Hospice Physician

Job DetailsJob Location: Tallahassee, FL 32308Position Type: Full TimeEducation Level: Graduate DegreeTravel Percentage: NoneJob Shift: AnyJob Category: ClinicalJob Summary:

The Hospice Physician is responsible for the medical direction of the care and treatment of patients served by Big Bend Hospice (BBH), ensuring high quality, compassionate, patient centered end-of-life care. The physician works collaboratively with the interdisciplinary group (IDG) to determine hospice eligibility, establish and oversee individualized plans of care, manage symptoms, and support patients and families through the hospice journey.

The Hospice Physician serves as a liaison between the Hospice and community physicians, as well as with others engaged in health care services, to improve the quality of care provided to Hospice patients and to increase access for appropriate patients served by Hospice. The Hospice Physician, or designee, provides direct medical care as needed to patients in the home, inpatient units, and in multiple healthcare settings.

The Hospice Physician promotes quality outcomes, regulatory compliance, and excellence in palliative and hospice medicine while supporting the organization's mission and values.

Supervisory Duties:

Responsible for collaborating with BBH Nurse Practitioners.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Clinical Care

Certify and recertify hospice eligibility in accordance with CMS regulations.

Perform face-to-face encounters when required by regulation.

Conduct medical evaluations for hospice admissions and ongoing care.

Develop, review, and approve individualized plans of care.

Provide consultation regarding symptom management, pain control, and end-of-life care.

Prescribe medications, treatments, durable medical equipment, and other interventions as appropriate.

Collaborate with attending physicians regarding patient care.

Participate in complex case reviews and ethical decision-making.

Provide clinical support to hospice nurses and advanced practice providers.

Promptly respond to interprofessional members to provide oversight to plan of care, level of care decisions, prescriptions, and recommendations for symptom management needs.

Timely review, approval, completion of, or response to:

Certification of Terminal Illness as needed for new admissions.

Completes needed administrative documentation including but not limited to the certification of terminal illness, plan of care, and recertification of terminal illness in the Hospice electronic medical record.

Prompt and accurate completion of death certificates.

Round and provides direct patient care to IPUs including staffing of new admissions, patient follow-up visits, and family meetings.

EMR documentation and billing submission.

Decisions regarding the appropriateness of admissions when necessary.

Review of admission [medical and psychosocial] history of each patient with a member of the medical team.

Participate in patient rounds in the Inpatient Units.

Participate in rotation of nightly call/back up call (average about 1 in 6 or 8)

Participate in weekend call or IPU rounding (average about 1 in 5 or 6)

Interdisciplinary Team Participation

Serve as an active member of the Interdisciplinary Group (IDG).

Participate in regular IDG meetings.

Provide medical direction regarding patient goals of care.

Assist with care planning and transitions of care.

Support bereavement and psychosocial interventions as appropriate.

Respectfully consider collaborative input from interdisciplinary team members, ensuring patient, family and/or caregiver needs and wishes are met and honored as appropriate.

Medical Leadership

Provide clinical guidance and mentorship to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other clinical staff.

Promote evidence-based hospice and palliative care practices.

Assist in developing clinical protocols and standards.

Participate in quality improvement initiatives.

Support infection prevention and patient safety activities.

Regulatory Compliance

Ensure compliance with:

CMS Conditions of Participation

State hospice licensing regulations

Accreditation standards (CHAP)

Medical staff bylaws

HIPAA requirements

Complete documentation in accordance with regulatory timelines.

Review physician orders and certifications for accuracy and completeness.

Quality Improvement

Participate in Performance Improvement (QAPI) activities.

Review hospice quality measures.

Assist with peer review and clinical audits.

Analyze trends related to symptom management and patient outcomes.

Recommend opportunities for clinical improvement.

QualificationsRequired Skills/Abilities:

Hospice eligibility determination

Pain and symptom management

Serious illness communication

Goals of care discussions

Advance care planning

End-of-life decision-making

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Regulatory knowledge

EMR proficiency

Strong documentation skills

Quality improvement principles

Excellent clinical judgment

Knowledge of hospice philosophy and end-of-life care.

Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.

Education and Experience:

Required:

Doctor of Medicine (MD) or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO).

Current unrestricted medical license to practice in the State of Florida

DEA registration.

Knowledge of hospice philosophy and end-of-life care.

Preferred:

Board certification in Hospice and Palliative medicine or Fellowship Trained/Board eligible or Hospice Medical Director Certified (HMD thru AA).

Experience in the care of terminally ill patients, knowledge and expertise in palliative care or shows initiative to develop knowledge and expertise quickly over time.

Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and EMR systems.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

Must have a valid MD or DO license to practice medicine in the State of Florida.

Must possess a valid Florida Drivers' License, current auto insurance, and reliable transportation.

Must possess DEA license or apply successfully within 3 months of starting employment.