Hospice Physician

Guiding Light Hospice Opportunity

Are you looking for an employee-centered, patient focused locally owned hospice? We are an employee-centered, patient focused locally owned organization that is offering a rewarding opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the lives of individuals and their families during challenging times. Our hospice agency is dedicated to providing exceptional care and support to patients and their loved ones as they navigate the journey towards the end of life. We are seeking compassionate individuals who share our commitment to providing comfort, dignity, and quality of life to those in need. If you're passionate about offering holistic care and creating a supportive environment, we invite you to explore the opportunities available within our hospice agency. Join Guiding Light Hospice today in making a difference every day.

Hospice Physician

The Hospice Physician will have overall responsibility for the medical component of the hospice program. The Hospice Physician will provide oversight of physician services by complementing attending physician care, acting as a medical resource to the interdisciplinary group, assuring continuity of hospice medical services, and assuring appropriate measures to control patient symptoms. The Hospice Physician will serve as a hospice champion promoting and representing the program to physicians, physician groups, discharge planners, other referral sources, community health organizations, and potential donors, as appropriate.

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Hospice Physician will include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Devoting his/her best ability to the proper management of the program
2. Providing overall medical direction to the program
3. Assuring that the established policies, bylaws, rules, and regulations of the organization are followed in the program.
4. Adhering to requirements, terms, and conditions required by Medicare Conditions of Participation, accrediting body, and federal and state statutes governing the provision of services.
5. Establishing and continually reviewing policies and procedures related to patient care, medical education, and emergency procedures.
6. Developing and continually reviewing, in cooperation with the CEO/Executive Director/Administrator and/or Chief Clinical Officer/Clinical Director, criteria to monitor the quality of the education programs provided to physicians, personnel, and volunteers.
7. Evaluating quality assessment performance improvement (QAPI) plans and monitoring to identify medical education needs in cooperation with the CEO/Executive Director/Administrator and/or Chief Clinical Officer/Clinical Director. Participates in QAPI teams and activities, as needed.
8. Proposing organizational programs to address the needs identified (with the assistance and input of consultants of the specialties where medical education needs were identified).
9. Working with the CEO/Executive Director/Administrator and/or CCO/Clinical Director, after implementation of the programs, to determine the impact of said programs on the quality of care.
10. Serving as a hospice champion in the community.
11. Acting as a liaison to community physicians by providing consultation and education to colleagues and attending physicians related to admission criteria for hospice and palliative care.
12. Acting as medical liaison with other physicians at Guiding Light Hospice.
13. Providing training regarding the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill patients to physicians, personnel, and volunteers.
14. Reviewing patients' medical eligibility for hospice services, in accordance with hospice program policies and procedures, and establishing the plan of care in conjunctions with attending physician and interdisciplinary group prior to providing care written certification of terminal illness.
15. Providing written certification of the terminal illness for all subsequent benefit periods.
16. Performing face-to-face encounters within thirty (30) days of the third and subsequent hospice benefit certification periods and attest to the encounter. (NP may complete the encounter and report findings to the hospice physician.)
17. Consulting with attending physicians regarding pain and symptoms management for hospice patients.
18. Managing oversight of the patient's medications and treatments.
19. Acting as medical resource to the hospice interdisciplinary group.
20. Attending interdisciplinary group meetings and working in a team approach with the group.
21. 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.
22. Documenting care provided in the patient's clinical record, providing evidence of progression of the end-stage disease process.
23. 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.
24. Maintaining current knowledge of the latest research and trends in hospice care and pain/symptom management.
25. Reviewing and developing protocols for treatment and proposing the most current options for interventions.
26. Develop and implement procedures and protocols in regard to OSHA standards, including the handling of hazardous medications.
27. Demonstrating knowledge in communications, and counseling patients and family/caregivers dealing with end-of-life issues.
28. Participating in resolution of interpersonal conflict and issues of clinical and ethical concern.
29. Ensuring that competent physician services are routinely available on a 24-hour basis to meet the general medical needs of the hospice patient to the extent the needs are not met by the attending physician.
30. Assisting with evaluation of protocols and procedures with respect to quality and cost outcomes.

The above statements are intended to be a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. The incumbents may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those stated in this description.

Position Qualifications

1. Licensed as a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy in the state without restriction or subject to any disciplinary or corrective action.
2. Have at least one year of documented experience on a hospice care team or in another setting managing the care of terminally ill patients.
3. Maintains controlled substances registration with state and federal authorities.
4. Participates in ongoing medical education activities related to the medical care of hospice and palliative care patients.
5. Not excluded from participating in the Medicare program.