Bassett Healthcare Network logo
Bassett Healthcare Network
Cooperstown, New York

Orthopedics Physician (Service Line Chief)

Orthopedic Surgery Top 25% in Orthopedic SurgeryPart-Time

Listed compensation

Annual Salary: $925,000 - $1,100

Listing transparency3 of 6 stated

Ask the employer about call expectations, weekend coverage and nights and shift pattern.

Employment & setting
Part-Time · on-site
Call expectations
Not specified
Weekends
Not specified
Posted 1mo ago · Verified live

Job Description

Compensation & Benefits

  • Annual Salary: $925,000 - $1,100,00
  • Sign-on Bonus: $200,000
  • Supportive Transition Bonus: $10,000

Comprehensive benefits package, including

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • 403(b) and 457(b) retirement plans
  • Generous PTO CME and professional development opportunities

The Opportunity

Bassett Healthcare Network (Bassett), a leading integrated academic health system in rural upstate New York, is seeking a dynamic, experienced, and visionary physician leader to serve as its next Service Line Chief of Orthopedics.

This is a unique opportunity to shape strategy, drive clinical excellence, and expand orthopedic services across the Bassett network. Bassett serves a rural eight-county region covering 5,600 square miles and is a major teaching affiliate of Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons. This unique opportunity allows the right candidate to help shape strategy, drive clinical excellence, and expand orthopedic services across the Bassett network

Orthopedics is a key pillar of Bassett’s strategic plan, with a strong focus on expanding access, improving outcomes, and growing musculoskeletal and joint replacement programs. The Service Line Chief will play a central role in the advancement of these priorities through program development, partnerships, and innovation.

Department Overview

The Orthopedics team provides comprehensive care from diagnosis through rehabilitation, including both surgical and non-surgical services.

  • 11 orthopedic physicians (9 surgeons, 2 non-operative)
  • 2 podiatric surgeons and 2 podiatrists
  • 13 Physician Assistants

Subspecialties include

  • Total joint (hip and knee replacement)
  • Spine
  • Sports medicine
  • Trauma and fracture care
  • Shoulder and upper extremity
  • Foot and ankle

Responsibilities

Reporting to the Senior Vice President, Chief Clinical & Academic Officer of Bassett Healthcare Network, the Service Line Chief will provide strategic and clinical leadership for Orthopedics and Podiatry across the system.

In collaboration with administrative and operational leadership, the Service Line Chief will promote integrated care delivery, improve performance, and drive growth, while maintaining a strong commitment to patient-centered, high-quality care aligned with Bassett’s mission.

The Service Line Chief will be responsible for leading the strategic development and execution of strategies to expand services access and strengthen the orthopedic program across Central New York.

  • 0.7 FTE Clinical / 0.3 FTE Administrative
  • Responsibility for service line growth and expansion
  • Maintaining an active clinical practice (Total Joint preferred)
  • Leading development and execution of orthopedic growth strategy
  • Expanding joint replacement and musculoskeletal programs
  • Overseeing staffing, workflows, and clinical operations
  • Driving quality, safety, and patient experience improvements
  • Leading recruitment, retention, and development of physician workforce
  • Managing financial performance and resource utilization
  • Ensuring integrated, patient-centered care delivery across sites
  • Leadership Expectations
  • Build strong relationships with practitioners, leadership, and stakeholders
  • Demonstrate clear communication, responsiveness, and credibility
  • Develop a strong understanding of regional market dynamics and referral patterns

Identify opportunities to improve

  • Quality and safety
  • Operational efficiency
  • Patient experience
  • Lead development and early execution of a strategic plan, including:
  • Expansion of subspecialty services (particularly joint replacement)
  • Optimization of facilities and provider coverage
  • Growth of market share and program visibility
  • Strategic recruitment and outreach

Education & Licensure

  • MD/DO or equivalent
  • Board Certified in Orthopedic Surgery
  • Eligible for New York State licensure
  • Fellowship training strongly preferred (Total Joint preferred)
  • MBA, MPH, or MHA a plus

