Hospice Medical Director - Suncrest Hospice

The hospice Medical Director will have overall responsibility for the medical component of the hospice program.

The hospice 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 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.

The duties and responsibilities of the Medical Director 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 Suncrest Hospice 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 Suncrest 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. 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.)

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.

1. Licensed as a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy in the state without restriction or subject to any disciplinary or corrective action.

2. Maintains controlled substances registration with state and federal authorities.

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

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