MEDICAL DIRECTOR
City of Austin/Travis County EMS System
For THE CITY OF AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTY, TEXAS
The City of Austin and Travis County are seeking a progressive, visionary, and experienced emergency medical physician to lead its nationally recognized Office of the Medical Director for the City of Austin/Travis County EMS System. This Recruitment Brochure provides background information on the City of Austin, Travis County, the EMS System and the Medical Director position. The brochure was prepared following personal interviews with the representatives from the City Manager’s Office including the City Manager, the Assistant City Manager for Public Safety, the Travis County Executive Manager of Emergency Services, the Office of the Medical Director, the City of Austin-Travis County EMS Director, and the Austin Fire Chief.
Importantly, this brochure for the Emergency Medical Director will be used as a guide in the recruitment process, providing specific criteria by which applications will be screened and individuals selected for final interview and appointment consideration. All inquiries relating to the recruitment and selection process for the Emergency Medical Director are to be directed to the attention of the Consultant working with City and County Officials. Please Note: Identities of recommended candidates and interviewees for this position are subject to public disclosure and release in accordance with applicable regulations, practices, and Texas Open Records Act. Heidi Voorhees, President
GovHR USA/Voorhees Associates 630 Dundee Road, Suite 130 Northbrook, IL 60062
TEL: 847-380-3240 FAX: 866-401-3100
Formal applications should be submitted to: www.govhrusa.com/current-positions/recruitment
PROFESSIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT
Austin/Travis County Emergency Medical System Medical Director
The City of Austin and Travis County, located in the Texas Hill Country and known for its lakes, parks, music and high tech/college town vitality, are seeking an innovative, progressive, emergency medical professional to lead the Office of the Medical Director for the City of Austin/Travis County EMS System. The Austin/Travis County EMS System provides pre-hospital care to a population of over 1,194,000. Reporting to the City of Austin’s As-sistant City Manager for Public Safety Departments, the Medical Director is appointed by the Austin City Man-ager. The Medical Director must be committed to medical leadership, patient advocacy, medical performance monitoring and regulation, and medical education and research. The Office of the Medical Director is an inde-pendent, autonomous office responsible for clinical oversight of pre-hospital treatment provided by the Austin/ Travis County System including over 37 agencies and more than 2,000 personnel who currently practice under the license of the Medical Di-rector. The Office is comprised of 14 staff members including a Deputy Director and five part-time Associate Medical Directors. The Medical Di-rector must possess strong commu-nication and consensus building skills with a record of success in developing collaborative relation-ships with local government leaders, advisory boards, system providers, hospitals, employees and state agencies. Candidates must be eligi-ble for licensure as a Doctor of Medicine or Doctor of Osteopathy in the State of Texas and must be Board Certified, preferably in Emer-gency Medicine. Preference will be given to those candidates that pos-sess a board certification in EMS Subspecialty with a record of strong, innovative leadership and experience in pre-hospital care. A minimum of two years experience as a Director or Deputy Director of a large, complex, EMS System is highly desirable. Successful candidates may maintain clinical activity in emergency medicine. Starting salary: $230 – 250K with excellent fringe benefits/pension/relocation package. Apply by February 19 to Heidi J. Voorhees, President, GovHRUSA.com/current-positions/recruitment, 630 Dundee Road, Suite 130, Northbrook, IL 60062. E-mail: HVoorhees@GovHRUSA.com Tel: 847-380-3243.
ABOUT AUSTIN
Austin, Texas has a population of 910,000, making it the 11th largest city in the country. This vibrant and dy-namic city tops numerous lists for business, entertainment, and quality of life. One of the country’s most popular, high-profile “green” and culturally dynamic cities was selected as the “Best City for the Next Decade” (Kiplinger), the “Top Creative Center” in the US (Entrepreneur.com) and #1 on the “On Numbers Economic Index” as the fastest growing economy. Austin continues to lead the country with its vision of being the “Most livable City in the
country,” emerging as a player on the international scene with such events as South by Southwest, Austin City Limits Music Festival, Formula 1 and being home to companies such as Apple, Samsung, Freescale Semicon-ductor, Seton Healthcare, HCA St. David’s Healthcare and the University of Texas Dell Medical School. From the home of state government and the University of Texas, to the “Live Music Capital of the World” and its growth as a film center, Austin has gained worldwide attention as a hub for education, business, health, and sus-tainability. Since 1900, Austin’s population has doubled every 20 years.
