Position Overview

Understanding the Role

Dignity Health is recruiting a Primary Care Physician to join Dignity Health Medical Group at Mercy Medical Center Merced.

The position is open to both Family Medicine and Internal Medicine candidates, board certified or board eligible, MD or DO. This is a growth position created to keep pace with strong patient demand, joining the Medical Director and one additional physician on a four-provider APP team.

Practice Snapshot

  • Setting: Hospital-employed, outpatient only
  • Location: 315 Mercy Ave, Suite 400, Merced, CA (4th floor of the medical group building, attached to Mercy Medical Center Merced)
  • Position Type: New growth position
  • Specialty: Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
  • Schedule: 36 patient contact hours per week, 4 to 5 days
  • Call: None
  • EMR: Cerner, transitioning to Epic
  • Visa: H1B transfers accepted

Why This Role Exists

Patient demand at the practice continues to grow, and the existing two physicians are at capacity. Wait times for the Medical Director have stretched to three months out. This third physician seat opens up access for new patients and gives the team room to take on more commercial referrals from local employers, including the Merced Police Department, Merced County Sheriff's Department, fire department, and county employees.

The hire will see a full primary care panel of adults with complex pathology. The patient population skews older and sicker, with most patients carrying five or more diagnoses on their problem list. There is no pediatric base at this clinic. New grads, mid-career physicians, and experienced physicians are all welcome.

Schedule and Workflow

You set your own week within a 36 patient contact hour framework. Flexible configurations include:

  • Four 9-hour days
  • Four and a half day week
  • Five day standard schedule

Saturday clinics are optional and additive, not required. If you work a Saturday, you can swap a weekday off.

Visit Type

Visit Type Time Allotted Notes
New patient 40 minutes Standard for first 4 to 6 months
Annual wellness 40 minutes Standard for first 4 to 6 months
Established follow-up 20 minutes Post ramp-up

Target daily volume: 22 to 24 patients. Schedule built for 25; no-show rate brings actual to 22.

The ramp-up period runs four to six months. You start with a lighter panel and longer visits, then move to the standard 20-minute follow-up cadence as your panel builds.

Patient Population and Mix

  • Acuity: High. Average patient carries 5+ diagnoses.
  • Payer mix: Roughly 50% Medicare and Medi-Cal, 50% commercial. Commercial share is growing through employer relationships and a Saturday commercial clinic.
  • Pediatrics: None at this practice; pediatric patients are referred to outside community providers.
  • Demographics: Patients are largely lower-education and lower-income, with cultural and language needs common to the Central Valley. Spanish-language support is available.

Procedures

Dr. Tabrizi will train you on any procedures you want to add to your practice. The clinic stocks the equipment needed, including a dedicated procedure room. PRP therapy is part of the current offering. There is no procedure quota; expand or stay basic based on your interest.

Clinical Support and Technology

  • Dedicated MA and LVN support
  • LVN handles in-office quality measure follow-ups for hypertension and is expanding into diabetes education
  • Onsite imaging and labs (downstairs through the hospital); Quest also contracted, with results in the EMR
  • Dragon dictation available
  • AI scribe pilot underway with Augmedix (preferred by current providers) and Abridge
  • No call coverage; for occasional urgent results, providers self-cover via the EMR

Reporting Structure

You report up through:

  • Medical Director: Robert Tabrizi, MD
  • Clinic Director: Delia, 26-year tenure with the organization
  • Regional VP: Dr. Vallens

The Medical Director remains active clinically and sees patients alongside the team. Decision-making is collaborative. Communication runs through Dr. Tabrizi and Delia, with open-door access for clinical and operational questions.

Growth Opportunities

CommonSpirit operates across California, Nevada, and Arizona, giving you mobility within the broader system if you want to relocate later. Local growth includes the option to move into a specialty medical director role over time, since the group continues to add specialty lines (urology in active recruitment, with cardiology, orthopedic surgery, and ENT already onsite).

Qualifications

Required

  • MD or DO
  • Board certified or board eligible in Family Medicine or Internal Medicine
  • California medical license (or eligible)
  • DEA certification

Preferred

  • Spanish language ability is a benefit, given the patient population
  • Interest in procedural training is welcomed but not required
  • Comfort working in a collaborative team-based model with strong APP integration

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