Why Big Bend Hospice?

Join our team at Big Bend Hospice and take on the pivotal role of Hospice Physician. In this position, you will have comprehensive oversight of the medical direction for patient care within our Care Team. Collaborating closely with attending physicians, you'll ensure seamless cooperation and top-notch treatment for every patient.

Provide Quality Patient Care 

As a Hospice Physician, you will not only provide crucial medical direction and guidance to our staff but also act as a vital link between our hospice and the broader healthcare community. Your expertise will contribute to enhancing the quality of care provided to our patients and expanding access to those who can benefit most from hospice services. 

Become The Subject Matter Expert

In addition to your medical responsibilities, you will play a key role as an educator in hospice care, sharing your knowledge and insights with our team and the community at large. When necessary, you or your designated team members will deliver direct medical care to patients across various settings, including homes, inpatient units, and other healthcare facilities.

Join us in making a meaningful difference in the lives of patients and families facing end-of-life care challenges. 

Best of Both Worlds: In this position, you get the opportunity to work both in the Inpatient Unit and the Homecare Team(s). 

What We Are Looking For: 

We are seeking innovative hospice and palliative care providers to lead a new hospice-run IPU at a tertiary care hospital. Opportunity to partner with an established inpatient palliative care program and hospice team. This is a great opportunity to use palliative and hospice skills and tailor practice over time.

Hospice work is not a job – it’s a calling.

Caring for patients and their families at the end of life requires exceptional people with the spirit and commitment to providing compassionate care.

Big Bend Hospice has been the “Hometown Hospice” in the Florida Big Bend area since 1983. Our non-profit's mission is to “inspire hope by positively impacting the way our community experiences serious illness or grief one family at a time.”

Big Bend Hospice strives to be the employer of choice and is committed to providing the education, tools, and work environment to allow employees to perform at their best. For more information about Big Bend Hospice, visit bigbendhospice.org or us on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. 

Our Culture  

Our culture is cultivated using the following values:

• Integrity - We demonstrate integrity in everything we do
• Accountability - We hold ourselves accountable to the highest standards
• Respect - We respect our patients and the families we serve, and we respect one another
• Stewards - We are good stewards of our resources
• Innovation - We strive for increased knowledge and explore innovative ways to fulfill our mission
• Excellence - We are committed to excellence and helping each employee reach their highest potential

Duties, Qualifications, and Perks

Main Duties and Responsibilities: 
(Includes, not limited to) 

• Physician will provide guidance and patient certification for the designated hospice care team.
• Physician will serve as attending and round in the Inpatient Units. 
• The physician will attend the Hospice Care Team meetings as determined by the Hospice Medical Director.
• Physician will act as backup for the Medical Director and shall consult and cooperate with the patient’s attending physician and provide physician direction and guidance to the Hospice program and staff to ensure the maintenance of quality care for patients and families.
  • Physician will provide medical validation of the plan of care for each Hospice patient with the coordination of the patient’s attending physician and the Hospice’s medical staff.
• Physician will provide clinical expertise and participate in interdisciplinary team decisions regarding diagnosis and the medical management needs of Hospice patients/families to ensure the highest quality of medical care is provided and that continuity and comprehensiveness of care are maintained.
• Physician will serve as a liaison between Hospice and other health care providers.
• Physician will be available during business hours for the team nurses and interprofessional members to provide oversight to the plan of care, level of care decisions, prescriptions, and recommendations for symptom management needs.
• Certification of Terminal Illness as needed for new admissions.
• Physician will complete needed administrative documentation including but not limited to the certification of terminal illness, plan of care, and recertification of terminal illness in the Hospice electronic medical record.
• Participate in electronic prescribing for patients on their designated hospice care team.

• Physician will complete death certificates on patients as required promptly. Rounds and provides direct patient care to IPU including staffing of new admissions, patient follow-up visits, and family meetings.
  • Completes documentation in the EMR and submits billing as appropriate.
  • Participate in decisions regarding the appropriateness of admissions when necessary.
  • Review the admission [medical and psychosocial] history of each patient with a member of the medical team.
  • Assist in the introduction of the Hospice program to practicing physicians, nursing homes, health maintenance organizations, hospitals, and other referral sources in the satellite area to answer clinical concerns and encourage appropriate utilization of hospice care for their clients.
  • Conduct educational seminars and presentations for health care professionals and the public to increase support for and understanding of the hospice program as a part of assuring that Hospice services are made accessible to patients and families.
• Call coverage duties include:
  • Availability of inpatient unit staff for symptom management. 
  • Availability to triage team nurses, homecare team clinicians, and inpatient unit staff for symptom management.
  • Support management of patients in the home and facility setting by providing oversight and orders for symptom management including electronically prescribing medications as needed.
• Participate in On-Call rotations for home patients and make rounds in the Inpatient Units. Reference Attachment A, the Physician Agreement, for a comprehensive overview of the on-call service requirements.
• Consistently represents Big Bend Hospice to all internal and external customers with integrity and professionalism. 
• Physician will provide other duties as requested from time to time by the Medical Director or CEO. 

Minimum Qualifications: 

• Licensure: Licensed to practice medicine in the State of Florida and have an active DEA license
• MD or DO from an accredited medical school.
• Residency graduate in Internal or Family Medicine.
• Willing to commit to professional development and pursue certification through the HMD (Hospice Medical Director) program. 
• Ability to serve as attending and round in the Inpatient Units. 
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and EMR systems.

Our Perks: 
We are committed to taking care of our BBH team by providing competitive wages and a generous benefits package that includes the following:

• 160 hours of PTO annually and after 1 year of service you will receive an on-time award of Extended Illness Bank (EIB) hours. PTO is usable after your first 90 days.
• Nine paid holidays annually
• Medical, dental, vision, STD, LTD, FSA, EAP, FSA, HSA, life insurance, and supplemental life insurance
• Up to 5% 403B match after one year of employment
• CME Allowance 
• PSLF (Public Service Loan Forgiveness) eligibility for most roles
• Professional growth and development opportunities 

Join a Team that inspires hope!

Big Bend Hospice is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to a work environment that supports, inspires, and respects all individuals. We celebrate diversity without discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, disability, national or ethnic origin, military service status, citizenship, or other protected characteristics.