Hospice & Palliative Care Administrator

Job description

POSITION SUMMARY:

Hospice & Palliative Care Administrator reports to the Executive Director. Serves as director of hospice and palliative care services, assuming major responsibility for the coordination, development, evaluation and supervision of both programs. Assumes primary responsibility for monitoring and compliance of the hospice and palliative care programs with all applicable standards, regulations and requirements. Functions as liaison between hospitals, clinics, and the community for patients receiving services. Ensures high quality patient care, community access to services, and community education in end-of-life care. In conjunction with the Clinical Director, responsible for supervising, orientation, competency and performance evaluations of agency staff. Provide mentoring through education, general meetings, timely evaluations, in-service training and management of productivity expectations. Participates in interviewing and hiring new staff and participates in any performance improvement plans or disciplinary issues as directed by the Executive Director.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Including, but not limited to the following:

· Provides care coordination and supervision of hospice and palliative care provision by all disciplines, assuring high quality patient care, and community access to services.

· Assures compliance with care plan and documentation to support services.

· Performs review of all initial and recertification assessments; determines level of services and resources to be provided; assures resources (financial and staff) are adequate to meet patient and agency needs.

· Ensure that current policies and procedures are consistently followed.

· Acts as liaison between programs and other health care providers of the community including physicians, hospitals, nursing facilities, discharge planners, and other community resources. Interfaces with insurance providers and other payer sources as needed.

· Assists with maintaining the Hospice agency in a state of survey readiness at all times. Ensures the agency and all programs comply with state, local, accrediting body, and federal regulatory requirements.

· QAPI to assure highest standards of care and patient outcomes. Participates in agency annual self-evaluation process.

· Demonstrates continued professional growth and development through participation in education programs and review of current health care literature, to ensure provision of excellent clinical care and to serve as a resource to staff.

· Provides supervisory back up for 24- hour call staff.

· Assists in administrative duties and acts as the Alternate Administrator in the absence of both Clinical Director and Executive Director.

· Participates as a member of the clinical management team in planning for program development, implementation, staffing and budgetary decisions.

· Authorized to originate or transfer either Clinical or Financial Protected Health Information (PHI) within the guidelines of agency Privacy Practices.

· Assists Executive Director with public relations, community presentations and marketing as needed.

· Leads hospice policy setting and program planning, including development of forms and procedures.

· Facilitates Hospice IDT meetings. Assures Care Plans are coordinated and in adherence to agency policies and federal/state regulations.

· Coordinates patient care by all service disciplines in all care settings. Coordinates changes in levels of care, transfers and discharges. Assures coordination of nursing, psychosocial and spiritual assessments.

· Works with the Intake Coordinator to ensure referrals are appropriate for the applicable service line.

· Develops/coordinates appropriate in-services and continuing education for the hospice and palliative care staff

· Authorized to approve drugs, biologicals, DME, labs, treatments, or other items supplied for patient for payment by hospice program.

· May be required to provide direct patient care, on call and/or manage a caseload as well as complete admissions.

· Other duties as assigned by the Executive Director.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE AND BASIC SKILLS:

Knowledge of-

• Nursing principles, practices, procedures, and nursing process.
• Familiarity with and commitment to the agency mission.
• Medical terminology, drug actions and interventions and medical record keeping practices.
• Thorough understanding of family and team dynamics and the ability to relate supportively to both patient and family.
• Medicare and licensure regulations, standards, policies and procedures as related to Hospice services.
• Principles of supervision and personnel practices, along with good verbal and written communication skills.

Ability to-

• Accept responsibility, exercise leadership and provide care delivery management for the hospice and palliative care programs.
• Plan, organize and direct the work of others to meet overall objective and goals.
• Function in high stress situations and manage multiple priorities.
• Identify and use various resources of public and private agencies to engage services related to hospice and palliative care.
• Implement standing orders and carry out instructions while exercising judgment within the scope of the position and established nursing practices.
• Assess patient health problems and condition changes and accurately reflect this information in written and oral reports.
• Supervise the performance of professional and ancillary health care personnel.
• Deal tactfully with and maintain an empathetic attitude toward the patient/family.
• Adapt nursing care to the emotional needs and behavior of patients.
• Coordinate patient services to provide optimal comprehensive care.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with the Executive Director, staff, physicians and representatives of other health care agencies.

POSITION QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in nursing or Bachelors degree in another health related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum of three years of acute care, home care, hospice experience or equivalent.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

· Position requires professional and personal skills to cope with stress consequent to work that involves a high degree of mental, emotional and physical demands.

· While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to, stand, sit; talk, hear, and use hands and fingers to operate a computer, telephone and standard office equipment

· Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision requirements due to computer work

· Must be able to lift up to 15 – 25 pounds at times.

· Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those a employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

· Moderate noise (i.e. business office with computers, phone, and printers, light traffic).

· Ability to sit at a computer terminal for an extended period of time.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $95,000.00 – $105,000.00 per year