Medical Director

Coweta Outpatient Detox in Newnan, GA is seeking a Medical Director. The Medical Director is required to work collaboratively with our onsite Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner. This is a contract/remote position.

Position Summary

The Medical Director provides leadership, oversight, and regulatory compliance across all medical and psychiatric services within detoxification, residential, outpatient, and mental health treatment programs. This role ensures safe, ethical, patient-centered clinical care and oversees the performance of the provider team. The Medical Director is responsible for clinical governance, policy approval, medical team supervision, quality improvement, and compliance with state and federal standards..

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

Clinical Care & Patient Support

The Medical Director will

• Provide overall direction and clinical oversight of all medical and psychiatric services.
• Review and approve medical policies, treatment protocols, standing orders, and clinical practice standards.
• Approve prescribing standards, medication administration procedures, and (if applicable) dispensing protocols.
• Approve the contents of emergency medical kits and stock medications when required.
• Ensure 24/7 on-call provider coverage for medical and psychiatric emergencies, when applicable.
• Maintain and post provider schedules at the nursing station, if required.
• Ensure appropriate physician coverage during absences.
• Review and sign all initial inpatient care plans within 24 hours of admission and monitor periodic updates.
• Enforce compliance with state and federal prescribing regulations, including controlled-substance and PDMP requirements.
• Ensure medication administration records (MARs) meet state standards, including medication name, date, dosage, frequency, route, administration time, and staff signature/initials.
• Ensure medical records comply with HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2.
• Ensure use of HIPAA-compliant telehealth platforms when applicable.
• Oversee referrals for ancillary services and ensure safe, appropriate documentation of referral processes.
• Review and verify specialized care policies for pregnant patients, including consent, medication management, and monitoring requirements.
• Ensure availability and maintenance of emergency equipment, medications, and transfer agreements with higher-level care facilities.
• Ensure provider staff respond appropriately to medical and psychiatric crises using de-escalation, clinical judgment, and involuntary interventions in compliance with state standards.

Compliance & Documentation

The Medical Director is responsible for ensuring

• Adherence to all state regulations governing detoxification, residential, and outpatient treatment levels.
• Documentation timeliness:
• Inpatient/Outpatient SUD H&P: within 24 hours
• Inpatient/Outpatient Psych Evaluation: within 48 hours
• Inpatient/Outpatient MH HPE: within 48 hours
• Inpatient/Outpatient IPE: within 24 hours
• Outpatient documentation: per facility/state standards
• Documentation accuracy and justification of medical necessity (ASAM for SUD, LOCUS for MH).
• All notes and orders are signed within 24 hours of patient encounter.
• CEU requirements in addiction medicine are completed annually, if applicable.
• Approval and periodic review of medication storage, administration, documentation, inventory, and disposal procedures.
• Accurate and timely submission of invoices, and timely notification to HR/Nurse Manager for schedule changes (within 24 hours).
• Maintenance of up-to-date credentials, with responses to HR/Compliance requests within one week.
• HR is notified of any disciplinary actions by state/federal authorities within one week.

Collaboration & Teamwork

The Medical Director will

• Oversee provider participation in treatment planning with multidisciplinary staff.
• Participate in quarterly risk management and QA meetings, reviewing:
• Incident reports
• Medication errors
• Adverse events
• Patient grievances
• Hospital transfers
• Clinical safety issues
• Support the development of root-cause analyses, corrective action plans, and follow-up monitoring when indicated.
• Develop and maintain written delegation, prescriptive authority, and collaborative agreements with NPs and PAs per state requirements.
• Ensure agreements are maintained onsite, available to licensing boards, and reviewed annually.
• Review and sign off on NP/PA documentation as needed to support risk mitigation and controlled-substance prescribing.
• Review, approve, and implement the APRN/PA collaboration policy in accordance with state law.
• Collaborate with medical providers, participate in quarterly peer reviews, and support incident review and RCA processes.
• Participate in provider coaching and development plans to support ongoing performance improvement
• Participate in state, JCAHO, and insurance audits when requested.

Safety & Infection Control

The Medical Director ensures

• Compliance with CDC, OIG, OSHA, DOH, and Joint Commission standards.
• Annual approval of the infection/exposure control plan and participation in patient safety, fall prevention, and related initiatives.
• Facility provision of mandatory education on communicable diseases.
• Oversight of lab ordering and result review, including communicable disease screenings and follow-up treatment.
• Oversight of urine drug screening protocols and integration of results into multidisciplinary care.

Qualifications

• Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) with an unrestricted state license.
• Board certification in Psychiatry, Addiction Medicine, Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or relevant specialty (preferred).
• DEA registration and state controlled-substance licensure required.
• Prior leadership experience in behavioral health, SUD, residential, or psychiatric settings strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of ASAM, LOCUS, HIPAA, and federal/state behavioral health regulations.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.
• Ability to manage clinical operations, supervise provider teams, and ensure regulatory compliance.

Work Environment

• Ability to work in detox, residential, outpatient, and mental health settings.
• May require evening or on-call coverage based on facility operations.

Work Location: Remote