Experience

Minimum 7+ years postgraduate clinical experience in an academic or community-based orthopedic program

Minimum 5+ years of successful leadership experience in a Medical Director, Section Head, Chief, or Associate Chief role

  • Demonstrated success in building or growing programs and service lines
  • Strong interpersonal, communication, and leadership skills

Compensation & Benefits

Annual Salary: $925,000 - $1,100,00

This compensation represents Bassett Healthcare’s good faith belief of the compensation rate at the time of this posting or advertisement. Salary is based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, training, and fair market evaluation based on industry standards

Sign-on Bonus: $200,000

Bassett provides two retirement plans for tax-advantaged contributions for retirement: 403(b) and 457(b). Practitioners are eligible to participate in both plans upon hire. Practitioners can take advantage of pre-tax and ROTH contributions into the 403(b) plan, including catch-up and super catch-up contributions. Bassett contributes a non-elective contribution from 4% up to 11% each year the practitioner meets certain criteria. Both plans are managed through Fidelity Net Benefits.

Comprehensive benefits package including

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage
  • Generous PTO
  • CME and professional development opportunities
  • Supportive transition bonus of $10,000 and full onboarding program

This position is eligible for participation in the Chief Incentive Plan, providing additional performance-based compensation aligned with organizational goals.

Requirements

Candidates must hold an MD/DO degree, be board certified in Orthopedic Surgery, and be eligible for New York State licensure. The role requires at least 7 years of postgraduate clinical experience and 5 years of successful leadership experience in a medical director or chief capacity.

Qualifications

Education
Doctoral or professional degree (postgraduate degree)
Experience
10+ years of experience

Certifications

Board Certification

Key Skills

Strategic leadershipTotal joint replacementTeam managementQuality improvementPhysician recruitmentFinancial performance managementStakeholder relationsMusculoskeletal care

Work-Life Balance Analysis

WeekdayDoc's proprietary algorithm rates Orthopedics Physician (Service Line Chief) at Bassett Healthcare Network a 6.6 out of 10 for work-life balance — classified as good. This places the position in the top 25% in Orthopedic Surgery — ranked against 327 active Orthopedic Surgery listings on WeekdayDoc.

Orthopedic Surgery — Physician Career Context

Of the 30 active Physician listings this role was benchmarked against, 27% are remote, 53% have no call, 53% require no weekends.

Physician pay on WeekdayDoc is up 11.3% vs. the prior quarter (through Aug 2026).

The cost-of-living index for New York is 107.9 (US average = 100; BEA Regional Price Parities (2024)). 64.6% of New York clinicians report burnout symptoms in WeekdayDoc's Burnout Index (2026-01 data).

Top Orthopedic Surgeon Jobs

11 matches · ranked by pay

Salary Distribution7 jobs

4
<$585k
2
$585k-785k
0
$785k-985k
1
$1167k

Annual compensation range

Work-Life Balance Distribution11 jobs · 7 employers

0
1-2
0
3-4
1
5-6
9
7-8
1
9-10

Higher = better work-life balance

#1

Physician - Orthopedic Surgeon

Sutter Health · Lakeport, California

$563k-$1167k
#2

Orthopedic Surgeon - Total Joint

Permanente Medicine · Tacoma, Washington

$627k-$737k
#3

Orthopedist / Orthopedic Surgeon Pittsburgh PA

$520k–$600k
#4

Orthopedic Surgeon Alexandria VA

$450K - $520K
+ 9 more · ranked by pay

Work-life snapshot

6.6/ 10
Listing-based score

Top 25% in Orthopedic Surgery

A signal to investigate—not a guarantee about the workplace.

  • On-site
Bassett Healthcare Network logo

About Bassett Healthcare Network

Hospitals and Health Care
Cooperstown, NY
1,001-5,000 employees

Benefits & Perks

Sign-on Bonus $200,000
Supportive Transition Bonus $10,000
Medical, Dental, Vision
403(b) and 457(b) Retirement Plans
Generous PTO
CME Allowance
Chief Incentive Plan