Hospice & Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner

Job Summary

The Hospice and Palliative Care 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. The nurse practitioner evaluates and assesses the health history, health promotion, diagnosing medical conditions, managing health problems, prescribing medications or treatments, coordinating and collaborating with patients, families, and other healthcare practitioners.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities

• Provides medical care, palliates, and manages terminal illness in compliance with the state Nurse Practice Act under the supervision of a collaborating physician.
• Completes history and physical examinations, by evaluating the patient’s medical condition and health history, ordering and interpreting results from laboratory and diagnostic tests or procedures, diagnosing health conditions and documents the findings in the patient’s medical record.
• Manages health conditions and terminal illnesses by developing an individualized plan of care, prescribing, administering and dispensing medications and/or treatments, obtaining consultations or making referrals and coordinating hospice care services.
• Completes the hospice face to face visit requirements prior to the third and subsequent hospice benefit periods to assess hospice eligibility based on the hospice conditions of participation and the local coverage determinations.
• Provides clinical information to the hospice medical director for interpretation for eligibility for hospice recertification.
• Makes recommendations to the hospice medical director regarding patient eligibility for certification and recertification for hospice care.
• Reviews clinical information, coordinates and oversees patient care in consultation with the hospice interdisciplinary team and other healthcare practitioners.
• Participates with physician in quarterly review of the patient’s health record.
• Assures that patient receives appropriate measures to control symptoms, through collaboration with interdisciplinary team members.
• Reviews and develops protocols for treatment and proposes options for interventions based on the literature in collaboration with the collaborating physician.
• Consults the collaborating physician when the patient's plan of care is outside standardized practice and protocols.
• Provide general preventive health care to Palliative Care patients.
• Manage and follow-up routine and problem patients.
• Adheres to policies and procedures as outlined in Policy and Procedure Manual.

Communication

• Communicates and collaborates with the interdisciplinary group to create, review and revise the patient's plan of care.
• Consults with the patient's attending physician, the hospice medical director and other healthcare practitioners regarding the patient's eligibility for hospice care, ongoing care needs and medical management related to the patient's terminal condition.
• Works with Medical Director to insure compliance with practice activities around patient satisfaction, utilization, productivity, clinical competence, and peer satisfaction.
• Communicates with other community health practitioners to coordinate the plan of care.
• Attends and participates in meetings, including but not limited to hospice interdisciplinary group meetings.
• Completes, maintains and submits accurate and relevant clinical notes, physical examination notes, assessment visit notes, medical orders, collaboration notes and other documentation in the medical record.
• Educates/counsels patients, families, and/or caregivers as to preventative care, medical problems, psychological problems, and spiritual problems in conjunction with the interdisciplinary team to meet the total needs of patients.
• Provides and maintains a safe environment for the patient.
• Affords assistance to the patient and family / caregiver and other team members in providing continuity of care.
• Serves as a nursing resource for consultation and educations to members of the interdisciplinary team and other healthcare practitioners in the community.

Additional Duties

• Maintains knowledge of and compliance with current Medicare/Medicaid, state/federal rules and regulations for hospice services.
• Ensures compliance with the Medicare conditions of participation and other state regulations govern the provision of healthcare.
• Complies with all Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements in accordance with federal, state and organizational policies.
• Complies with established departmental and hospital policies and procedures, including, but not limited to, various hospital “codes”, fire safety, infection control, emergency procedures, time and attendance and other hospital policies.
• Maintains clean and safe working environment.
• Initiates and follows infection control guidelines.
• Promotes safety in the work place.
• Adheres to hospital policies that may affect day-to-day operations.
• Adheres to clinic policies that may affect day-to-day operations.
• Has basic knowledge of Rural Health Clinic guidelines.
• Applies the guidelines of the Confidentiality Policy at all times.
• Participates in organizational monitoring of the quality of medical services and quality improvement initiatives.
• Assumes responsibility for personal growth.
• Develops, maintains and upgrades professional knowledge and practice skills through attendance at seminars, conferences and participation in continuing education and in-service classes.