Part-Time Medical Director - Hospice of Marion County (HMC)

• Provides for the palliation and management of terminal illness of hospice enrolled patients in collaboration with the patient’s or legal representative’s goals of care within legal, moral and ethical boundaries in the patient’s place of residence or any of the inpatient settings.
• Conducts hospice pre-election evaluation and counseling services as needed.
• Certifies that the patient meets the medical criteria for hospice admission based upon available diagnostic and prognostic indicator and oral and/or documented medical history.
• Collaborates with the members of the IDT/IDG to ensure that the medical needs of the patient are met, providing oversight of the plan of care.
• Active participant in assigned weekly IDT meetings as Team Medical Director, guiding care and services for patients/families in accordance to medical need and patients’ goals of care.
• Attends and actively participates in patient/family care conferences as requested.
• Collaborates with the patient’s attending physician to develop and update the patient’s plan of care, to identify additional needs ensuring on-going pain and symptom management.
• Reviews clinical material to document disease process, prescribed medicines, other assessments of the patient’s health at time of entry and the current drug regimen, making adjustments as indicated.
• Makes patient visits in all patient settings as needed, recording time and mileage in accordance to policy and procedure for assigned employment status.
• Communicates and counsel patient/family in dealing with end-of-life issues, participating in the discussion and their coping ability for their interpersonal conflicts/issues of clinical and ethical concerns.
• Re-certifies patients as appropriate for continuation of Medicare Hospice Benefit at appropriate levels of care, including ensuring completion of or conducting face-to-face visits as required.
• Documents physical exams and all clinical observations/reports and other required documents in a timely manner and in appropriate format to ensure compliance, including applicable billing codes.
• Provides consultation services to referring physicians, as appropriate for problems/issues in the palliative care of their patients.
• Provides primary hospice care to Hospice patients with no local physician or referred for such care by local physicians, if appropriate.
• Provides clinical expertise for Dementia Programs across Empath Health.
• Serves as Medical Director for GUIDE program with active clinical participation to determine eligibility and decision making for patient care.
• Collaborate regularly with Executive Assistant or designee to schedule paid time-off, conferences meetings, other special events and licensing documentation requirements, ensuring timely and thorough communication.
• Fosters referral patterns by interaction and networking with local physicians for Hospice, Dementia and GUIDE programs.
• When possible, maintains active hospital consulting privileges, otherwise arranges admitting coverage for primary patients needing hospitalization when appropriate.
• Provides educational presentations/in-services, including new employee orientation, to clinical staff as needed.
• Maintains self-education via self-study and participation in appropriate conferences and meetings, including continuing medical education credits as required by State of Florida law and other applicable statues.
• Attends monthly Medical Staff Meetings as scheduled; provides coverage for Chief Medical Officer as needed.
• Participates in Palliative Care Program when appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Compliance and Quality Improvement teams regarding quality improvement regulatory/compliance requirements and improving quality.
• Participate in hospital and/or internal Ethics Committee when requested.
• Keeps the Chief Medical Officer and Hospice President informed on known high-risk and other May participate in research projects if in compliance appropriate issues that could potentially affect the agency.