AUSTIN ARTS, CULTURE AND EDUCATION
Austin’s arts and entertainment scene combines the best of world-class events with the hearty, community spirit of “do-it-yourself art.” Austin has its own professional symphony, ballet and opera companies; dozens of thea-ters presenting impressive old favorites or ground-breaking new drama; dance companies, vocal ensembles, and orchestras producing events year-round. Art museums, galleries galore and beautiful gardens replete with sculptures ease and please the eye with so many enticing shapes and colors.
Austin is hailed as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” with hundreds of venues offering music of all gen-res and tempos. By the time spring rolls around, Austin is awash in arts festivals incorporating music, food, the great outdoors or the great club scene, and all facets of ethnic diver-sity and the arts. Each fall, the City hosts the world famous Austin City Limits Music Festival.
Austin offers something for every-one, boasting ethnic diversity, eco-nomic opportunity and a diverse range of neighborhoods within and around the city limits. Newcomers can locate housing options to match nearly every lifestyle and near every employment center in the Austin area. The City embraces and per-sonifies cultural and ethnic diversity. Its residents speak over 20 lan-guages and the City’s
neighbor-hoods echo the cultural richness of its residents where Hispanics, African-Americans, Europeans, Asian/Pacific Islanders and other ethnic groups blend in a truly cosmopolitan city. The City serves as host to a multitude of cultural celebrations and festivals that reflect the diversity of its residents.
Austin’s public school system is rated among the best in the state of Texas, with outstanding environments, fac-ulty and curriculums for grades K-12. Higher education opportunities also abound in the area at such notable institutions as the University of Texas, St. Edwards University, Huston-Tillotson University and Texas State Uni-versity. With the high value placed on education by citizens and local industry, it is no surprise that more than 35% of the City’s population have college degrees.
AUSTIN CITY GOVERNMENT
The City of Austin is a progressive, dynamic, full-service municipal organization operating under the Council - Manager form of government. In December 2014, the Austin City Council transitioned to a 10-1 structure. The Council is elected from 10 single-member districts, with its mayor elected at large. The Mayor and Council serve four-year terms and may not serve more than two con-secutive terms.
The City Council appoints the City Manager, who serves as the chief administrative and executive officer of the City. The City Manager has re-sponsibilities for guiding and directing day-to-day operations as well as pro-viding strategic research, recommen-dations, and management leadership to the City Council on budget, pro-grams, policies, and services. The City Manager implements the organi-zation’s administrative responsibilities with a strong team of Assistant City Managers and Chief of Staff. The City Council and City Manager are com-mitted to their mission of delivering the highest quality services in the most cost-effective manner. The organiza-tion’s vision is to make Austin the most livable city in the country and the City Manager’s resolve is to be known as the best-managed city in the country.
THE COUNTY ORGANIZATION
Texas County government focuses primarily on the judicial system, health and social service deliv-ery, law enforcement, corrections, and upkeep of County-maintained roads. County governments in Texas have no ordinance-making powers other than those explicitly granted by state legislative action. The state’s 254 counties have similar or-ganizational features: a governing body known as the Commissioners Court consisting of one mem-ber elected County-wide (the County Judge) and four Commissioners elected from geographically unique districts for overlapping four-year terms. The County Judge is so named because he or she has actual judicial responsibility. In urban counties, the County Judge is primarily an executive and administrator, in addition to being the presiding
officer of the Commissioners Court. Other elected officials in each county are the County and District Clerks, the County Tax Assessor-Collector, the County Sheriff, a District and/or County Attorney, the County Treasurer, and
one or more Constables. All judges (District Judges, County Court-as-Law Judges, and Justices of the Peace) are also elected. The State District Judges in each county select the County Auditor, who serves as the chief financial officer for the County.
The Commissioners Court serves as both the legislative and executive branch of county government, and exer-cises budgetary authority over virtually all County departments, including those headed by other elected officials. Travis County has six county Executives who are accountable to the Commissioners Court for the operations of the County and are focused on these six areas—Emergency Services; Health and Human Services; Justice Planning; Transportation and Natural Resources; Operations Management; and Planning and Budget. The fol-lowing statements have been developed by the Commissioners Court in an effort to describe Travis County’s vision, values, and mission.
The Vision for Travis County – We envision an open diverse community where all people are safe and healthy
and can fulfill their hopes and dreams; one which provides a good quality of life and protects our natural re-sources for ourselves and future generations.
