Acute Care Medical Director
Description
The WMC Acute Care Medical Director is responsible for the quality and safety of the care of patients at the Wrangel Medical Center Hospital, Long Term Care and Trauma accreditation status of WMC. They focus on both patient quality and safety as well as provider engagement, wellness and safety.
SEARHC is a non-profit health consortium which serves the health interests of the residents of Southeast Alaska. We see our employees as our strongest assets. It is our priority to further their development and our organization by aiding in their professional advancement.
Working at SEARHC is more than a job, it’s a fulfilling career. We offer generous benefits, including retirement, paid time off, paid parental leave, health insurance, dental, and vision benefits, life insurance and long and short-term disability, and more.
Medical Director – Emergency Medicine & Hospitalist - SEARHC
Join SouthEast Alaska Regional Health Consortium (SEARHC)- a distinguished non-profit health consortium dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare services to the residents of beautiful Southeast Alaska. SEARHC is seeking a Medical Director of Acute Care to lead clinical operations at Wrangell Medical Center, a critical access hospital in Southeast Alaska. This role blends clinical practice and leadership, offering the opportunity to shape care delivery in a close-knit, resourceful rural community.
This position includes Emergency Medicine and observationalist/hospitalist responsibilities, with the ability to directly influence quality, patient safety, provider engagement, and operational excellence across the hospital.
Why Choose SEARHC & Wrangell Medical Center?
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Leadership impact: Serve as the key clinical leader guiding quality, safety, and provider engagement.
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Autonomy and influence: Partner closely with hospital administration and executive leadership.
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Meaningful patient care: Low volumes allow for deeper patient interaction and high-quality care.
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Collaborative rural environment: Strong teamwork across a small, mission-driven clinical team.
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Flexible scheduling: 1-week rotations with ability to stack shifts for extended time off.
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Mission-driven organization: Non-profit health consortium serving communities throughout Southeast Alaska.
Compensation & Benefits:
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Salary Range 0.5 - 0.75 FTE: $194,400 - $302,400 annual salary and an additional leadership stipend.
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Financial Incentives 0.75 FTE: Geographical differential stipend of $26,500, $26,250 Sign-on bonus and $18,750 relocation assistance available.
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Healthcare benefits: Comprehensive medical, dental, vision coverage with flexible spending options (FSAs).
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Life insurance and wellness: Basic life insurance, Short & Long Term Disability, Accident - Critical Illness – Hospital Insurances, Identity & Fraud Protection, Legal Insurance, and Pet Insurance.
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Professional development 0.75 FTE: $4,500 in pre-tax annual CME allowance.
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Retirement planning: 401k plan with up to 5% employer match beginning on your date of hire, Roth and 457b plans.
Schedule and Work-Life Balance:
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Schedule: Flexible shift-based model with one-week blocks, covering days, and evenings.
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Shift Obligation: 0.5 FTE: 9 shifts monthly & 0.75 FTE 14 shifts monthly
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Day shift: 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
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Evening shift: 4:00 PM – 12:00 AM
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Call structure: 7 calls monthly from 12:00 AM – 8:00 AM (not required to be onsite).
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Call Back Rate: $270 per hour
Practice Details: The Medical Director is responsible for the quality and safety of care across inpatient, emergency, and long-term care services. This role combines administrative leadership with hands-on clinical care in both the ED and inpatient setting.
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Critical Access Hospital Facilities:
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4-bed Emergency Department
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8-bed inpatient unit
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18-bed long-term care unit
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Level IV Trauma Center and Pediatric Emergency Ready facility
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Onsite imaging (CT, X-ray, ultrasound, mammography, Dexa) and lab services
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Physical rehab services (PT, OT, SLP) and pharmacy support
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Average daily volumes: With Meditech EMR, Dragon, and DAX CoPilot
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ED census: ~3 patients
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Inpatient census: ~1 patient
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Rehab census: ~3 patients
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Support Staff:
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1 MD/APP per shift covering ED and inpatient.
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3 RNs per shift (ED, Med-Surg, LTC).
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Access to urgent and specialty care via telemedicine or transfer to SEARHC facilities.
Leadership Responsibilities
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Lead hospital-based physicians and APPs
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Oversee recruitment, onboarding, and provider evaluations
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Ensure compliance with accreditation standards (DNV, HRSA)
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Drive quality improvement initiatives and clinical performance metrics
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Serve as liaison between medical staff and SEARHC leadership
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Support utilization review, case management, infection control, and risk management
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Promote provider engagement, wellness, and team culture
Qualifications
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Minimum 5 years of leadership experience within a hospital or health system preferred.
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MD or DO from an accredited program.
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Board-certified or board-eligible in:
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Family Medicine, Internal Medicine/Pediatrics, or Emergency Medicine.
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Active Alaska medical license (or ability to obtain).
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Required certifications: Required certifications: ACLS, ALSO, ATLS, BLS, NRP, and PALS
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Strong track record in quality improvement and evidence-based practice.
What Makes This Opportunity Unique?
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Rare opportunity to lead and practice in a rural critical access hospital
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Flexible FTE and scheduling structure
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Ability to build and shape clinical programs and provider culture
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Strong balance of clinical care, leadership, and lifestyle
What Our Physicians Say
“SEARHC shares in our vision of creating a medical practice that treats every patient with dignity and optimum care. We are eager to combine the strengths of our respective organizations and further enhance the services we can offer the Juneau community and greater southeast region. Our shared commitment to recruiting and retaining highly trained and compassionate medical professionals, while bringing increasingly advanced technologies and innovations to Juneau, helps us deliver on that vision.”
- Catherine Peimann, M.D.
Community and Lifestyle
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Location: Wrangell Island is a community of approximately 1,800 residents with a welcoming, family-friendly atmosphere. Surrounded by world-class outdoor recreation, including fishing, hiking, boating, and wildlife viewing.
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Education: Wrangell is served by a small, community-centered public school system with three schools (elementary, middle, and high school) educating roughly 260–270 students, offering small class sizes and strong access to individualized learning, extracurriculars, and early college credit opportunities.
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Transportation: Accessible by daily commercial flights and ferry system.
Working at SEARHC is more than a job—it’s the opportunity to build a fulfilling and rewarding career and to learn more please reach out to Provider Recruiter, Lyndse Clark: [email protected] or (907)463-7531.
Key Essential Functions and Accountabilities of the Job
- Ensure the delivery of inpatient medical care services at Wrangel Medical Center
- Lead the medical staff and midlevel providers at WMC. Oversees recruiting and hiring (permanent physicians/midlevel providers and intermittent/locums as needed), annual evaluations, collaborative physician agreements for physician assistants, mentoring, corrective action if needed and quality review. Collaborate with the administrative staff, to ensure all medical staff providers are credentialed at SEARHC, and provider enrollment is completed. Oversee that the provider and call schedule is done by the hospital leader at each site.
- Serve as Physician Advisor when needed to the consortium care coordination department and participate in the Utilization Review Committee. Work with the UR Physician advisor (contractor).
- Continually assesses barriers, hindrances, was