Hospice/Palliative Medicine Physician
Company: VITAS Healthcare
Location: San Diego
Posted on: November 6, 2024
Job Description:
ABOUT USVITAS Healthcare is the nation s leading provider of
end-of-life care, and has the resources and expertise to support
your personal and professional growth. As a member of the VITAS
team, you ll find fulfillment working for a people-focused
organization dedicated to making a difference in the lives of
others. You will be more than just an employee: You will be counted
on as an expert in your field, and as a valued team member whose
efforts are respected and vital to our hospice mission.All VITAS
employees commit to fulfilling their duties and responsibilities
with the highest regard for professionalism, collaboration and
teamwork, and an eye focused constantly on growth and improvement.
We serve with commitment and compassion, and position ourselves for
the future by embracing, innovating, and leading change. If you are
that person, make your voice heard find your purpose at VITAS
today.Benefits Include:- Competitive compensation
- Health, dental, vision, life and disability insurance
- Pre-tax healthcare and dependent care flexible spending
accounts
- Life insurance
- 401(k) plan with numerous investment options and generous company
match
- Cancer and/or critical illness benefit
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Paid Time Off
- Employee Assistance Program
- Legal Insurance
- Roadside Assistance
- Affinity Program
Job DescriptionThe medical director of VITAS fulfills two primary
functions, each of which is expected to consume approximately one
half of the time and work effort of the position:
- The medical director has overall responsibility for medical
direction of the care and treatment of patients and their families
rendered by the hospice care team, and shall consult and cooperate
with the patient's attending physician. The medical director
provides physician direction and guidance to the hospice program,
its physician employees, and other staff and volunteers to assure
the maintenance of quality standards of care for patients and
families.
- The medical director educates practicing physicians and others
engaged in health care services regarding the hospice program and
its potential benefits to patients.In fulfilling the two primary
functions explained above, the medical director performs the
following duties:
- Quality of Clinical Care
- Assure appropriate evaluation and certification of terminal
prognosis of patients.
- Assure the quality of initial plans of care.
- Assure the quality of comprehensive plans of care.
- Assure the accuracy of documentation.
- Review revocations.
- Review recertifications of terminal prognosis.
- Review the quality of pain and symptom management.
- Provide medical expertise on pain and symptom management to
admission and patient care staff.
- Provide medical expertise on the evaluation of terminal
prognosis to admission and patient care staff.
- Actively participate in formal QI functions and
committees.
- Actively participate in Interdisciplinary Group.
- Actively participate in Ethics Committee.
- Interact with attending physicians as necessary regarding pain
and symptom management issues and issues involving patient
prognosis
- Periodically attend home care team meetings and rounds in
inpatient units.
- Supervision of team physicians (home care and inpatient)
- Interview and participate in the hiring and contracting of team
physicians with the general manager, patient care administrator
and/or team manager.
- Orient team physicians as to clinical responsibilities and the
principles of palliative medicine.
- Periodically review the quality of clinical care provided by
the team physician.
- Periodically review the quality of the quality of the
documentation of visits made by the team physician.
- Assure that documentation of visits supports the CPT coded
level of service billed.
- Ensure proper team physician participation and support in team
meetings.
- Ensure proper team physician support to the VITAS nurse, team
manager, and other clinical team members.
- Participate with the team manager in the yearly formal
evaluation of the team physician.
- Ensure that a physician on-call rotation is established so that
there is team physician support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a
week.
- Management
- Participate as an active member of the local/regional
management team (includes budget process, strategic planning,
etc.)
- Actively participate in responding to audits and denials from
third party insurance and intermediaries (i.e. Medicare)
- Ensure that all contracted physicians (team physicians and
consulting physicians) are properly credentialed via the VITAS
Credentialing process.
- Serve on the VITAS Credentialing Committee.
- In Wisconsin the medical director also supervises the following
functions of the consultant pharmacist:
- Ensure medications are utilized within accepted standards of
practice.
- Ensure a system is developed and maintained that documents the
disposal of controlled drugs.
- Community Relations
- Educate community physicians on the principles of palliative
medicine.
- Provide resource and consultative support to community
physicians in palliative medicine.
- Attend and present at medical staff and other medical community
conferences on palliative medicine.
- Serve as liaison between the hospice and community
physicians.
- Make regular contacts with practicing physicians to introduce
the hospice program, to educate physicians regarding individuals
for whom hospice may be appropriate, and to answer clinical and
other concerns of physicians with respect to hospice.
- Assist in introducing the VITAS program to long term care
providers, managed care providers, hospitals, and others.
- Conduct educational seminars, in services, and presentations to
physicians, nurses, and other health care audiences whose support
for and understanding of the hospice program is integral to
assuring that hospice services are made accessible to patients and
families.
- Education and Research
- Assist in the development of and actively participate in
clinical training for all hospice patient care and admissions
personnel.
- Actively participate in medical and nursing education programs
on palliative medicine that may be provided by VITAS to medical and
nursing colleges in the community.
- Assist in the development of and actively participate in
research protocols on both the local and corporate level.
- Be a member of and participate in professional organizations
related to palliative medicine.QUALIFICATIONS
- Knowledge of the principles and practice of primary medical
care, with at least a working knowledge of oncology.
- Knowledge of palliative care with particular emphasis on
control of symptoms associated with terminal illness.
- Ability to work collaboratively with patients' attending
physicians to implement the hospice program and effect optimum
medical care.
- Ability to work collaboratively with hospice employees and
volunteers as part of an interdisciplinary team.
- Membership in good standing on the medical staff of an
accredited hospital in the state in which the hospice is
located.
- Medical malpractice and liability insurance in amounts and with
carriers satisfactory to VITAS.
- Positive recommendation to the general manager or area vice
president from corporate medical officer.EDUCATION
- License to practice medicine in the state in which the program
is operating.
- Board certification in a medical specialty which deals with
care of the terminally ill, such as Internal Medicine, Oncology or
Family Practice, with at least a working knowledge of medical
oncology and demonstrated expertise in the principles of palliative
medicine and symptom management.SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS TO CANDIDATES
Keywords: VITAS Healthcare, Encinitas , Hospice/Palliative Medicine Physician, Accounting, Auditing , San Diego, California
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