Physician - Corrections; Notional

Job Description

Physician – Corrections

The Physician provides professional medical direction, oversight and direct patient care in a correctional facility.

Responsibilities

• Provide a variety of professional medical services to inmates/residents including administering examinations, diagnosing medical problems, prescribing medications and providing treatment and follow-up care.
• Provide direction in leadership for the medical program in collaboration with the Health Services Supervisor.
• Monitor and review operations and standards of care delivered to inmates/residents.
• Interview inmates/residents and make decisions on admissions.
• Make clinical rounds.
• Participate in treatment team meetings where individual health plans of inmates/residents are devised, reviewed and altered.
• Direct unit treatment operations.
• Perform minor surgery and occasional major surgery, if necessary.
• Hold clinics for nursing specialists in making diagnosis, determining treatment, and giving prescriptions and protocols.
• Maintain a good working relationship with facility staff, nursing staff, contract providers and outside provider agencies.
• Utilize established corporate, facility and correctional policies and procedures in making decisions, but use sound independent judgment in meeting the responsibilities and performing the duties of the position.
• Assist in the formulation of facility policy for the medical program.
• Motivate and encourage staff to perform their duties consistent with policy and procedures.
• Regularly evaluate the provision of all medical services to prevent the inappropriate use or duplication of those services.
• Monitor inmate/resident inpatient hospitalizations and facilitate early release whenever clinically appropriate.
• Closely monitor all potential catastrophic illnesses.
• Prepare and maintain a variety of standard narrative, statistical, summary and/or operational records, reports and logs, using appropriate grammar, to include filing, alphabetizing and labeling; review reports and records produced by medical staff; properly process all reports and documents in a timely manner.
• Maintain absolute security and confidentiality of all medical records.
• Audit medical files for documentation of all provided services.
• Evaluate and recommend methods of improving operational efficiency and cost effectiveness of health-related services.
• Meet with outside hospital/agency administrators to ensure a close working relationship between them and the facility.
• Facilitate, where applicable, NCCHC/ACA/JCAHO accreditation of the medical program by providing the required level of organizational efficiency and approved, appropriate medical services.
• Accept on call status.
• Attend seminars, workshops, conferences, etc., as required.
• Provide for health counseling and health education on individual or group basis.
• Communicate responsibilities, authorities and accountability to all direct subordinates, so that they are clearly defined and understood.
• Conduct meetings of subordinate staff, attend scheduled staff meetings, and promote communications and the proper flow of relevant information between administration, staff and inmates/residents; assist in maintaining communications and consistency of operation between shifts in the medical unit.
• Communicate effectively and coherently to administration, staff, inmates/residents, visitors and the general public, particularly in situations requiring tact, diplomacy, understanding, fairness, firmness and good judgment.
• Read, analyze, comprehend and interpret technical procedures or governmental regulations, legal and non-legal documents, including medical instructions and related materials.
• Review, process and respond to lawsuits; attend court hearings when necessary; conduct research of charts; review status of inmates/residents with serious health problems for completion of all necessary intervention and treatment.
• Prepare and disseminate safety and accident reports as required by policy; take appropriate action in cases of serious and unusual incidents and emergencies.
• Assist with investigations; exercise independent judgment by determining when probable cause exists to recommend or take disciplinary action.
• Observe…