Zone Clinical Department Head - Anesthesia (non-clinical medical leadership)

         POSITION SUMMARY

AHS is committed to providing services based on the population needs of AHS and promoting a shared responsibility for improved health.

The Contractor shall ensure the Practitioner provides services to the North Zone. 

The working title while providing the Services shall be Zone Clinical Department Head – Anesthesia.

B         ACCOUNTABILITIES / DELIVERABLES

In a competent and professional manner, the Contractor and the Practitioner will:

1.       Organize its clinical activities into Zone Clinical Departments (ZCD’s) led by a Zone Clinical Department Head (ZCDH).

2.       Be a member, or be eligible to be a member, of that ZCD.

3.       Be appointed by the Zone Medical Director (ZMD) after consideration of the recommendation of a search committee pursuant to the process specified in the Rules.

4.       Be directly accountable to the Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine who reports to the ZMD.

Responsibilities and Duties:

As per AHS MSB Article 2.7, without limiting the authority of AHS relative to its administrative structures, the responsibilities of the ZCDH involve all duties assigned to him/her in AHS MSBs/MSRs and Zonal MSRs, and include but are not limited to:

1.    Effective and Consistent Communication to support front line practitioner engagement.

(a)    Ensuring active two-way communication of key information such as Provincial Initiatives relevant to the ZCD;

                                 i.       Regularly Connecting with the Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine and the ZCDH’s front line practitioners’ meetings.

                                ii.       Meetings require an agenda from the ZCDH and minutes (including a list of practitioners attending the meeting) to be taken by the ZCDH. The minutes should include the date of the meeting, a list of the practitioners attending the meeting, discussion items from the meeting in a bulleted format, and a list of action items.

                               iii.       The minutes are to be emailed to the Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine administrative assistant within one week of the meeting, and cc’d to the Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine.

                              iv.       The exact duration and location of the meeting is less important than regular and timely two-way communication.

(b)    Facilitating the two-way communication of information from AHS’ Provincial Improvement Network  (PINs) to local ZCDFC/CMD medical staff/quality meetings.

(c)    Each ZCDH will regularly attend by videoconference their consistent representative group of ZCDFCs to ensure the two-way exchange of information

(d)    Ensuring that, in a timely manner and on an ongoing basis, the Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine is aware of front-line practitioner recommendations and concerns from their respective departments;

(f)      Ensuring clinical information is transported in a secure way, Medical Affairs requires all Physician Leaders to use AHS e-mail for all AHS related business communications.

2.   Accountability for practitioner-related matters and strategic decisions requiring practitioner input or leadership that arise within a ZCDH’s department.

(a)    ZCDH’s are responsible for arranging another physician leader to cover his/her responsibilities and duties if the ZCDH is to be absent for a period of time. Acting ZCDH leadership coverage is subject to approval and requires a submission to the Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine at least one week prior to the ZCDH’s absence. The Zone Program Head – Perioperative Medicine’s administrative assistant will send out notification of the ZCDH’s absence and of the Acting ZCDH;

3.    Advocating for the provision of high quality and safe patient care in the Rural Hospital/Community including:

(a)        Encouraging the commitment of front-line practitioners to best practice standards;

(b)        Promoting the most effective utilization of resources;

(c)        Consistent with AHS MSBs/MSRs and Zonal MSRs, managing/facilitating the timely resolution of patient concerns and critical incidents as requested(to be subsequently reviewed by quality assurance committees);

(d)        Serving as an arbitrator for disputes involving physicians and enabling any triggered review to be carried out in accordance with AHS MSBs/MSRs and Zonal MSRs;

(e)        Coordinating Rural Hospital/Community quality assurance, length of stay, hospital flow and system optimization initiatives;

(f)         Promoting and supporting continuing medical education for front line practitioners;

(g)        Encouraging the active participation of North Zone physicians in teaching and assessment activities, in an effort to support the next generation of North Zone physicians, as well as to help address ongoing North Zone physician recruitment and retention challenges by “growing our own”;

(h)        Assisting in the AHS’ accreditation process, and Health Facility/Area Reviews;

(i)         working internally within AHS’ leadership structure and abiding by AHS/CPSA MSBs/MSRs/Codes/Policies, to fully and openly advocate for the advancement of patient care or patient safety issues. (AHS MSB Article 4.2.3)

4.   Physician Workforce Planning including the reviewing and recommending of privileging for practitioners working in the North Zone’s department;

(a)        Encouraging the active participation of North Zone physicians in teaching and assessment activities, in an effort to support the next generation of North Zone physicians, as well as to help address ongoing North Zone physician recruitment and retention challenges by “growing our own”;

5.   Liaising with the FMDs and AZMDs and assisting for practitioner performance reviews, quality initiatives, health service planning and other objectives as requested by the Zone Program Head  - Perioperative Medicine;

6.   Ensuring compliance of front-line practitioners with AHS MSBs/MSRs, and Zonal MSRs;

7.   Participating in NZ physician leadership development events such as PLI

          courses approved by NZMA and fully funded by AHS;

8.   Recording ongoing demonstrative/written evidence of work product consistent with the position’s full FTE calculated weekly for financial audit/general accounting purposes regarding an independent contractor. Work product includes:

(a)        Emails

(b)        Tele-conference, videoconference or in-person meeting minutes

(c)        Bulleted notes from phone calls, meetings or “corridor conversations” Including the date, time/duration of encounter, and physician(s) involved; and

9.       Performing all duties as may be designated or delegated by the ZMD, Zone Program Head  - Perioperative Medicine or designate.