Medical Director - Hospice

VITAS Healthcare is seeking a dedicated Medical Director to oversee the medical direction of patient care and treatment within our hospice program. In this role, you will collaborate closely with hospice care teams and attending physicians to ensure the highest standards of pain and symptom management. Additionally, you will educate practicing physicians and healthcare providers on the benefits of hospice care to expand patient access. Join VITAS and play a vital, expert role in our mission to provide leading end-of-life care.

Practice Info

• Hospice care team environment

• Inpatient units and home care team settings

• Local and regional management team participation

Shift & Schedule

• Position expected to consume approximately one half of the time and work effort on medical direction and team supervision, and one half on education and community relations

• Many of our positions offer the opportunity to work day or night shifts, weekdays or weekends

Responsibilities

• Assure appropriate evaluation, certification, and recertification of terminal prognosis of patients, along with reviewing revocations.

• Assure the quality of initial and comprehensive plans of care and the accuracy of documentation.

• Provide medical expertise on pain and symptom management and terminal prognosis to admission and patient care staff.

• Actively participate in formal quality improvement functions, the Interdisciplinary Group, and the Ethics Committee.

• Supervise team physicians, including interviewing, hiring, orienting, reviewing clinical care and documentation, and conducting yearly evaluations.

• Ensure a physician on-call rotation is established so that there is team physician support available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Participate as an active member of the local and regional management team, including the budget process and strategic planning.

• Educate community physicians on palliative medicine, provide resource and consultative support, and serve as a liaison between the hospice and community physicians.

Compensation

• Competitive compensation

Benefits

• 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

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.

• 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.