For
Physicians
Attending Physican's Role in Hospice
Role of the Hospice Medical Director
The role of the attending physician in hospice is consistent
with the role of the physician in general – providing appropriate care
to meet the presenting medical needs of patients. In hospice care the attending/primary
physician continues to be responsible for providing the primary medical care
of patients, but is supported directly through the hospice interdisciplinary
team.
The responsibilities
of the attending physician who refers a patient to hospice care are
as follows:
•
Approving hospice admission
•
Agreeing to remain the primary physician
•
Giving permission for hospice to visit and providing the following patient
information to hospice:
-Admitting diagnosis and prognosis
-Current medical findings
-Dietary restrictions
-Orders for medications, treatments, and symptom management
-Information about medical management of patient’s conditions unrelated to the terminal illness
-Designation of an alternative physician to contact in case of an emergency
(possibly the hospice Medical Director)
-Signing the initial interdisciplinary plan of care, physician orders, and
certification of terminal illness, once the initial hospice assessment is complete.
The orders must be signed and returned promptly after the patient’s admission
to hospice.
-Being available for consultation with hospice RN when medical problems arise
and continuing to prescribe all necessary medications for pain and symptoms
management.
-Receiving and reviewing regular progress reports and participating in the
development, revision, and approval of the interdisciplinary plan of care.
-Informing hospice of any significant changes in patient/family status
-Maintaining confidentiality in all communications
The Role of the Hospice Medical Director
The Hospice Medical Director reviews, coordinates, and is responsible for
the management of clinical and medical care for all patients in the program.
The Medical Director’s services and responsibilities include:
• Consulting with the attending physician regarding pain and symptom control
•
Reviewing patient eligibility for hospice services
•
Acting as a medical resource for the interdisciplinary team
•
Acting as a liaison to physicians in the community
The Hospice Medical Director is available for consultation about prognosis,
hospice eligibility, and symptom management. As the attending physician and
leader of the hospice team, you are invited to attend the interdisciplinary
team meetings when your patients are being discussed. You will be notified
of these meetings after referring a patient. If you cannot attend, we encourage
your input by telephone. You will receive an update about your patient’s
condition after this meeting.
At Affinity Home Hospice Services, our focus is totally on the delivery of consistently exceptional end-of-life healthcare and support. We sincerely look forward to receiving your feedback about any aspect of our services. We are anxious to hear your ideas and suggestions on ways we can improve our service to you and your patients. If a problem or concern arises, we prefer that you contact us promptly so that we can address the situation immediately.
Following is a list of staff members you may need to contact:
Sandra R. McKenzie, RN, President and CEO
s.mckenzie@affinityhomehospice.com
Jackie Miles, RN, Director Patient Care Services
j.miles@affinityhomehospice.com
Our staff can be reached by calling 1 (205) 949-0400 or toll free 1 (866)
697-0400.
Our fax number is 1 (205) 949-0405.