The Values that Guide Travis County Govern-ment – Taking responsibility, public trust and
ac-countability, good customer service, excellence in performance, sound fiscal policy, respect for the individual, honesty and openness, caring, col-laboration and cooperation.
The Mission of Travis County – For the people
of Travis County, our mission is to preserve health, provide a safety net for the needy, ensure the public safety, facilitate the resolution of dis-putes, foster an efficient transportation system, promote recreational opportunities, and manage county resources in order to meet the changing needs of the community in an effective manner.
OFFICE OF THE EMERGENCY SYSTEM MEDICAL DIRECTOR FOR
THE CITY OF AUSTIN/TRAVIS COUNTY EMS SYSTEM
The Office of the Emergency Medical Director for Austin/Travis County EMS System (ATCEMS) was created approximately nine years ago to ensure that the practice of pre-hospital care is medically appropriate, patient friendly, and of the highest professional quality. In addition, the OMD was envisioned to be a catalyst and facili-tator for unifying the delivery of medical care within the City of Austin and Travis County. The Austin Fire De-partment and fourteen Travis County Emergency Services Districts serve as the medical first responders. The firefighters are trained as Emergency Care Attendant or EMT-Basic. The Austin/Travis County EMS Department provides Advanced Life Support and transport services to a population of more than 975,000. ATCEMS shares some facilities with the Austin Fire Department and Travis County ESDs and has separate facilities throughout the City and County.
The EMS Department was created by municipal ordinance in 1975 to provide the citizens of Austin a reliable and quality service for emergency pre-hospital medical rescue. It operates under a third public service model, separate from fire and police. The third service delivery model was selected for Austin after an extensive review by several blue ribbon citizen groups. The City of Austin EMS Department expanded its services to include all of
Travis County (approximately 1,100 miles) in 1977 under an Interlocal Governmental Agreement that began in May 1977. After an exhaustive assessment by Austin/Travis County EMS System stakeholders from 1998-2001 regarding which government should host the ATCEMS Department, it was recommended that the City of Austin continue in its current role as the managing entity for ATCEMS. At that time the Interlocal Agreement was ex-panded to formally transfer all of Travis County’s EMS-related administrative duties to the City of Austin to streamline operations and minimize duplications in the administrative process. Travis County manages and op-erates the STAR Flight air-medical program which provides search and rescue, fire, and law enforcement re-sponses. STAR Flight has its own Medical Director who is also an Associate Medical Director with the OMD. In addition, the Medical Director is responsible for the oversight of pre-hospital care provided by 14 Emergency Services Districts within Travis County and 16 corporate first responders. The following is a listing of the Emer-gency Services Districts that fall under the jurisdiction of the Office of the Medical Director:
1 North Lake Travis Fire & Rescue-ESD01 Jonestown TX 2 Pflugerville Fire Department –ESD02 Pflugerville TX
3 Oak Hill Fire Department-ESD03 Austin TX
4 Travis County Fire Control-ESD04 Austin TX
5 Manchaca Fire Rescue-ESD05 Austin TX
6 Lake Travis Fire Rescue-ESD06 Austin TX
8 Pedernales Emergency Services-ESD08 Spicewood TX 9 Westlake Fire Department-ESD09 Austin TX
10 Ce-Bar Fire Dept-ESD10 Austin TX
11 Travis County Fire and Rescue-ESD11 Del Valle TX
12 Manor Fire Department-ESD12 Manor TX
13 Elgin Fire & Recue First Responder-ESD13 Elgin TX
14 Volente Fire Department-ESD14 Leander TX
The following 17 hospitals serve the Austin/ Travis County region:
University Medical Center Brackenridge Hospital Dell Children’s Medical Center
Heart Hospital of Austin North Austin Medical Center Round Rock Hospital Seton Medical Center Seton Northwest Hospital Seton Southwest Hospital South Austin Hospital St. David's Medical Center Westlake Medical Center Austin Women’s Hospital
University Medical Campus Round Rock, Scott & White
Seton Williamson County
Cedar Park Regional Medical Center Lakeway Regional Medical Center Seton Hays County
The OMD reports to the Austin City Manager’s Office, specifically to the Assistant City Manager for Public Safety. The Medical Director will be appointed by the City Manager. The position is funded 70% with City funds and 30% with County funds. It is anticipated and intended that the Medical Director serve independently with patient care being the OMD’s highest priority.
