Hospice Medical Director

Key Responsibilities

• Assure hospice patients are properly evaluated for recertification of terminal prognosis prior to the beginning of each new benefit period.
• Medical management and plan of care oversight for hospice patients.
• Provide education and consultative assistance related to hospice and palliative care.
• Oversee clinical aspects of the hospice (as required by Medicare) and direct overall patient care policies.
• On-call and holiday coverage, as needed.
• Accessible, skilled consultation to hospice staff and community physicians on difficult cases.
• In-service training for hospice staff and CEU offerings to community physicians.
• Active participation in admission/eligibility/recertification decisions.
• Active participation in interdisciplinary team meetings.
• In-person visits to patient’s location of residence for symptom management and face-to-face as indicated.
• Quality improvement and cost containment through activities such as drug formularies, protocol development, and working with community physicians.
• Evaluating quality assessment performance improvement (QAPI) plans and monitoring to identify medical education needs in cooperation with Hospice Leadership.
• Participating in QAPI teams and activities, as needed.
• In conjunction with the attending physician and interdisciplinary group, reviewing and updating the plan of care at least every 15 days, or more frequently as needed.
• Documenting care provided in the patient’s clinical record, providing evidence of progression of the end-stage disease process.
• Acting as primary physician for patients whose referring/attending physicians desire to relinquish that care and/or if the referring/attending physicians are not available for further contact.

Qualifications

• Participates in ongoing medical education activities related to the medical care of hospice and palliative care patients.
• Maintains controlled substances registration with state and federal authorities.
• Has experience in hospice or palliative care and/or training in end-of-life care.
• Not excluded from participating in the Medicare program.
• Must have and maintain a valid Driver’s License and maintain personal automobile insurance coverage as defined by state law and/or company policy.
• Excellent organizational, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Computer proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 and EMR system, preferred.

Education and Credentials

• Holds current Board Certification as a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy in the state without restriction or subject to any disciplinary or corrective action.