Advanced Practice Provider (Street Medicine)

SUMMARY :

Renders comprehensive health care within the limitations of professional licensing to patients of the Los Angeles Christian Health Centers. Assesses needs and prescribes treatment. Actively supports the mission of LACHC : to show God’s love by providing quality, comprehensive healthcare to the homeless and underserved. Works collaboratively with partner organization in a flexible, creative, culturally competent manner to provide care for homeless clients.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND PRIVILEGES include :

• Under supervision of staff physician and in collaboration with partner organization, perform evaluation and treatment of patients in the street setting or in the outpatient setting at Los Angeles Christian Health Centers sites. Assess medical needs and compile care plan, addressing acute needs, chronic conditions, and preventive health maintenance. Assessing needs may include assessment of spiritual, emotional, mental and social needs. Furnish / transmit appropriate medications and treatments. May Perform in-office procedures such as incision and drainage, arthrocentesis, nail removal, skin biopsy, and cryotherapy.
• Work closely with the partner organization to provide whole- person care for clients on the streets, practicing harm reduction approaches, considering creative and flexible solutions, and partnering with the clients to take steps forward with their health.
• Work within clinical privileges that are clearly delineated either through a delegation of services agreement (Physician Assistant) or Scope of Practice agreement (Nurse Practitioner).
• Keep accurate, concise, and thorough documentation of all medical history, exam findings, assessment, treatment / interventions, and education; complete documentation and lock progress notes in a timely manner.
• Review and electronically sign off on all laboratory results, diagnostic results, and outside consult notes in a timely manner, ensuring patient is contacted for follow up if clinically appropriate.
• Initiate and follow through on specialist referrals and e-consults (electronic consults), communicating with specialist providers as necessary, in the provision of whole- person care.
• Serve as the primary care provider for a panel of patients. As a provider, work with a care team and other staff at LACHC to serve as a patient- centered medical home for our patients.
• Conjointly supervise medical assistants along with the Medical Assistant supervisor.
• Participate in LACHC meetings including morning “team huddles”, Provider Meetings, and All-Staff Meetings.
• Actively participate in spiritual care for patients and staff which may include prayer, and referral to community resources.
• Provide compassionate care for patients who, depending on the clinic site, are predominately homeless, may suffer from mental illness, and often lack resources to care well for themselves.
• Actively participate in Continuous Quality Improvement activities at LACHC, including teaching other providers on selected topics, implementing team- based care, participating in peer reviews, evaluating clinical performance measures, and implementing improvements using a Plan-Do-Study-Act method of stepwise changes.
• Seek to improve access to care for all clients served, which may include fluctuations in productivity, while simultaneously seeking to maximize quality of care.
• If serving at an LACHC clinic site, meet productivity standards for outpatient primary care at LACHC, including an expectation of 15-18 patients per 8 hour day at a fixed full time site; actual productivity may vary per site.
• Periodically serve “on call” for the clinic, answering urgent phone calls from patients or other agencies in the off-hours for one week approximately every 10-15 weeks.
• Network with other health care agencies and county facilities.
• Assist in provision of health screenings (including TB, diabetes, hypertension) at outreach events.
• Maintain active enrollment in Medicare, Medicaid, Managed Care, and other payor programs as needed for clinical operations, completing credentialing paperwork in a timely manner to remain actively enrolled in these programs.
• Other duties may be assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS :

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to accomplish each essential duty satisfactorily. The following requirements are representative of the knowledge, skill, and / or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Provider BLS Certification (includes CPR certification) required.

For this particular position in street medicine, provider will be part of an integrated, multidisciplinary team to offer high quality healthcare on the streets wherever a homeless person may live. The team will outreach to provide care to those men and women who find accessing clinics to be challenging, so flexibility, adaptability and creativity is beneficial.

Medical Spanish required, conversational Spanish a plus.

PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS :

EDUCATION :

PHYSICAL DEMANDS :

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and / or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT :

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be exposed to carriers of contagious diseases such as TB, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The employee may have to deal with irate and irrational clients who may or may not be under the influence of mind-altering substances such as cocaine, marijuana, alcohol etc.

About Los Angeles Christian Health Centers :

Los Angeles Christian Health Centers opened in 1995 with a handful of staff but a big vision to render hope and healing through healthcare to the thousands of homeless and low-income residents living in Los Angeles County. Today, 120 staff members serve the County’s most vulnerable populations from our two full-time health centers in Skid Row and Boyle Heights. We also provide comprehensive medical care at our 10 part-time satellite clinics hosted by our community partners throughout Downtown Los Angeles and Watts.