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Medical Director and Physician Services

Sets who may be the Agency’s medical director and physician designee, what the medical director does (certification review, admission and discharge decisions, supervision of all hospice physicians, responsibility for the medical component of care), how a hospice physician is available around the clock, how the Agency works with each patient’s attending physician, and who may furnish pre-election evaluation and counseling.

Preview: full text with a package
About this policy
Policy number
DC-HSP-MD-01
Version
1.0
Main rule
42 CFR §418.102
Library
Washington, DC hospice · 60 policies
Category
Governance
Sections
18

In short

  • Dr. Morgan Sample directs the medical side of our care. Dr. Riley Sample covers when the medical director is away.
  • A hospice physician is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Use the on-call schedule.
  • Try the patient’s own doctor first. If you cannot reach them in time, call the hospice physician on call.
  • If no hospice physician answers within 30 minutes, keep calling up the list and tell the Administrator the next business day.
  • While the Medicare hospice moratorium lasts, face-to-face visits for recertification are made in person.

What's inside

18 sections. The full text comes with the One-time Policy Pack.

Full text with a package
  • Terms of Reference
  • 1. Purpose
  • 2. Scope
  • 3. Definitions
  • 4. Policy Statement (42 CFR §418.102)
  • 5. Qualifications and Verification
  • 6. Duties of the Medical Director
  • 7. Physician Services for Each Patient
  • 8. Availability Around the Clock
  • 9. Working With Attending Physicians
  • 10. Face-to-Face Encounters
  • 11. Pre-Election Evaluation and Counseling
  • 12. Responsibilities
  • 13. Records and Compliance Monitoring
  • 14. References
  • 15. Related Policies and Forms
  • 16. Approval
  • 17. Revision History

An inspector may ask

  • Show me the medical director’s District license, Medicare enrollment status and employment record or contract. Does the contract name the physician?
  • Who is the physician designee, and how do staff reach a hospice physician at night and on weekends?

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