Medical Director- Georgia

Who We Are

firsthand is changing the way individuals living with Serious Mental Illness (SMI) get care. We deliver real outcomes for individuals who have historically been underserved, stigmatized, and deprioritized. By building a service focused on whole-person care, firsthand finds, establishes a trusting relationship with, and supports quality care for individuals living with SMI. firsthand’s high-touch model dramatically improves the health and outcomes of engaged individuals, driving down the utilization of high-cost care while also helping individuals enroll in eligible federal, state, and municipal benefits. As a  trusted guide, partner, and first call for individuals we serve, our goal is to guide them to a life of stability and independence.

In doing so, we will not only improve lives, but also improve the economics for managed care plans and states responsible for providing care to this community. This enables us to build solutions that scale and, as a result, change the way our society supports those most impacted by serious mental illness.

We are building a team of passionate problem-solvers with the courage to take on one of the country’s most challenging healthcare problems. Those who are up for the task will be rewarded with deeply mission-oriented workdays, mentorship from a similarly motivated team, and a voice at the table in the earliest stages of business building.

Medical Director - Georgia

This is a part-time role, working between eight to ten hours each week. The Medical Director will be responsible for providing clinical supervision to up to 6-8 APRNs across multiple sites in Atlanta area of GA, reviewing quality of care, and representing firsthand in referral and care coordination with healthcare providers, including health systems, FQHCs, CMHCs, and primary care providers.

In each of firsthand’s Georgia teams in the greater Atlanta area - a Health Guide (licensed Nurse Practitioner (APRN) leads the medical aspects of team-based care for individuals that firsthand serves. The Health Guide (APRN) is responsible for whole person assessment and management of our vulnerable population, collaborating closely with external primary care and behavioral health providers, as well as an internal team of firsthand Guides (peers).

The Medical Director is in collaborative practice and provides clinical supervision with up to 6 HGs (APRNs) greater Atlanta area. The Health Guides (APRNs) will also be in collaborative practice and receive clinical supervision with the CMO of first-hand, a board-certified psychiatrist. The HG is responsible for whole person assessment and management of our vulnerable population, collaborating closely with external primary care and behavioral health providers, as well as an internal team of firsthand Guides (peers) and Community Resources Guides (social workers). 

The Medical Director will work closely with the CMO and VP Care Model Performance to monitor and improve the quality of care provided by health guides. The Medical Director will also reach out to healthcare providers in hospital and community practices to build partnerships to sustain referral and care coordination of patients cared for by the health guides.

The Medical Director collaborates closely with the CCO, who is responsible for developing and maintaining work processes and data analytics to support health guide care delivery and quality

Job Specifics

As Medical Director of Georgia you will:

• Be based in greater Atlanta area, and visit  each of the supervised clinical sites at least twice a year each. 
• Review at least 10% charts per Health Guide (APRN) annually to determine that their care is within the accepted standard of community practice and 100% of charts with adverse events.
• Additional chart review for the purposes of quality improvement
• Provide supervision for prescriptive authority for up to the 6-8 Health Guides (APRNs) assigned. 
• Meeting virtual or in person 1 to 1 with individual Health Guides (APRNs)  approximately every 2 to 4 weeks
•  Consultation as needed, same day if needed.
• Communicating and coordinating with the community team directors and team leads regarding health guide services and teamwork
• Develop and maintain partnerships with hospitals and outpatient care providers to support outreach to find unengaged patients, referral, coordination of care and disease management and collaboration with firsthand Health Guides (APRNs) and community teams.
• Work closely with firsthand's corporate clinical team to develop and improve care delivery and clinical quality improvement processes and outcomes

You will be a good fit if you have:

• Excellent clinical acumen in outpatient chronic disease and mental health care
• Empathy, compassion, and approachability 
• Excellent listening, communication, and interpersonal skills
• Desire to help people in need and support their path to wellness
• Comfort working as part of a multidisciplinary team, and enjoy mixed roles and duties
• Comfort working in collaborative practice both formally with nurse practitioners and informally with a broad range of medical colleagues
• Cultural humility, knowledge of trauma informed care, and social determinants of health
• Desire to perform data driven care
• Desire to implement and deliver care that is integrated across chronic medical conditions, behavioral health conditions, inpatient settings, and outpatient settings
• Intermediate computer skills, familiarity with MS Office or Google Workspace
• Ability to adapt rapidly to variations in team culture and process
• Ability to rapidly develop new professional working relationships with colleagues and patients
• Flexibility, and the willingness/ability to travel on a regular basis

The experience you bring to this role includes:

• Board certified MD or DO in Internal Medicine or Family Practice or Psychiatry5+ years clinical care in a primary care setting
• Working with and managing a population with challenges such as behavioral health and/or SUD conditions
• Developing and delivering educational programs to nurses and affiliated medical staff
• Care management and coordination

firsthand Benefits

firsthand is building a workplace and culture that cares deeply for our team and our communities. Our benefit design is in line with our values of compassion and empathy:

• A range of healthcare benefits offerings for yourself and/or your family
• 401(k) with employer matching program
• Competitive and flexible paid time off policies
• Choice of Mac or PC for laptop or tablet as needed
• Additional benefits and perks as detailed in JustWorks