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Medical Director of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

A member of the Mayo Clinic Network, WellStar Health System is the largest health system in Georgia, recognized as one of the most integrated in the United States and in the top 10 of all systems nationally in the provision of charity care. WellStar is committed to investing in the communities we serve. We continue to develop innovative care models, focused on improving quality and access to healthcare. To this end, the WellStar Medical Group is excited to announce an opportunity for a Medical Director of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry who functions as a clinical and administrative leader, developing and providing C-L psychiatry services to expand access to needed services for patients receiving services in primary care, obstetrics and gynecology, cardiology, cancer, and other medical specialties. Aims of this integrated care model are oriented around the quadruple aim and include the following:

Improve access to expedient and quality psychiatric careImprove clinical outcomes and patient experience by providing biopsychosocial careReduce clinical burden on physicians in primary care and various medical specialtiesProvide cost-effective care by reducing unnecessary healthcare utilization

Medical Director of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Wellstar has multiple locations in which behavioral health is co-located and integrated into the workflows of primary and specialty care clinics. Whereas Wellstar has clinical directors that oversee programs such as Primary Care-Behavioral Health Integration (PCBHI), Health Psychology, and Neuropsychology, these clinical directors have oversight of the non-medical aspects of care. The new Medical Director of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry is a physician leader who will work alongside these other clinical directors, overseeing all medical aspects of these programs. With direct oversight of other psychiatrists and advance practice professionals, (s)he will ensure that evidence-based medicine is employed to manage psychiatric symptoms that can be treated effectively in primary care and specialty settings. (S)He will work as a collaborator with other clinical directors to establish and fulfill program aims, developing effective relationships with non-psychiatry physician colleagues and functioning as a core member of the Behavioral Health Service Line’s leadership team. In this role, the Medical Director will develop processes and workflows to provide time-limited medication management and physician-to-physician (curbside and e-consult) services to support patients receiving care within WMG primary and specialty care clinics. (S)He will partner closely with Wellstar’s other psychiatry medical directors to establish seamless and coordinated care across the continuum to optimize patient safety and clinical outcomes.

Wellstar's PCBHI Program

Innovative Care Models: Wellstar integrates behavioral health services into adult primary care locations and specialty clinics including cardiovascular medicine, gastroenterology, and OB/GYN.

PCORI Study: Five original Wellstar integrated practice locations participated in a 5-year Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study. The study evaluated integration elements most correlated with patient outcomes.

National Collaboration: Participation in the PCORI study has allowed Wellstar to build relationships with national leaders in behavioral health integration.

Behavioral Health Consultants: Wellstar’s integrated locations feature Behavioral Health Consultants (BHCs) or clinical psychologists who provide screening, assessment, and brief evidence-based treatments for patients with primary psychiatric disorders or medical conditions exacerbated by emotional or behavioral issues.

Expansion of Services: Building on PCORI research, Wellstar is expanding its behavioral health integration services into additional primary care and specialty clinic locations.

Challenges in Primary Care: Despite documented benefits, primary care providers often handle most psychiatric care and face challenges accessing psychiatric consultation for severe mental health conditions.

Ambulatory Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry: Wellstar plans to enhance its infrastructure with ambulatory consultation-liaison psychiatry, using a population health approach and elements of the Collaborative Care (CoCM) model.

Collaborative Care Model: The new service will use patient registries and stepped-care, with a team of psychiatrists and advanced practice providers under the Medical Director of Collaborative Care Psychiatry, to transform mental health care at Wellstar.

Minimum Requirements

Holds a MD/DO degreeIs a licensed psychiatrist, with a minimum of 3 years post-residency experienceBoard-certification in general psychiatryFellowship training (or Board-certification) in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Clinical Responsibilities (80%)

Anchored in quality patient- and family-centered care, the psychiatrist provides the following clinical services:

