in-service education to ORCA Center staff at all levels.
Work with quality assurance and others to verify compliance with administrative rules such as and not limited to patient and records privacy.
Participate in research and program evaluation activities related to the ORCA Program as capacity allows.
Demonstrate the ability to work effectively under supervision, as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and independently, when necessary.
Other duties as assigned.