Physician - Gastroenterology - No Call, Great Outdoor Access, 8 Weeks Off

CO_01 Benefis Hospitals, Inc.; Great Falls (MT); On-site; USD 350,000 - 500,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Sign-on bonus

Relocation assistance

CME stipend

PTO 8 weeks

Retirement match

Malpractice tail

Wellness programs

Monthly leadership meetings

J1 sponsorship

Job summary

Benefis Health System in Great Falls, MT is seeking a Gastroenterologist to join an established practice. Hospital-employed, full-time with a flexible schedule and no elective call on evenings or weekends, supporting both inpatient and outpatient GI care.

The role emphasizes endoscopy, with current and future endoscopy capacity expanding; clinicians work with GI hospitalists and APPs for comprehensive patient management and a strong focus on patient care and professional growth.

Qualifications

• Board eligibility or certification required.

Responsibilities

• Perform GI procedures (Colonoscopy, EGD, sigmoidoscopy, PEG placements) as part of a hospital-employed GI team.
• Collaborate with GI hospitalists and APPs for inpatient/outpatient care.
• Endoscopy volume targets with 7:00 am–5:00 pm staffing; 24-hour call coverage managed by GI hospitalists.

Skills

Colonoscopy

EGD

Flexible sigmoidoscopy

PEG tube placement

ERCP/EUS optional

Education

Board eligible/certified

Job description

Benefis is one of Montana's largest and premier health systems, and we are committed to providing excellent care for all, healing body, mind, and spirit. At Benefis, we work hard to support our employees in every aspect of their careers by offering outstanding benefits and compensation, state-of-the-art facilities, and multiple growth opportunities. The only thing missing is you!

Benefis Health System is looking to add a full time Gastroenterologist to an established practice in Great Falls, Montana. The practice serves 80,000 Great Falls residents as well as 275,000 residents across north central Montana.

Currently, we employ 2 traditional GI Physicians, 2 full time GI Hospitalists to cover all call, various per diem GI Hospitalists, 1 Inpatient PA-C, and 2 outpatient Advanced Practice Providers. Applicants must be board eligible/certified.

Procedures:

• Colonoscopies
• EGDs
• Flexible sigmoidoscopies
• PEG tube placements
• ERCP and EUS skills are optional

Schedule:

Hospital employed, full time, flexible schedule - NO CALL

Current Gastroenterologists are spending the majority of their time in endoscopy doing 12-16 cases/day based on preference and complexity and there is opportunity for additional volume if desired (endoscopy is staffed M-F 7:00 am-5:00 pm)

Clinic is located within a 5 minute walk from the endoscopy suite and is staffed full time with an NP and a PA. Our current physicians spend ½ - 1 day per week in clinic based on preference

Dedicated GI Hospitalist and PA-C take all consults and call, to do all urgent/emergent cases, consults and inpatient rounding

If desired, this position can be 50% outpatient and 50% inpatient (which is 24 weeks outpatient and 10.4 wks of inpatient call shifts - ERCP is required for this model)

How we support you

• Nationally competitive compensation structures with guaranteed salaries + productivity and performance bonuses
• 8 weeks paid time off (6 PTO, 2 CME)
• Generous sign-on / relocation bonus
• Annual $5,000 CME + $1,000 license/dues
• 5-7% retirement match + 457b program
• Paid malpractice + tail
• Physician wellness programs focused on personal and professional development
• Monthly meetings with highest-level physician and administrative leadership to bring ideas forward and solve issues
• J1 waiver sponsorships for specific specialties with established immigration council

Current Endoscopy Information:

• Five endoscopy suites and one bronchoscopy suite located directly outside the ER and across from the main OR
• 10 bed recovery unit
• Olympus equipment
• Experienced and helpful staff of RNs and tech
• Anesthesia services provided and GI Hospitalist had a dedicated suite
• Designed as an ambulatory surgical center and all patients are managed within the unit with occasional procedures in the OR (based on BMI)

Future Endoscopy Information:

• In the process of building a separate space within the hospital, completed August 2024, expanding from 9,000 SF to 22,000 SF
• Eight endoscopy suites
• 10 pre op and 14 post op
• Olympus equipment
• Experienced and helpful staff of RNs and techs
• Anesthesia services provided and GI Hospitalist had a dedicated suite
• Designed as an ambulatory surgical center and all patients are managed within the unit with occasional procedures in the OR (based on BMI)

Work Hours and Call Coverage:

Gastroenterology call is covered by GI Hospitalists, allowing our traditional practicing physicians the ability to have high volume general practices. The GI hospitalist is typically in house from approximately 7 am - 4 pm on weekdays, does rounds on Saturday and procedures on Sunday in a dedicated block from 7:00 am - 12:00 pm with endoscopy staff and anesthesia to reduce the use of main OR over the weekend. While this position does take 24 hour call, our ER and ICU overnight teams typically understand urgent/emergent GI cases can wait until morning and do not typically call during late night/overnight hours.

Community Information:

Great Falls is known as Montana's base camp for art and adventure with a city population of 70,000, and a draw of over 275,000 people in north central Montana. We have four genuine seasons, experience mild winters and enjoy blue skies over 300 days per year. Great Falls is a wonderful and safe place to raise a family, with nationally ranked public schools, endless activities, two accredited colleges, a brand-new nursing school, a biomedical rural health research institute, and a new not-for-profit medical school, TouroCOM Montana. Additionally, the Missouri River, a blue-ribbon fly-fishing destination, runs through the middle of our community with over 60 miles of paved recreational trails. Our local outdoor activities include camping, backpacking, hiking, biking, horseback riding, water and snow skiing, rock and ice climbing, boating, paddle boarding, kayaking, off-road motor sports, and hunting making our quality of life unrivaled in the Rocky Mountain West. Additionally, in 2023, Montana was named #1 state in the nation to practice m