Hospice Nurse Practitioner; Craig & Steamboat Springs

General Statement of Duties: The Hospice Nurse Practitioner provides advanced clinical care, consultation, and education to hospice patients and families in home and community-based settings. As a member of the hospice interdisciplinary group, the Nurse Practitioner assesses and manages pain and symptoms, supports individualized plans of care, conducts required face-to-face encounters when assigned, and collaborates with the Hospice Medical Director, attending physicians, and hospice team to promote comfort, dignity, continuity, and regulatory compliance.

Supervision Received: Reports to the Director of Home Services.

Supervision Exercised: None.

• 1.Provides hospice and palliative clinical services within the Nurse Practitioner’s education, national certification, Colorado scope of practice, prescriptive authority, credentialing, and organizational privileges.
• 2.Completes comprehensive and focused histories and physical examinations. Evaluates disease progression, functional decline, symptom burden, psychosocial factors, medication effectiveness, and safety concerns.
• 3.Diagnoses and treats acute and chronic symptoms related to the terminal illness and related conditions, including pain, dyspnea, nausea, anxiety, agitation, constipation, wounds, and other distressing symptoms within authorized scope.
• 4.Performs home, facility, telehealth, and other patient visits as operationally appropriate and legally permitted. Provides timely clinical intervention for changes in condition and urgent symptom-management needs.
• 5.Conducts hospice face-to-face encounters for the third benefit period and subsequent recertification periods when assigned and eligible. Documents clinical findings promptly and communicates those findings to the certifying hospice physician.
• 6.Participates in interdisciplinary group meetings as scheduled. Contributes clinical recommendations, reviews patient status, and supports the development, revision, and implementation of individualized plans of care.
• 7.Collaborates with the Hospice Medical Director, attending physicians, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, chaplains, aides, therapists, and other team members to ensure coordinated, person-centered care.
• 8.Provides patient and caregiver education regarding disease progression, medications, symptom management, safety, goals of care, and what to expect through end of life using clear, compassionate, and culturally responsive communication.
• 9.Supports advance-care planning and goals-of-care conversations within professional scope and organizational policy. Accurately documents patient preferences and escalates complex ethical or clinical issues.
• 10.Completes accurate, timely, and compliant documentation in the electronic health record, including assessments, orders, clinical rationale, response to treatment, care coordination, and required attestations.
• 11.Provides clinical consultation and education to hospice staff. Serves as a resource for assessment, medication management, symptom control, and palliative-care best practices.
• 12.Participates in quality assessment and performance improvement activities, chart review, utilization review, incident follow-up, clinical protocol development, and regulatory readiness.
• 13.Practices in accordance with HIPAA, infection prevention, controlled-substance requirements, professional standards, Northwest Colorado Health policies, and applicable federal and Colorado requirements.
• 14.Participates in orientation, training, and continuing education for staff and students as assigned.
• 15.Provides after-hours, weekend, holiday, or on-call clinical support based on program needs and established coverage expectations.
• 16.Performs other related duties as assigned. Management retains the…