Palliative Nurse Practitioner

Primary Responsibilities/Accountabilities:
Facilitates palliative care for Gentiva Palliative Care patients, ensuring a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan, while demonstrating excellent clinical skills and ethical, relevant judgment. Provides diagnosis, treatment, consultation, and follow-up under the direction of the Palliative Medical Director (if required under State law). Essential Functions: -Work in collaboration with the Palliative Care Medical Director and other palliative team members to deliver palliative care by providing diagnosis, treatment and follow-up for patients referred to palliative care. -Take responsibility for patient palliative care from the initial assessment through discharge. Assessment at a minimum should include: disease-specific changes, decline or change in function, nutrition and/or cognition, inadequately controlled pain or other distressing symptoms, falls, infections or similar events, the impact of the disease burden on the patient's condition, caregiver and/or family's quality of life. -Establish the palliative plan of care, individualized for each patient, in consultation with the patient, family and other members of the Palliative Care Team. -Facilitate obtaining care for patient when a need is identified in accordance with the Plan of Care. -Participates in evening/weekend call as required, conducting on-call services in a clinically competent and responsive manner. -Prescribe medications including controlled substances to the extent delegated and licensed, in accordance with state law. -Order and interpret laboratory and other diagnostic tests within the scope of professional practice. -Order treatments and durable medical equipment as indicated. -Communicate clinical findings to the Palliative Medical Director as needed, but no less than bi-weekly. Re-assess effectiveness of care plan on a regular basis and modify as needed. -Maintain effective working relationships with supportive care team (e.g., Social Worker, Spiritual Care Coordinator), as applicable, and involve team when patient's care plan warrants team participation to achieve desired outcome. -Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work. -Communicate and document clinical findings, treatment plan and care provided in the patient's medical record in a manner consistent with acceptable standards in order to support sound medical practice and reimbursement for services provided. -Knowledgeable of Palliative Medicine Quality Measures collection, documentation and reporting. -Code diagnoses and billing codes in accord with acceptable and standard practices, for services rendered. -Adhere to company policy regarding the practice of confidentiality regarding patients, families, staff and the organization. -Implement marketing and promotional initiatives as directed. -Adhere to code of conduct conducive to Company policy. -Adhere to and participate in Company's mandatory HIPAA privacy program/practices, Business Ethics and Compliance programs/practices, and all Company policies and procedures, including the Employee handbook. STATE-SPECIFIC: N/A

Skills: Required Skills & Experience: -Minimum of two years Nurse Practitioner experience -Excellent leadership, interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills. -Independent decision making and self-motivation. -Working knowledge or understanding of: principles of Palliative Medicine, including when a patient may be appropriate for home health or hospice care; Medicare/Medicaid regulations; and interdisciplinary process. -Must be able to work efficiently with point of care software. -Approximate percent of time required to travel for training/education of Nurse Practitioner: 10-20%. -Practice experience with Part B billing -Able to work autonomously in an Advanced Practice Role -Fluent competence in computer/smart phone navigation -Working knowledge of Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft Powerpoint -Must have and maintain reliable transportation to be used for work. STATE-SPECIFIC: N/A Preferred Skills &

Education:
Required Education: -Minimum of Masters of Science in Nursing from an accredited school of nursing STATE-SPECIFIC: -Successful completion of a graduate level nurse practitioner education program accredited by a national accrediting body -For NPs who completed an NP education program prior to December 31, 1999, the NP must have successfully completed a course of education that contains a core curriculum including 400 contact hours of didactic education and 400 hours of preceptorship or supervised clinical experience. -Any NP approved to practice in North Carolina prior to January 18, 1981 is exempt from the core curriculum requirement. 21 NCAC 36.0803, 36.0805 Preferred Education: -Nurse Practitioner specialty in Family or Adult Medicine preferred Required Certifications & Licensure: -Current license as a registered nurse or equivalent as required by state law for Nurse Practitioner licensure -Current Nurse Practitioner certification/license -Must have a collaborative agreement in place with a supervising physician agreeable to supervise work in palliative care program or must agree to enter a collaborative agreement with Palliative Medical Director, as required by state law -Part B Provider certification -Federal DEA license -State DEA license (if required) -Current automobile insurance and valid driver's license STATE-SPECIFIC: -Hold certification by a national credentialing body Preferred Certifications & Licensure: -ACHPN Certification in Hospice and Palliative Care Preferred