Family Physician, (MD) Rural Health Clinic

Position Summary:

The Medical Doctor (MD) working within a community-focused environment; provides compassionate, medical services to a diverse patient population, including underserved and medically vulnerable groups. The MD is responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of acute and chronic medical conditions, with a focused emphasis on the safe and effective management of chronic pain. This position involves collaboration with an interdisciplinary team to deliver care that aligns with evidence-based standards, CMS guidelines, and state and federal regulations. The MD serves as both a primary care provider and a resource for chronic pain care in the clinic.

Key Responsibilities:

Patient Care – Primary and Chronic Disease Management:

• Provide full-spectrum outpatient care to patients of all ages, emphasizing preventive care, chronic disease management, and acute illness treatment
• Conduct thorough patient assessments, develop care plans, and monitor outcomes in coordination with clinic staff
• Educate patients and families on diagnosis, medications, lifestyle, and disease prevention
• Establish long-term, therapeutic provider-patient relationships based on trust, respect, and open communication

Chronic Pain Management:

• Identify, assess, and treat patients experiencing chronic pain using multimodal, individualized approaches
• Manage pharmacologic treatment including safe opioid prescribing, in accordance with CDC and CMS guidelines
• Utilize non-pharmacologic interventions including referrals for physical therapy, behavioral therapy, and complementary treatments
• Monitor treatment effectiveness using functional outcome tools and pain scales
• Conduct routine urine drug screens, PMP checks, and maintain controlled substance agreements with appropriate documentation

Team-Based Care and Interdisciplinary Collaboration:

• Work closely with care coordinators, nurses, behavioral health, and specialty consultants to support holistic, patient-centered care
• Participate in interdisciplinary care team huddles and case reviews
• Provide guidance and oversight to advanced practice providers, as applicable

Documentation and Regulatory Compliance:

• Document all patient encounters thoroughly and promptly in the EHR system
• Ensure compliance with organizational policies, CMS documentation standards, and billing requirements
• Follow all applicable guidelines for prescribing controlled substances and pain management protocols

Patient Advocacy and Community Health:

• Advocate for patient access to necessary services, medications, and support programs
• Promote wellness and healthy lifestyle habits within the community
• Educate patients on self-management techniques and chronic care goals
• Serve as a trusted healthcare provider within the rural population and contribute to population health initiatives

Organization’s expectations of Employee:

• Represents North Valley Hospital and facilities positively and professionally by exemplifying the vision, mission, values, and goals of North Valley Hospital.
• Maintains attendance by working the hours of the position. Follows policies and procedures regarding attendance, vacation, holidays, sick leave, and leaves of absence.
• Uses the timekeeping applications efficiently and accurately.
• Adheres to dress code; appearance is neat and clean; wears name badge while on duty
• Uses good customer service skills by relating to staff/healthcare providers, patients/residents, customers, and the general public courteously and diplomatically under all circumstances.
• Compliance with all organizational policies and procedures.
• Participate in CQI/QAPI activities, NVHD Performance Improvement Initiatives, and Disaster Preparedness education/exercises, and complete duties as assigned in case of emergencies/ICS stand-up.
• Completes mandatory training in a timely manner.
• Demonstrates the ability to make decisions, take appropriate action, and follow tasks through to completion.
• Effectively collaborates with peers and team members, using tactful, diplomatic communication techniques in potentially sensitive or emotionally charged situations.
• Demonstrates leadership responsibility and skills, including planning and completing duties with minimal direction from the supervisor when appropriate.
• Performs other duties as assigned, provided skills, abilities, and qualifications are appropriate and sufficient training is provided.

Physical Demands: The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here represent those that an employee must meet to perform the essential functions of this job successfully. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Physical demands: While performing duties of the job, the employee is frequently required to stand, walk, sit, use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; must have speech, vision, smell, touch and hearing corrected to normal range. The employee must frequently lift/push/pull up to 25 pounds and up to 50 pounds occasionally. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Mental requirements: Must be able to apply common sense to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagrammatic form; must be able to add, subtract, multiply, and divide all units of measure; must be able to read, write, and speak clearly.
• Work environment: Works inside in close working quarters with co-workers. The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.
• Exposures: Muscular strain, body fluids, behavior of clients/patients/residents, infectious material, chemicals/cleaning solutions, potential allergens such as plants/flowers, and noxious odors.

Role Qualifications:

• Medical degree (MD or DO) from an accredited medical school
• Licensed to practice medicine in the State of Washington
• Board Certified or Board Eligible in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Pain Medicine preferred
• Current DEA licensure with authorization to prescribe controlled substances (X-waiver or SUD training completion if applicable)
• Current BLS certification; ACLS preferred
• Completion of WA DOH-approved Suicide Prevention training
• Experience in Family Practice, with a demonstrated ability to deliver comprehensive primary care services across all age groups.
• Experience in rural healthcare or with underserved populations preferred

Essential Skills and Experience:

• Provide full-spectrum primary care services to patients of all ages, from pediatrics to geriatrics
• Proficiency in managing chronic disease, preventive care, and behavioral health concerns
• Knowledge of chronic pain conditions and best practices in pain management (pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic)
• Familiarity with controlled substance monitoring, prescription drug monitoring programs (PMP), and opioid risk mitigation strategies
• Maintain accurate and timely medical records using EMR systems
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
• Ability to educate, empower, and partner with patients in their care
• Perform routine examinations, diagnose and treat illnesses and injuries, and manage chronic conditions
• Order and interpret diagnostic tests, lab work, and imaging as needed

Valued but not required skills and experience:

• Bilingual in Spanish or another language
• Experience in pain clinic, addiction medicine, or integrative care
• Training in trauma-informed care or motivational interviewing