The Medical Director is responsible for all EMS and First Responder clinical care activities within the City of Austin and Travis County. The Austin/Travis County EMS Department for Austin/Travis County EMS System is comprised of over 500 employees and a budget of $74 million and is the sole transport agency within the sys-tem, of which the OMD has clinical oversight. The EMS system responds to approximately 120,000 calls annu-ally. The Office of the Medical Director has five Associate Medical Directors to call upon for assistance. Each is committed to 24 hours of work per month and assisting with on call duties.
The Mission of OMD is to Define, Support and Advance Our Clinical Practice of Medicine. The primary objective is to maintain our mission as follows:
Evaluate and disseminate scientific evidence
Develop clinically appropriate integrated approaches to patient care Develop collaborative programs to enhance system response The comprehensive functions of the OMD are collectively defined by:
State of Texas Agencies
Texas Medical Board
Texas Department of State Health Services
Local Governments
City of Austin Travis County
Appointed Boards of the 14 Emergency Services Districts within Travis County
Specific Local Agencies and Boards
The Travis County Medical Society (ED/EMS Advisory Committee) The Austin/Travis County EMS Advisory Board
Individual Department of State Health Services licensed organizations (First Responder and Transport Provider)
Department of State Health Services licensed receiving hospitals within the EMS service area (17) Individual providers credentialed in the System
The distinct areas of focus in the Office of the Medical Director are as follows: 1. Clinical Practice of Pre-hospital Medicine
2. Quality Improvement/Performance Measurement 3. Healthcare Provider Education
4. Regulatory Functions 5. Advocacy
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
The next Emergency System Medical Director can expect to work closely with all of the aforementioned stake-holders to address the following challenges:
The complex and diverse nature of the Austin/Travis County EMS System which includes the Emer-gency Services Districts and the Corporate First Responders present unique challenges for the next Medical Director. The next Medical
Director must be prepared to address the issue of credentialing EMS pro-viders in the Austin and Travis County Fire Departments. Specifi-cally, the Medical Director must ad-dress financial/budget issues faced by the District, rural and suburban service delivery issues that provide different challenges from an urban service delivery model, and an ac-cessible, timely, and understandable process for moving from certification to credentialed that maintains the high-quality patient care for which the system is known. The ability to pro-vide support and direction to the first responders in the manner in which they provide services is critical.
The continued development of a state-of-the-art, comprehensive evaluation process for EMS services that identifies strengths, weaknesses, and assists in the identification of trends in service needs for the region. The next Medical Director will be expected to foster an environment of open communication for quality improvement and performance measurement. This will include routine review of systems ensur-ing consistency of care in the field and an overall continuity of care.
The complexity of the Austin/Travis County EMS System can make it vulnerable to a perception of fa-voritism of some members over other members. It is critical that the next Medical Director be objective, carefully considering all perspectives to ensure that the system continues to operate as a unified organi-zation with the primary goal of high-quality patient care.
The Austin/Travis County EMS System has established a Community Health Paramedic Program. The next Medical Director can expect to be involved in this program, encouraging the appropriate expansion of services in this area.
THE POSITION OF EMS SYSTEM MEDICAL DIRECTOR
The Austin City and Travis County officials involved in the selection of the next Medical Director are seeking innovative and collaborative medical practitioners who are strong leaders and decision-makers with the ability to build consensus among a diverse group of participants who are committed to high quality pre-hospital care in the delivery of emergency medical services for the Austin/Travis County region. The Medical Director is a high-profile position serving a broad range of internal and external customers and stakeholders.
Most important, the Medical Director is the designated “patient advocate” for the EMS system and the success-ful candidate will recognize this as the single most important clinical responsibility of the Medical Director, ac-tively and continuously assuring that the clinical initiatives of the EMS system are always in the patient’s best interest. While ensuring that patient care is the highest priority, the Medical Director will be expected to have an ongoing global perspective of the complex EMS system.
The anticipated beginning salary will be $230,000 - $250,000. Starting salary and compensation is negotiable, depending on qualifications, experience, and record of professional achievement plus an attractive benefits/ relocation and retirement package.
The following factors of education, experience, leadership, management style, and personal traits have been identified as ideal attributes for the Medical Director to possess in order to function effectively and achieve a high level of success in the position.
