Hospice Nurse Practitioner

Gentiva Hospice•Paragould, AR

About The Position

The Nurse Practitioner provides comprehensive, patient-centered care to people with serious illnesses. Depending on market needs, the position may serve hospice patients, palliative care patients, or both. The role delivers advanced clinical care, patient management visits, and hospice Face-to-Face (F2F) encounters for eligibility certification and recertification, partnering with physicians and interdisciplinary teams to provide high-quality, compliant, compassionate care. It combines autonomous practice with collaboration and supports patients and families with medical decision-making, symptom management, and end-of-life care. The Nurse Practitioner conducts assessments and visits across care settings, develops and coordinates individualized plans of care, manages symptoms and medications, orders and interprets tests within the applicable scope of practice, and facilitates goals-of-care discussions and transitions. The role supports hospice eligibility and recertification using Local Coverage Determination criteria and maintains accurate, timely documentation in accordance with regulatory requirements. The position also participates in on-call coverage as needed and may provide approved visit coverage across multiple provider numbers.

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 the needs of patients and families.
Proficiency with point-of-care technology and electronic medical records.
Ability and willingness to meet organizational productivity and documentation standards.
Ability to support patients and families during crises and to communicate effectively with people of varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
Flexibility, maturity, cooperation, and tact when working with patients, families, 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 preferred.
Experience in hospice, palliative care, oncology, geriatrics, family or adult medicine, home health, or acute care preferred.
Experience with Part B billing preferred.
ACHPN certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Complete required patient visits, including hospice Face-to-Face encounters 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, interdisciplinary teams, primary care or attending providers, and specialists to coordinate patient care and plans of care.
Conduct in-depth physical, emotional, functional, and psychosocial 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, longitudinal serious-illness support, quality-of-life optimization, and consultations, while reducing avoidable acute-care use.
Prescribe medications and treatments, including controlled substances, as permitted by applicable law and within practice parameters or a collaborative practice agreement.
Order and interpret laboratory and other diagnostic tests within the applicable scope of practice and collaborative practice agreement.
Facilitate goals-of-care discussions, advance care planning, and appropriate level-of-care transitions.
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 to F2F encounters in the medical record in accordance with regulatory standards.
Communicate findings, treatment plans, diagnostics, and medication reviews to the interdisciplinary group or team and provide clinical recommendations based on assessment findings.
Ensure care and documentation align with Medicare, Medicaid, accrediting-body, OSHA, and hospice Conditions of Participation requirements.
Notify appropriate team members promptly of barriers to completing scheduled visits.
Provide approved patient care and visit coverage across multiple provider numbers as needed.
Maintain knowledge in 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 and demonstrate understanding 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 for ASN-to-BSN and BSN-to-MSN programs 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.