Hospice Medical Director

Job Description Summary

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

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 acting as a medical resource to the interdisciplinary group, assuring continuity of hospice medical services, assuring appropriate measures to control patient symptoms, and complementing attending physician care. 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:
Administrative

• Providing overall medical direction to the program
• Assuring that the established policies, bylaws, rules, and regulations of the organization are followed while
• Adhering to requirements, terms, and conditions required by Medicare Conditions of Participation, accrediting body, and federal and state statutes governing the provision of services
• Participating as an active member of the Interdisciplinary group responsible for establishing and continually reviewing policies and procedures related to patient care, emergency procedures, and the infection control program
• Developing and continually reviewing, in cooperation with the Executive Director/Administrator and Director of Clinical Services, 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 Executive Director/Administrator and Director of Clinical Services. Actively participating in QAPI meetings and Performance Improvement Projects (PIPs)
• Proposing organizational programs to address identified needs (with the assistance and input of consultants of the specialties where medical education needs were identified)
• Working with the Executive Director/Administrator and Director of Clinical Services, after implementation of the programs, to determine the impact of said programs on the quality of care
• Reviewing and developing protocols for treatment, and proposing the most current options for interventions
• Assisting with evaluation of protocols and procedures with respect to quality and cost outcomes

• 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.
• Educating practicing physicians and others engaged in healthcare services regarding the hospice program and its potential benefits to patients.

• Reviewing the clinical information for each hospice patient before the certification or recertification period and providing written certification that it is anticipated that the patient's life expectancy is 6 months or less if the illness runs its normal course. Considering at least the following when making this determination:
• The primary terminal condition,
• Related diagnosis(es), if any,
• Current subjective and objective medical findings,
• Current medication and treatment orders, and
• Information about the medical management of any of the patient’s conditions unrelated to the terminal illness.
• Establishing the plan of care in conjunctions with attending physician and interdisciplinary group prior to providing care written certification of…