Education and Experience
Candidates must be able to become licensed physicians in the State of Texas and must be Board Certified, pref-erably in Emergency Medicine and/or a board certification in EMS Subspecialty with a record of strong, innova-tive leadership and experience in pre-hospital care.
Candidates must have a deep and abiding interest in the field of medical rescue and pre-hospital care, preferably with a mini-mum of two years experience as a Medi-cal Director or Deputy MediMedi-cal Director of a large, complex, EMS System compara-ble to the Austin/Travis County system. Candidates must be able to demonstrate a record of serving as a “patient advocate,” understanding that patient advocacy is at the core of the medical mission of the Medical Director.
Candidates must have experience in medical oversight of pre-hospital care and
medical rescue including the credentialing of certified and licensed EMS Providers in the emergency medical services community.
Candidates should have a demonstrable, successful track record in the establishment, implementation, and modification of Standards of Care, the field practice of medicine, Communication Standards, and Quality Im-provement, and also in the
imple-mentation, evaluation, and testing of all systems providers according to Standards of Medical Care.
Candidates must have the ability to develop, implement, and revise poli-cies and procedures of pre-hospital care, patient triage, transport, trans-fer, dispatch, extrication, rescue, communications, and education de-velopment and training.
Candidates must have experience in conducting system audits and per-formance improvement programs and in the development, implementation, and monitoring of complaints and deviations from established
proto-cols. In addition, candidates should have experience in the development of guidelines for review of any incident which potentially has an adverse or negative impact on the patient or the system.
Candidates must have the ability to develop performance standards for training, testing, and certification of EMS communication medics, first response medics, ambulance rescue medics, and on-line medical control physicians.
Candidates must have a willingness and commitment to maintain a regular “field presence” through ride-outs with EMS/first responder crews, by direct emergency response to the scene and visits to the EMS rescue sys-tem communication center.
Candidates must be able to conduct effective medical education and research involving all aspect of the medical “chain of survival,” including the public, 911/EMS telecommunicators, first responders, rescue crews, and hospi-tal staff.
Candidates must have extraordinary communication skills with the ability to articulate the medical value of the EMS rescue system to both the medical community and general public.
Candidates must have the ability to observe and understand changes in the population of the City and County that may present different challenges to the EMS system and effectively address the standards of care and cus-tomer service that may evolve from these changes.
Management Style/Personal Traits
Have a passion for emergency medical service and pre-hospital care and a willingness to work collaboratively and openly with all of the stakeholders in the EMS community including, but not limited to, emergency services staff, managers, administrators, policymakers, advisory boards and the medical community.
Have the ability to inspire, motivate, align and rally the various EMS rescue organizations within the City of Aus-tin and Travis County around a common clinical vision, core clinical values, and system clinical performance standards and goals.
Have an appreciation for the importance of and ability to “lead by example,” listen empathetically, build coopera-tion, and effectively solve problems.
Have a willingness and desire to coordinate effectively with the Travis County Medical Society EMS Advisory Committee, obtaining input on EMS medical protocols and related customer service issues, and to communicate major medical policy decisions regarding EMS medical operations.
Be politically astute and aware while possessing an open style, dealing with all in a professional, fair, straightfor-ward, and responsive manner.
Be comfortable with the autonomy of the field medical personnel and with off-line medical management, trusting in their training and education to effectively perform their duties.
Be a strong advocate for pre-hospital care and emergency rescue, one who clearly represents the needs of the system to the community.
Provide prompt, thorough, and fully responsive implementation and follow through on policy decisions and direction. Be able to lead and motivate by personal
ex-ample, encouraging high standards of per-formance, productivity, and ethical conduct from all system personnel.
Keep the City Manager’s Office and County officials informed of major activities and opera-tions of the system, with special attention given toward avoiding “surprises.”
Have a management style that includes dele-gation of responsibility and authority while holding staff accountable for the achievement of goals and objectives.
Be a “people person,” easy to get along with, patient, accessible, and a good listener. Be an individual with a sincere and caring atti-tude toward the Austin community and its citi-zens, promoting a “customer service” -oriented approach by all employees.
Have a high level of community involvement, personally taking part in civic and community activities and events. Be a patient, resilient, and visionary leader with the ability to focus on the “big picture” and to anticipate, rather than react to problems and opportunities.
Be sincerely appreciative and trusting of the contributions of employees to the efforts of the system. Have a sense of humor with the ability to be self deprecating.
