Hospice House Medical Director

VIA Health Partners is an industry leader and top-10 nationally ranked provider of end-of-life care.  More importantly we are proud to be a community based, not for profit hospice & palliative care provider.  We have deep community roots, with decades of experience serving ALL patients’ and families’ needs regardless of their ability to pay or their medical complexity. We are a people first organization whose funds go to serve our mission.

Due to our significant growth, we are looking for amazing new staff who share these same values. Apply now and be a part of our success story.

We provide excellent benefits including:

• Medical, Vision, and Dental plans through BCBS
• 28 days of Paid Time Off
• Excellent mileage reimbursement rate 
• 403b Retirement plan with matching
• Focused programs honoring Veteran patients
• Assistance with achieving Certified Hospice & Palliative Nurse (CHPN)
• Best Orientation and Onboarding program you’ve experienced
• Seasoned Hospice leaders guiding your career growth

Essential Functions

• Direct Patient Care

• Review available medical information; take appropriate history of the present illness; and communicate with the patient’s attending physician to develop patient focused plan of care.
• Physically examine patient to assess symptoms, to evaluate for progression of disease, and to recommend modifications in the plan of care.
• In consultation with the patient’s attending physician recommend appropriate laboratory and imaging studies to evaluate progression of illness and/or response to palliative therapies.
• Provide patients and their families with counseling, education, and psychosocial support.
• Assist patients and their families in establishing the goals of care.
• Facilitate family meetings when the presence of a physician will serve to improve the outcome of the meeting.
• Communicate with hospice nurses to address pain and other symptom management issues.
• Communicate with the patient’s attending/referring physician to discuss patient management issues including therapies that are outside of the usual hospice plan of care.
• Facilitate transfers to HPCCR Hospice Houses (Levine & Dickson Hospice House – Huntersville, Levine & Dickson Hospice House – Southminster, Levine & Dickson Hospice House – Aldersgate, Hospice of Laurens County Hospice House) by communicating with the Medical Director.
• Serve as the attending physician for patients who choose the hospice physician as their attending physician.
• Submit billing and documentation according to policy.
• Provide on-call availably per employment agreement.

• Physician of the Day (POD) Responsibilities (if applicable)

• Review and complete necessary administrative paperwork including death certificates, prescriptions, hospice orders; and hospice plans of care (485’s).
• Review and sign new hospice referrals for eligibility and, if necessary, request/obtain additional information to determine eligibility.
• Discuss patient pain and symptom management issues with hospice nurses as needed.
• Communicate with outside physicians when issues arise that require physician-to-physician discussions.
• Collaborate with the Director of Clinical Services to formulate a plan of care for patients whose needs are outside of the usual hospice plan.

• Interdisciplinary Team (IDT) Physician

• Through review of the documentation and in discussion with members of the IDT assess the efficacy of the plan of care for new admissions and for patients already under hospice care.
• Serve as an educational resource, either in planned formal didactic sessions or in less formal “teachable moments,” for the members of the IDT.
• Through review of the documentation and in discussion with members of the IDT evaluate the ongoing eligibility of patients under hospice care.
• Recommend changes in the plan of care to improve symptom control and to reduce suffering.
• As part of the IDT provide psychosocial support for other members of the team when emotionally or spiritually difficult patient care situations arise.
• May be “physician designee” with ability to sign/authorize in absence of Medical Director.

• Make determination to certify that patient is terminally ill in consultation with the attending physician; recertify eligibility for hospice for subsequent election periods; makes decision regarding discharge from hospice when indicated.
• Submit all billing and documentation according to established policy.
• Participate in on call responsibilities in accordance with hiring agreement.
• May perform other duties as required.

Qualification Requirements

•  A Doctoral Degree in medicine (M.D. or D.O.) with a current active NC Board of Medicine practicing physician license. Board Certification in an AMBS recognized specialty is required.                 
• Experience in the care of terminally ill patients is preferred but not required.
• Computer proficiency is required.
• Current CPR is required.