Hospice Nurse Practitioner

Gentiva Hospice•San Angelo, TX

About The Position

The Nurse Practitioner provides comprehensive, patient-centered care to individuals with serious illnesses. Depending on market needs, the role may serve hospice patients, palliative care patients, or both. The position delivers advanced clinical care, patient management visits, and hospice Face-to-Face (F2F) encounters for eligibility certification and recertification, while partnering with physicians and interdisciplinary teams to provide high-quality, compliant, and compassionate care. It combines autonomous practice with collaboration and supports patients and families through complex medical decisions, symptom management, and end-of-life care. The Nurse Practitioner conducts required hospice F2F visits within CMS timeframes, initial and follow-up visits, symptom-management and admission visits, and goals-of-care discussions. The role includes comprehensive physical, emotional, functional, and psychosocial assessments; individualized care planning; diagnosis and management of acute and chronic symptoms; medication management; consultations; and coordination across home, skilled nursing, and assisted-living settings. The Nurse Practitioner may prescribe medications, including controlled substances, and order and interpret diagnostic tests within applicable state law, federal regulations, and practice agreements. The position also supports hospice eligibility and recertification using Local Coverage Determination criteria, documents and attests F2F encounters in the medical record, communicates findings and recommendations to interdisciplinary teams, and ensures compliance with Medicare, Medicaid, accrediting-body, OSHA, and hospice Conditions of Participation requirements. The role partners with patients, caregivers, families, physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other team members, and participates in on-call coverage as needed.

Requirements

Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or higher from an accredited program.
Completion of an accredited Nurse Practitioner program.
Current RN license and Nurse Practitioner license or certification in the state of practice.
National Nurse Practitioner certification through ANCC or AANP.
Collaborative Practice Agreement with a supervising internal physician or proof of Independent Practice Authority in accordance with state regulations.
Controlled Substance Agreement, if applicable.
DEA registration and prescriptive authority in accordance with state regulations.
Current CPR certification.
Valid driver’s license and current automobile insurance.
Strong clinical assessment and critical-thinking skills across palliative and hospice populations.
In-depth understanding of palliative care principles, hospice philosophy, home health eligibility, and end-of-life care.
Working knowledge of LCD criteria, Medicare/Medicaid regulations, coding and billing, and documentation requirements.
Excellent interpersonal, written, and verbal communication skills.
Knowledge of Hospice & Palliative Quality Measures collection, documentation, reporting, and the QAPI process.
Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
Compassion, emotional intelligence, and sensitivity to patients’ and families’ needs.
Proficiency with point-of-care technology and electronic medical records.
Ability and willingness to meet productivity and documentation standards in alignment with organizational expectations.
Ability to support patients and families during crises and to communicate effectively with people from varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Flexibility, maturity, cooperation, and tact when working with co-workers and hospice team members.
Compliance with OSHA, State Board of Nursing, and federal regulations related to hospice Conditions of Participation.

Nice To Haves

Minimum of two years of Nurse Practitioner experience preferred.
Experience in hospice, palliative care, oncology, geriatrics, family/adult medicine, home health, or acute care preferred.
Experience with Part B billing preferred.
ACHPN certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Complete patient visits, including Medicare-required hospice Face-to-Face encounters, History & Physical/initial comprehensive visits, symptom-management visits, admission visits, goals-of-care discussions, and routine follow-ups.
Collaborate with Hospice and Palliative Medical Directors and interdisciplinary teams to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Coordinate patient plans of care with primary care or attending providers and specialists, when applicable.
Perform in-depth physical, emotional, functional, and psychosocial patient assessments.
Develop and support individualized care plans with patients, families, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary group or team.
Manage patient care, including diagnosis, acute and chronic symptoms, treatment, medication management, assessments, longitudinal serious-illness support, quality-of-life optimization, and consultations.
Prescribe medications and treatments, including controlled substances, within applicable laws, regulations, and practice parameters.
Order and interpret laboratory and other diagnostic tests within the applicable scope of practice and practice agreement.
Facilitate goals-of-care discussions, advance care planning, and level-of-care transitions when appropriate.
Coordinate care across home, skilled nursing facilities, and assisted-living settings.
Initiate referrals to supportive services and community resources as needed.
Use Local Coverage Determination criteria to support hospice eligibility and recertification.
Document clinical findings accurately and attest F2F encounters in the medical record in compliance with regulatory standards.
Communicate findings, treatment plans, diagnostics, and medication reviews to the interdisciplinary group or team.
Provide clinical recommendations to the interdisciplinary group based on assessment findings.
Ensure alignment with Medicare, Medicaid, accrediting-body requirements, OSHA requirements, and hospice Conditions of Participation.
Notify appropriate team members promptly of barriers to completing scheduled visits.
Provide visit coverage across multiple provider numbers as needed and approved.
Maintain comprehensive knowledge of hospice and palliative care.
Communicate compassionately with patients, caregivers, and families, and support them through serious illness and end-of-life transitions.
Participate in on-call rotation as needed.
Maintain timely, accurate, and compliant clinical documentation and adhere to applicable federal, state, and organizational regulations.

Benefits

Competitive pay.
401(k) with company match.
Career advancement opportunities.
National and local recognition programs.
Teammate Assistance Fund.
Medical, dental, and vision insurance for full-time associates.
Mileage reimbursement or fleet vehicle program for full-time associates.
Generous paid time off and seven paid holidays for full-time associates.
Wellness programs, including telemedicine, diabetes management, and Joint & Spine Concierge Care, for full-time associates.
Education support and tuition assistance for ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN programs for full-time associates.
Free continuing education units (CEUs) for full-time associates.
Company-paid life and long-term disability insurance for full-time associates.
Voluntary benefits, including pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care coverage, for full-time associates.