Position Overview

Understanding the Role

Mark Twain Health Care District is seeking a Board-Certified or Board-Eligible Internal Medicine physician to join the Valley Springs Health & Wellness Center in Calaveras County, California. The District is a California public healthcare agency established by Calaveras County voters in 1946. The Valley Springs Health & Wellness Center is a federally designated Rural Health Clinic that serves as the primary care anchor for the surrounding community and has been voted Best Medical Clinic in Calaveras County three consecutive years by readers of the Ledger Dispatch.

This is a quality-focused, team-based practice that prioritizes patient relationships, clinical excellence, and provider wellbeing. The position is structured as a 1099 independent contractor arrangement with a flat base salary and no RVU, productivity, or collections-based incentive. Physicians practice evidence-based medicine with the autonomy to deliver the level of care each patient needs.

Position Snapshot

Practice Highlights

• Team of approximately 12 providers, including physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants
• Integrated behavioral health model with same-visit warm hand-offs to LCSWs, clinical psychology, LMFT, and a four-day-per-week adult psychiatrist
• On-site ancillary services including laboratory with 15 point-of-care tests, digital radiology, dental, and women's health
• Visiting hepatology and dermatology clinics on site, with educational components open to interested providers
• Approximately 8,000 registered patients and 150 to 180 scheduled appointments per day across the clinic
• Structured appointment model: 40 minutes for new patients and 20 minutes for follow-ups
• Gradual patient panel ramp-up starting at 3 to 4 new patients per day, building to a steady-state of approximately 15 patients per day
• Approximately 1.5 medical assistants per provider, plus dedicated referral management, case management, and billing and coding support
• Athena EHR with AI-enhanced scribe technology available to providers
• Digital radiology with Novarad PACS; X-ray images delivered directly to the provider's desktop

Why This Opportunity Is Distinct

The Valley Springs Health & Wellness Center uses a hub-and-spoke layout designed with input from the clinical team. Support staff sit at the center and clinical care runs along the perimeter, which keeps communication tight and workflows efficient.

Patient satisfaction sits at approximately 98 percent, well above the industry benchmark.

Providers in this practice carry broader clinical scope than in most urban primary care settings. The patient population includes transplant recipients, complex chronic disease, and advanced pathology typically routed to tertiary centers. Senior clinicians on staff bring backgrounds from UCLA, tertiary care internal medicine, emergency medicine, and community medicine, and collaborate actively across cases.

Who This Position Fits

This practice is well suited for physicians who:

• Want to practice full-scope internal medicine without productivity quotas
• Prefer the autonomy and tax flexibility of a 1099 independent contractor arrangement
• Value teaching and mentorship; providers have the opportunity to teach and mentor nurse practitioners and physician assistants in weekly education conferences
• Are interested in integrating a clinical sub-focus such as women's health, dermatology, or diabetes management alongside primary care
• Are seeking long-term practice stability in a financially sound, community-focused organization
• Want predictable hours, with providers out of the building by 5:30 p.m. and no charting at home

Organizational Context

Mark Twain Health Care District is a public healthcare district governed by an elected board of directors and funded in part through a Calaveras County property tax allocation. The District directly owns and operates the Valley Springs Health & Wellness Center and partners with community organizations to expand healthcare access across the county.

The District is a distinct organization from Mark Twain Medical Center, the Calaveras County hospital. The two organizations maintain a close working relationship, with the hospital serving as a regional referral partner for the clinic's patients.

Expansion and Growth

The clinic is actively expanding with new construction that will add medical exam rooms, behavioral health rooms, and dental treatment areas. This growth supports both current patient demand and future provider recruitment.