Review patient referrals to identify patients needing psychiatric care in collaboration with psychologists, masters-prepared therapists, and integrated behavioral health consultantsProvide initial psychiatric evaluations and treatments (in-person or virtually) for patients referred from primary care and other medical specialtiesGather clinical information via multi-source data, including psychiatric interviews, collateral interviews, screening tools, labs and imaging, and consultations with other members of the healthcare teamRender diagnoses to drive evidence-based treatment decisionsDevelop, monitor, and modify treatment plans as needed in collaboration with other members of the healthcare teamProvide medication management and/or behavioral interventions as appropriate to meet patient’s needsProvide routine and ad-hoc and e-consultations to adult primary care and specialty care physicians, consulting on recommended medication protocols to facilitate psychiatric symptom remissionLead/Participate in regular interdisciplinary team meetings/huddlesLead case reviews and consultations with the interdisciplinary healthcare teamProvide education and training to adult primary care providers, specialists, and other healthcare professionalsDocument all patient care activities using Epic, Wellstar’s electronic health recordParticipate in quality improvement activities, including data collection, analysis, and reporting

Administrative Responsibilities (20%)

Leader as Collaborator

Works as a clinical dyad with psychology directors through the Behavioral Medicine divisionWorks closely with the directors of PCBHI, Health Psychology, and ambulatory Psychiatry to ensure clarity of roles/responsibilitiesMeets with Behavioral Health Service Line leaders to develop and ensure fidelity to processes that improve patient flow, optimize patient access, and improve patient and provider satisfactionCollaborates with WMG operational leaders to accomplish program aimsBuilds effective relationships with clinical leads/medical directors in other service linesGives presentations at Lunch & Learns and other didactic forums for physicians and APPs regarding first-line treatments for various psychiatric illnessesWorks effectively with WMG practice managers and operational leadersDevelops tactics to support the well-being of direct reportsProvides mentorship to psychiatrists and advanced practice providersHolds crucial conversations with team members with performance improvement opportunity

Leader as Creator

Designs effective workflows to support integrated psychiatric care for the Wellstar Medical GroupIn concert with other clinical directors and Epic leadership, develops patient registries to help manage the care of patients with psychiatric illnesses within a primary care settingWorks with WMG clinical and operational leaders to plan fiscal year scaling of consultation-liaison psychiatry services to adult and specialty care practices across all Wellstar submarkets

Leader as Competitor

Establishes service utilization goalsEstablishes goals to measure and improve clinical outcomesEstablishes annual performance goals related to quality and safetyEstablishes annual productivity goals for outpatient consultation-liaison psychiatry providersDisseminates performance updates to BH Service Line leaders at a monthly cadence (or as requested by BH Service Line Chief and/or AVP of WMG/BH Service Line)Meets regularly with Wellstar’s Chief Behavioral Health Officer to discuss program performanceLeads recruitment efforts for outpatient consultation-liaison psychiatrists and APPs, attracting the top talent and positioning the program for long-term success and brand recognitionMeets regularly (at least monthly) with the Behavioral Health leadership team to establish annual quality and performance goals that raises the standard of behavioral health care in greater Atlanta

Leader as Controller & Monitor

Establishes population parameters to define scope of patients appropriate for referral to the consultation-liaison psychiatry serviceEstablishes clear and measurable programmatic aimsMonitors clinical outcomesMonitors annual performance goals related to quality and safetyMonitors annual productivity goals for outpatient consultation-liaison psychiatry cliniciansIdentifies and removes barriers to patient accessOptimizes processes and workflows to improve efficiency in EpicDevelops and standardizes protocols and clinical workflows in effort to reduce practice variationLeads regular meetings with outpatient consultation-liaison psychiatry team

Other

Participates consistently in the WMG BH Clinical Leadership development forumServes as a BH Service Line cabinet member with voting eligibilitiesAttends all Behavioral Health Service Line cabinet meetingsPresents program updates at Behavioral Health Service Line cabinet meetingsParticipates, as needed, on Primary Care and other Service Line cabinetsMakes recommendations to CBHO and WMG senior leadership (e.g., SVP, Medical Group) regarding strategic growth opportunities, innovative technologies to enhance, PCBHI, etc.Sits on Wellstar’s Service Line quality committee

Additional Position Details

Operational support for this position will originate within the WellStar Medical Group’s Behavioral Health services. The Medical Director of Outpatient Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry will have the support of a practice manager and other resources to support scheduling needs, staffing, supplies ordering, and other day-to-day operational needs.

The Wellstar Medical Group will provide and furnish office space sufficient to deliver clinical care and access to technology needed to leverage care virtually.

To apply please visit careers.wellstar.org or reach out to Provider Recruiter, Leslie Roberts, leslie.roberts@wellstar.org.

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