Emergency Services Medical Director-Psychiatry

Beth Israel Lahey Health; Salem (MA); Hybrid; USD 370,000 - 400,000; Full time

Job summary

Beth Israel Lahey Health is seeking an Emergency Services Medical Director (psychiatry) to oversee clinical and medical operations across the Emergency Services Division, including CL services. You will supervise psychiatrists and CL clinicians, drive strategic changes with hospital leadership, and ensure high-quality care in a hybrid on-site/virtual environment.

The role requires an MD/DO with board certification in Adult Psychiatry and CL Psychiatry, plus at least 5 years in CL psychiatry and

Qualifications

• MD or DO degree from an accredited medical school.
• Completion of an ACGME-accredited Psychiatry Residency.
• Fellowship training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry/Psychosomatic Medicine.
• Board Certification in Adult Psychiatry and CL Psychiatry certification or eligibility.
• Strong clinical skills in medically complex psychiatric care in hospital settings.
• Minimum 5 years of CL Psychiatry in a hospital setting with leadership experience.

Responsibilities

• Represents and oversees all clinical and medical operations of the Emergency Services Division.
• Plan, build, and implement a CL service structure for select BILH hospitals.
• Supervise emergency services medical staff, including psychiatrists and nurse clinicians.
• Provide CL services to BILH hospitals on schedule and as needed with documentation.
• Attend regular stakeholder meetings and hospital huddles.
• Review clinical cases and address barriers to admission or diversion.
• Ensure escalation protocols and conduct inpatient reviews as needed.
• Attend quarterly staff meetings and program-specific meetings.
• Provide academic trainings virtually or in person on relevant topics.
• Lead medical policies, regulatory compliance, and quality initiatives.
• Support regulatory and accreditation requirements (Joint Commission).
• Provide on-call coverage for clinical and medical consultation.
• Oversee clinical quality across Emergency Services Division.

Skills

Leadership

Clinical leadership

Quality improvement

Regulatory compliance

Education

MD/DO from an accredited medical school

ACGME Psychiatry Residency

Fellowship in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry/Psychosomatic Medicine

Board Certification in Adult Psychiatry

Board Certification or Eligibility in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry

Job description

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives.

The Emergency Services Medical Director is a psychiatrist responsible for the clinical and medical oversight as well as the quality of care across all programming, including Behavioral Health Crisis Consultation and Consultation Liaison (CL) services for all BILH hospitals served. This position supports patient safety, improves medical outcomes, and assists interdisciplinary teams in managing behavioral health concerns that commonly arise in acute medical care.

The position emphasizes practical, high-impact psychiatric care, collaboration with frontline medical teams, and efficient consultation services across inpatient units. The Medical Director co-leads the Emergency Services Division with the VP of Emergency Services. The division includes Hospital Team North, Hospital Team South, CL Team, Central Triage, and Jail Diversion Programs.

This position is hybrid with virtual and on site responsibilities.

The Medical Director supervises BILH BS CL psychiatrists, psychiatry-on-call providers, and BILH hospital-credentialed BILH BS clinicians. The Medical Director also provides consultation as part of BILH BS CL services for designated BILH hospitals and drives key strategic changes in partnership with leaders within BILH BS and the broader BILH system.

Job Description

Essential Functions & Responsibilities

• Represents and oversees all aspects of clinical and medical operations of the Emergency Services Division in conjunction with the VP of Emergency Services.


• Responsible for planning, building, and implementing a Consultation Liaison (CL) service structure for select BILH hospitals.


• Provides supervision to all Emergency Services Division medical staff, including psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and psychiatric nurse clinical specialists in the CL and Psychiatry On-Call groups.


• Provides CL services to BILH hospitals on both scheduled and as-needed bases and completes required documentation concurrently.


• Attends regularly scheduled meetings with key stakeholders, including daily hospital huddles, system huddles, system meetings, and staff meetings.


• Reviews and discusses clinical case escalations and provides clinical guidance to address barriers to admission or diversion.


• Ensures escalation protocols are followed and conducts patient reviews with inpatient psychiatric units as needed.


• Attends all Emergency Services Division quarterly staff meetings and rotates attendance at individual program monthly staff meetings.


• Provides academic enrichment through live, virtual, or recorded trainings on relevant clinical topics and competencies.


• Provides medical leadership regarding policies and regulations and recommends enhancements as needed.


• Participates in quality improvement, patient safety, and risk-reduction initiatives related to behavioral health.


• Supports regulatory and accreditation requirements related to behavioral health, including Joint Commission standards.


• Adheres to HIPAA and all applicable federal and state regulations and laws.


• Provides on-call telephone coverage for clinical and medical consultation to Emergency Services staff and BILH system hospitals.


• Oversees clinical quality for all services provided by the Emergency Services Division.


• Performs other related duties as assigned.

Supervision

Supervises all psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse clinical specialists performing functions within the Emergency Services Division. Assists with onboarding and training of new staff and ensures all providers maintain credentialing at all BILH hospitals served.

Qualifications & Education

• MD or DO degree from an accredited medical school


• Completion of an ACGME-accredited Psychiatry Residency


• Fellowship training in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry/Psychosomatic Medicine


• Board Certification in Adult Psychiatry and Board Certification or Board Eligibility in Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry


• Strong clinical skills in medically complex psychiatric care and experience in academic medical centers or large hospital systems.


• Minimum 5 years of Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry experience in the hospital setting


• At least 2 years of formal leadership

Pay Range

$370,000.00 USD - $400,000.00 USD

The pay range listed for this position is the annual base salary range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time. Actual compensation may be determined based on several factors, that may include education, training, relevant experience, specialty, geography of work location, productivity, job responsibilities, or other applicable factors permissible by law. In addition to base compensation, this position may be eligible for performance-based incentive compensation, which may include productivity and quality bonuses.

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.

More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled