Hospice Nurse Practitioner

Gentiva Hospice•Vestavia Hills, AL

About The Position

The Nurse Practitioner provides comprehensive, patient-centered care to individuals with serious illnesses. Depending on market needs, the role may involve hospice care, palliative care, or both. The position delivers advanced clinical care, conducts patient management visits and hospice Face-to-Face (F2F) encounters for eligibility certification and recertification, and partners with physicians and interdisciplinary teams to provide high-quality, compliant, and compassionate care. It combines clinical autonomy with collaboration, supporting patients and families with complex medical decisions, symptom management, and end-of-life care. The Nurse Practitioner completes required patient visits, assesses physical, emotional, functional, and psychosocial needs, supports individualized care plans, manages diagnoses and symptoms, prescribes medications and treatments within applicable legal and practice parameters, orders and interprets diagnostics within scope, and coordinates services across care settings. The role also facilitates goals-of-care discussions and transitions, supports hospice eligibility and recertification, and maintains compliant documentation and communication with interdisciplinary teams. The position requires a relevant advanced nursing education, active state licensure and national certification, and the applicable practice agreement or independent practice authority. Candidates should have strong clinical assessment, communication, and critical-thinking skills and knowledge of hospice and palliative care, regulatory requirements, and documentation practices. The role may include participation in an on-call rotation and coverage across multiple provider numbers as needed and approved. Gentiva is a national provider of hospice, palliative, home health, and advanced illness management services, with nearly 600 locations across 38 states. The company describes its work as providing compassionate care where patients call home and supporting patients and families through serious illness and terminal diagnoses.

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/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, and 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 organizational productivity and documentation standards.
Sensitivity and tact when supporting people facing terminal illness and end-of-life issues.
Ability to support others during a crisis.
Flexibility to move between tasks of different natures while maintaining efficiency and composure.
Ability to communicate effectively with people from diverse socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Maturity, cooperation, flexibility, and tact when working with coworkers and hospice team members.
Compliance with OSHA, State Board of Nursing, and federal regulations related to hospice Conditions of Participation.

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Complete patient visits, including Medicare-required hospice Face-to-Face visits within CMS timeframes, 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 provide comprehensive, patient-centered care.
Coordinate plans of care with primary care or attending providers and specialists, as applicable.
Conduct in-depth physical, emotional, functional, and psychosocial patient assessments.
Develop and support individualized care plans with patients, families, caregivers, and the interdisciplinary group/team.
Manage patient care, including diagnosis, acute and chronic symptoms, treatment, medication management, assessments, longitudinal serious-illness support, quality-of-life optimization, and consultations, while reducing avoidable acute-care use.
Prescribe medications and treatments, including controlled substances, within state and federal regulations and applicable independent-practice or collaborative-practice parameters.
Order and interpret laboratory and other diagnostic tests within the state-defined scope of practice and applicable collaborative 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.
Accurately document clinical findings and attest to F2F encounters in the medical record in compliance with regulatory standards.
Communicate findings, treatment plans, diagnostics, and medication reviews to the interdisciplinary group/team.
Provide clinical recommendations to the interdisciplinary group based on assessment findings.
Ensure alignment with Medicare, Medicaid, and accrediting-body requirements, including ACHC.
Promptly notify appropriate team members of barriers to completing scheduled visits.
Provide care and visit coverage across multiple provider numbers as needed and approved.
Maintain comprehensive knowledge of hospice and palliative care.
Partner with physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and other interdisciplinary team members.
Communicate clearly and compassionately with patients, caregivers, and families, and support them through serious illness and end-of-life transitions.
Participate in an on-call rotation as needed.
Maintain timely, accurate, and compliant clinical documentation.
Follow federal, state, and organizational regulations, including OSHA requirements and hospice Conditions of Participation.
Apply knowledge of hospice eligibility, documentation standards, and Part B billing practices, as applicable.

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 and spine concierge care, for full-time associates.
Education support and tuition assistance, including ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN support, for full-time associates.
Free continuing education units for full-time associates.
Company-paid life and long-term disability insurance for full-time associates.
Voluntary pet, critical illness, accident, and long-term care benefits for full-time associates.