Job Title/Position: Hospice Medical Director
Reports To: CEO/Executive Director/Administrator or Chief Clinical Officer (CCO)
JOB DESCRIPTION SUMMARY
The hospice Medical Director will have overall responsibility for the medical component of the
hospice program.
The hospice Medical Director will provide oversight of physician services by complementing
attending physician care, acting as a medical resource to the interdisciplinary group, assuring
continuity of hospice medical services, and assuring appropriate measures to control patient
symptoms. The Medical director will serve as a hospice champion – promoting and
representing the program to physicians, physician groups, discharge planners, other referral
sources, community health organizations, and potential donors, as appropriate.
ESSENTIAL JOB FUNCTIONS/RESPONSIBILITIES
The duties and responsibilities of the Medical Director will include, but not be limited to, the
following:
1. Devoting his/her best ability to the proper management of the program
2. Providing overall medical direction to the program
3. Assuring that the established policies, bylaws, rules, and regulations of the organization are
followed in the program
4. Adhering to requirements, terms, and conditions required by Medicare Conditions of
Participation, accrediting body, and federal and state statutes governing the provision of
services
5. Establishing and continually reviewing policies and procedures related to patient care,
medical education, and emergency procedures
6. Developing and continually reviewing, in cooperation with the CEO/Executive
Director/Administrator and/or Chief Clinical Officer/Clinical Director, criteria to monitor the
quality of the education programs provided to physicians, personnel, and volunteers
7. Evaluating quality assessment performance improvement (QAPI) plans and monitoring to
identify medical education needs in cooperation with the CEO/Executive
Director/Administrator and/or Chief Clinical Officer/Clinical Director. Participates in QAPI
teams and activities, as needed
8. Proposing organizational programs to address the needs identified (with the assistance and
input of consultants of the specialties where medical education needs were identified)
9. Working with the CEO/Executive Director/Administrator and/or CCO/Clinical Director, after
implementation of the programs, to determine the impact of said programs on the quality of
care
10. Serving as a hospice champion in the community
11. Acting as a liaison to community physicians by providing consultation and education to
colleagues and attending physicians related to admission criteria for hospice and palliative
care
12. Acting as medical liaison with other physicians at Los Robles Healthcare
13. Providing training regarding the medical aspects of caring for terminally ill patients to
physicians, personnel, and volunteers
14. Reviewing patients’ medical eligibility for hospice services, in accordance with hospice
program policies and procedures, and establishing the plan of care in conjunctions with
attending physician and interdisciplinary group prior to providing care written certification of
terminal illness
15. Reviewing the clinical record and/or perform a medical examination to confirm the
appropriateness of services
16. Reviewing necessary data from the referral source in order to validate the diagnosis and
life-limiting prognosis established by the attending physician
17. Reviewing the clinical record and/or performing a medical examination to confirm the
appropriateness of services
18. Providing written certification of the terminal illness for all subsequent benefit periods
19. Performing face-to-face encounters within thirty (30) days of the third and subsequent
hospice benefit certification periods and attest to the encounter. (NP may complete the
encounter and report findings to the hospice physician.)
20. Consulting with attending physicians regarding pain and symptoms management for
hospice patients
21. Managing oversight of the patient’s medications and treatments
22. Acting as medical resource to the hospice interdisciplinary group
23. Attending interdisciplinary group meetings and working in a team approach with the group
24. In conjunction with the attending physician and interdisciplinary group, reviewing and
updating the plan of care at least every 15 days, or more frequently as needed.
25. Assisting in the development and implementation of the plan of care that is coordinated with
the attending physician
26. Documenting care provided in the patient’s clinical record, providing evidence of
progression of the end-stage disease process
27. Acting as primary physician for patients whose referring/attending physicians desire to
relinquish that care and/or if the referring/attending physicians are not available for further
contact
28. Insuring the availability of physician services and providing a substitute in the absence of
the attending physician
29. Maintaining current knowledge of the latest research and trends in hospice care and
pain/symptom management
30. Reviewing and developing protocols for treatment, and proposing the most current options
for interventions
31. Demonstrating knowledge in communications, and counseling patients and
family/caregivers dealing with end-of-life issues
32. Participating in resolution of interpersonal conflict and issues of clinical and ethical concern
33. Ensuring that competent physician services are routinely available on a 24-hour basis to
meet the general medical needs of the hospice patient to the extent the needs are not met
by the attending physician
34. Assisting with evaluation of protocols and procedures with respect to quality and cost
outcomes
The above statements are intended to be a representative summary of the major duties and
responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. The incumbents may be requested to
perform job-related tasks other than those stated in this description.
POSITION QUALIFICATIONS
1. Licensed as a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy in the state without restriction or subject to
any disciplinary or corrective action.
2. Maintains controlled substances registration with state and federal authorities.
3. Have experience in hospice or palliative care and/or training in end of life care.
4. Participates in ongoing medical education activities related to the medical care of hospice
and palliative care patients.
5. Not excluded from participating in the Medicare program