Associate Medical Director

About the role

The Medical Director has overall responsibility for medical direction of the care and treatment of patients and their families rendered by the hospice care team, and shall consult and cooperate with the patient's attending physician. The Medical Director provides physician direction and guidance to the hospice program, its physician employees, and other staff and volunteers to assure the maintenance of quality standards of care for patients and families.

Responsibilities

The Medical Director performs the following duties:

• Assure appropriate evaluation and certification of terminal prognosis of patients
• Assure the quality of initial plans of care
• Assure the quality of comprehensive plans of care
• Assure the accuracy of documentation
• Review revocations and recertifications of terminal prognosis
• Review the quality of pain and symptom management
• Provide medical expertise on pain and symptom management to admission and patient care staff
• Actively participate in formal QI functions and committees
• Actively participate in Interdisciplinary Group and Ethics Committee
• Interact with attending physicians as necessary regarding pain and symptom management issues and issues involving patient prognosis
• Periodically attend home care team meetings and rounds in inpatient units
• Supervise team physicians, including interviewing, hiring, and evaluating their performance
• Participate in management functions, including budget process and strategic planning
• Ensure proper credentialing of contracted physicians
• Educate community physicians on the principles of palliative medicine
• Provide resource and consultative support to community physicians in palliative medicine
• Assist in the development of clinical training for hospice patient care and admissions personnel
• Participate in medical and nursing education programs on palliative medicine
• Assist in the development of and participate in research protocols on palliative medicine

Qualifications

The Medical Director must have:

• Knowledge of the principles and practice of primary medical care, with at least a working knowledge of oncology
• Knowledge of palliative care with particular emphasis on control of symptoms associated with terminal illness
• Ability to work collaboratively with patients' attending physicians and hospice employees and volunteers
• Membership in good standing on the medical staff of an accredited hospital in the state in which the hospice is located
• Medical malpractice and liability insurance in amounts and with carriers satisfactory to VITAS

Education

The Medical Director must have:

• License to practice medicine in the state in which the program is operating
• Board certification in a medical specialty which deals with care of the terminally ill, such as Internal Medicine, Oncology or Family Practice, with at least a working knowledge of medical oncology and demonstrated expertise in the principles of palliative medicine and symptom management