Regional Hospice Medical Director

Overview

Regional Hospice Medical Director (Alabama & Arkansas)

Reports To: Chief Clinical Officer (CCO)

Job Description Summary

The hospice Regional Medical Director will have overall responsibility for the medical component of the hospice program within an assigned area and/or region.

The hospice Regional Medical Director 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 Regional Medical Director 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.

Responsibilities

Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities

The duties and responsibilities of the Regional Medical Director will include, but not be limited to, the following:

• Devoting his/her best ability to the proper management of the program

• Providing overall medical direction to the program

• Assuring that the established policies, bylaws, rules, and regulations of the organization are followed in the program

• Adhering to requirements, terms, and conditions required by Medicare Conditions of Participation, accrediting body, and federal and state statutes governing the provision of services

• Establishing and continually reviewing policies and procedures related to patient care, medical education, and emergency procedures

• Developing and continually reviewing, in cooperation with the Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) and/or Administrator, criteria to monitor the quality of the education programs provided to physicians, personnel, and volunteers

• Evaluating quality assessment performance improvement (QAPI) plans and monitoring to identify medical education needs in cooperation with the Chief Operations Officer (COO) and/or Administrator. Participates in QAPI teams and activities, as needed

• Proposing organizational programs to address the needs identified (with the assistance and input of consultants of the specialties where medical education needs were identified)

Job Title/Position: Regional Hospice Medical Director

• Working with the Chief Clinical Officer (CCO) and/or Administrator, after implementation of the programs, to determine the impact of said programs on the quality of care

• Serving as a hospice champion in the community

• 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

• Acting as medical liaison and peer mentor with other physicians at Affinity Hospice

• Providing training regarding the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill patients to physicians, personnel, and volunteers

• 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

• Providing written certification of the terminal illness for all subsequent benefit periods

• Perform 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.)

• Consulting with attending physicians regarding pain and symptoms management for hospice patients

• Managing oversight of the patient's medications and treatments

• Acting as medical resource to the hospice interdisciplinary group

• Attending interdisciplinary group meetings and working in a team approach with the group

• 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

• Maintaining current knowledge of the latest research and trends in hospice care and pain/symptom management

Job Title/Position: Regional Hospice Medical Director

• Reviewing and developing protocols for treatment, and proposing the most current options for interventions

• Develop and implement procedures and protocols in regard to OSHA standards, including the handling of hazardous medications.

• Demonstrating knowledge in communications, and counseling patients and family/caregivers dealing with end-of-life issues

• Participating in resolution of interpersonal conflict and issues of clinical and ethical concern

• 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.

• Will work and manage oncall physician oversight, as assigned, within an assigned area and/or region.

• 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.

Qualifications

Position Qualifications

• Licensed as a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy in the state and/or states (assigned region) without restriction or subject to any disciplinary or corrective action.

• Maintains controlled substances registration with state and federal authorities.

• Have experience in hospice or palliative care and/or training in end of life care.

• Participates in ongoing medical education activities related to the medical care of hospice and palliative care patients.

• Not excluded from participating in the Medicare program