Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN)

About the Role

The Nurse Practitioner is a registered professional nurse with advanced graduate education and clinical training who provides comprehensive hospice services in compliance with the state Nurse Practice Act and under the supervision of a collaborating physician. They deliver hospice care through evaluation, health promotion, diagnosis, plan-of-care development, medication/treatment prescription, and coordination with patients, families, and healthcare practitioners.

Responsibilities

• Provides medical care, palliates, and manages terminal illness under physician supervision.
• Completes history and physical examinations, evaluates medical conditions, orders/interprets diagnostic tests, diagnoses health conditions, and documents findings.
• Manages health conditions by developing individualized plans of care, prescribing medications/treatments, and coordinating hospice services.
• Performs face-to-face assessments to evaluate hospice eligibility per Medicare conditions of participation and local coverage determinations.
• Provides clinical information to the hospice medical director for recertification eligibility decisions.
• Makes eligibility recommendations for certification/recertification to the medical director.
• Reviews clinical information and oversees patient care in consultation with the interdisciplinary team.
• Ensures symptom control through collaboration with the interdisciplinary team.
• Develops and reviews treatment protocols, proposing evidence-based interventions.
• Consults the collaborating physician for care plans outside standardized protocols.
• Collaborates with the interdisciplinary group to create, review, and revise patient care plans.
• Consults with attending physicians, medical directors, and other practitioners regarding eligibility and medical management.
• Coordinates care with community health practitioners.
• Attends and participates in interdisciplinary group meetings.
• Documents clinical notes, assessments, medical orders, and collaboration notes accurately.
• Educates/counsels patients, families, and caregivers on preventative, medical, psychological, and spiritual care.
• Ensures patient safety and continuity of care in cooperation with families and the interdisciplinary team.
• Serves as a nursing resource for consultation and education to the team and community practitioners.
• Builds relationships with staff and referral sources to support program growth.
• Maintains compliance with Medicare/Medicaid, state/federal hospice regulations, and HIPAA requirements.