What are the responsibilities and job description for the Hospice Medical Director position at Walla Walla Community Hospice?
Summary
Summary
Walla Walla Community Hospice Medical Director is responsible for overseeing the medical management component of hospice care, ensuring compassionate high-quality care for patients with a life-limiting illness. This role is responsible for providing physician leadership to the clinical team, collaborating with the inter-disciplinary team members, and ensuring compliance with all regulatory standards and requirements. This position is also responsible for clinical leadership and scheduling coordination with the Hospice Medical Director Physician Designee(s). The Hospice Medical Director serves as a key resource for staff, patients, and families, promoting excellence in end-of-life care.
Who are We?
Walla Walla Community Hospice is a stand-alone not-for profit hospice serving the community for over 40 years! We operate in southeast Washington and northeast Oregon, providing compassionate end of life care to individuals in Walla Walla, Columbia, and Northeast Umatilla Counties. Walla Walla Community Hospice (WWCH) believes our people are our most valuable resource, and our most important work is achieving excellence in end-of-life care for the communities we serve. We believe that every individual is responsible for creating a culture of excellence in which we become more than the sum of our parts. It is our hope and expectation that each team member contributes to their full potential, wherever and whenever reasonably necessary, to accomplish our goals. As an employer we strive to give our best to our team members and expect the same in return
Why Join Our Team?
- Meaningful work providing compassionate care at the end of life.
- Collaborative and supportive interdisciplinary team environment.
- Competitive salary and benefits package.
- Opportunity to work hybrid or remote while maintaining your full or part-time position elsewhere!
If you are a dedicated physician with a passion for hospice care, we encourage you to apply and make a difference in the lives of patients and families!
Compensation: $95 - $175 (hourly) depending on qualifications and experience.
Walla Walla Community Hospice (WWCH) believes our people are our most valuable resource, and our most important work is achieving excellence in end-of-life care for the communities we serve. We believe that every individual is responsible for creating a culture of excellence in which we become more than the sum of our parts. It is our hope and expectation that each team member contributes to their full potential, wherever and whenever reasonably necessary, to accomplish our goals. As an employer we strive to give our best to our team members and expect the same in return.
Mission
Walla Walla Community Hospice exists to provide compassionate care to individuals in the final stages of life, and to provide support for their loved ones and caregivers.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Clinical Leadership & Patient Care
- Provide direct medical oversight of hospice patients, including certification and recertification of terminal illness.
- Collaborate with attending physicians to develop and implement individualized care plans.
- Provide consultation for complex symptom management to achieve optimal palliation.
- Support and guide the interdisciplinary team (IDT) in delivering high-quality hospice care.
- Participate in patient and family meetings to discuss goals of care and advance care planning.
- Perform in-person visits, as needed, to achieve optimal hospice care, and as required by federal, state and/or local regulations.
Administrative & Compliance
- Ensure compliance with federal, state, and local hospice regulations, including Medicare Conditions of Participation.
- Participate in quality assurance and performance improvement (QAPI) initiatives.
- Oversee the review of medical records to ensure appropriate documentation and adherence to hospice guidelines, standards, and requirements.
- Work with leadership to develop and implement hospice policies and procedures.
- Serve as a liaison between hospice and the medical community to promote awareness and education.
Education & Staff Development:
- Provide training and mentorship to hospice staff on end-of-life care, symptom management, and regulatory requirements.
- Educate community physicians and healthcare providers about hospice eligibility and benefits.
- Stay updated on advancements in hospice care to ensure implementation, as appropriate, of emerging best practices.
Other:
- Performs other duties as assigned.
Supervisory Responsibilities
This position does not have direct supervisory responsibilities of any staff which would involve hiring, training, separation, or performance assessment and management. However, this position does have clinical and scheduling oversight responsibilities of the Hospice Medical Director Physician Designee(s).
Accountabilities and Competencies
- Expert knowledge of symptom management for individuals with a life limiting illness.
- Understands and adheres to Medicare Hospice Conditions of Participation.
- Ability to ensure compliance in all documentation, including certification and recertification of terminal illness in accordance with MAC LCDs.
- Provide medical leadership during IDT meetings or ensure coverage by the Hospice Physician Designee(s) as applicable and appropriate.
- Ensure on-call physician availability in collaboration with Hospice Medical Director Physician Designee(s).
- Ability to collaborate with the hospice IDT, including nurses, social workers, chaplains, volunteers, and others.
- Commitment to continuous learning and appropriate implementation of emerging best practices in hospice care.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality of information related to the company and its employees.
- Proficiency in reading, writing, comprehending, and speaking English as required for business necessity.
- Accountability for HIPAA privacy and security standards within the organization.
Qualifications
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, training, and ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Required:
Education/Experience:
- Doctor of Medicine (MD)or Doctor of Osteopathy (DO) Degree.
- Prior experience working in hospice, palliative care, geriatrics, or a related field.
Computer Skills:
- Strong computer literacy and proficiency with Microsoft O365.
- Ability to operate basic technology devices such as mobile phone, computer and/or tablet.
Certificates and Licenses:
- Active, unrestricted medical license in Washington and Oregon.
- Current CPR.
- Unrestricted Driver’s License.
Communication Skills:
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Adept at using technology, such as secured messaging, for time sensitive communication.
- Adept at tracking multiple communication strings/threads in MS Teams.
Preferred:
- Board certification in Hospice and Palliative Medicine.
- Prior experience as a Hospice Medical Director/Physician Designee
Physical Demands and Work Environment
The Physical Demands and Work Environment described below represent the activities and surroundings of the position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Work Environment & Schedule:
- Part-time position averaging 20-25 hours per week.
- Primarily office or home-based with travel to patient homes, nursing facilities, and hospitals as needed. Hybrid or remote considered.
- Participation in on-call rotation.
- Flexible schedule to meet patient and organizational needs.
- In certain circumstances, an employee may be exposed to communicable diseases and infections, other biological hazards, and various drugs and chemicals. Due to these potential hazardous exposures, you may be required to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE). PPE could include, but is not limited to, gloves, gowns, masks, respirators, and goggles.
Physical Demands:
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to: use hands to handle or feel, talk, see, and/or hear. The person in this role frequently communicates with others to exchange information in-person, over the phone, via email, and/or videoconferencing and must be capable of effective communication in these situations. Employee may sit for long periods of time.
Occasionally 1-33%:
- Driving
Frequently 34-65%:
- Sitting, Standing, Walking
- Keyboarding
- Telephone use
- Repetitive wrist motion.
Salary : $95 - $175
