Hospice Director of Clinical Operations

Explore opportunities with Saint Mary's Hospice, a part of LHC Group, a leading post-acute care partner for hospitals, physicians and families nationwide. As members of the Optum family of businesses, we are dedicated to helping people feel their best, including our team members who create meaningful connections with patients, their families, each other and the communities we serve. Find a home for your career here. Join us and embrace a culture of Caring. Connecting. Growing together.

As the Clinical Director, you will assists the Executive Director in all functions of clinical oversight of the provider. This includes oversight of the eligibility of patients referred to hospice services and services provided to patients and supervising their care; maintaining administrative practices, agency philosophy, goals, and policies which assure compliance with applicable state and federal regulations; enhancing the profitability of the agency while maintaining quality of care; and providing motivation and retention of qualified staff.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Compliance with all hospice regulations, laws, policies and procedures, including regulations related to the Medicare and Medicaid hospice benefit, as well as any requirements related to private or managed care insurance
• Ensures that the hospice agency employs only qualified hospice personnel
• Present on-site during business hours or immediately available by telephone when off-site conducting agency business and available after hours, as needed
• Directs the day-to-day clinical operations of the agency including training and orientation, regulatory compliance, interdisciplinary group effectiveness, growth, and education regarding hospice services
• Oversees all patient care activities to ensure compliance with current standards of accepted nursing and medical practice and regulatory standards on a constant basis
• Promotes hospice education to referral sources and the community at large
• Works closely with agency hospice physicians as well as community physicians to drive clinical excellence for patients facing end-of-life
• Ensures that patient care services are provided according to the plan of care, as ordered by the physician
• Provides clinical oversight and supervision according to licensure type, scope of practice, and state regulatory guidelines
• May participate as a member of the hospice agency Governing Body and facilitates Governing Body meetings that support review and discussion of the hospice agency activities regarding clinical care and quality oversight
• Acts as liaison between staff, patients, families, the hospice management team and the hospice Governing Body
• Provides oversight of hospice billing processes to ensure billing practices meet regulatory requirements and reflect patient care provided
• Ensures adequate staffing through recruitment and retention activities
• Ensures timely completion of assigned hospice agency staff evaluations
• Identifies education needs and ensures adequate clinical and process education for clinical staff
• Reviews monthly financials and cost management reports with Executive Director/Executive Administrator relative to all aspects of the operation to ensure that quality patient care is delivered in the most cost  effective manner
• Assists with oversight of the hospice agency quality assurance performance improvement program, to include use of objective data to improve performance in the areas of improved patient/family care and activities related to patient health and safety. Specific performance improvement activities include, but are not limited to, root cause analysis and development of action plans and focused performance improvement projects
• Ensures that staff personnel files are maintained according to state and federal guidelines, as well as accreditation standards, if applicable
• Completes required courses through LHC Group learning management system and attends in-services, when applicable
• Functions as a preceptor to new hires as needed, and according to discipline-specific licensure guidelines, if applicable
• Oversees and/or directly investigates all patient complaints, and alleged or real violations involving mistreatment, neglect, or verbal, mental, sexual, and physical abuse of a patient
• Oversees and/or directly investigates all patient-related sentinel events
• Serves as the infection control contact for the agencies, is responsible for the direction, provision, and quality of infection control services, and effectively enforces infection control practices among agencies to include infection control and isolation protocols according to the CDC, OSHA, and LHC policy
• Acts as Emergency Coordinator during emergencies ensuring appropriate plan execution
• May act as back-up to the agency Executive Director/Executive Administrator

You'll be rewarded and recognized for your performance in an environment that will challenge you and give you clear direction on what it takes to succeed in your role as well as provide development for other roles you may be interested in. 

Required Qualifications:

• Current and unrestricted RN licensure in the state of practice 
• Current Driver's License and vehicle insurance, and access to a dependable vehicle, or public transportation

Preferred Qualifications:

• Current CPR certification or ability to complete within 90 days of hire 
• 3+ years of experience in a hospice, home health, or other health care service delivery system setting  
• 2+ years of healthcare leadership

Pay is based on several factors including but not limited to local labor markets, education, work experience, certifications, etc. In addition to your salary, we offer benefits such as, a comprehensive benefits package, incentive and recognition programs, equity stock purchase and 401k contribution (all benefits are subject to eligibility requirements). No matter where or when you begin a career with us, you'll find a far-reaching choice of benefits and incentives. The salary for this role will range from $74,880 to $112,320 annually based on full-time employment. We comply with all minimum wage laws as applicable. #LHCJobs

At UnitedHealth Group, our mission is to help people live healthier lives and make the health system work better for everyone. We believe everyone-of every race, gender, sexuality, age, location and income-deserves the opportunity to live their healthiest life. Today, however, there are still far too many barriers to good health which are disproportionately experienced by people of color, historically marginalized groups and those with lower incomes. We are committed to mitigating our impact on the environment and enabling and delivering equitable care that addresses health disparities and improves health outcomes - an enterprise priority reflected in our mission.

UnitedHealth Group is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer under applicable law and qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, religion, age, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, or protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by local, state, or federal laws, rules, or regulations.

UnitedHealth Group is a drug-free workplace. Candidates are required to pass a drug test before beginning employment.