A hospice business is a residential nursing facility that provides compassionate round-the-clock care for terminally ill patients in the last phases of an incurable disease.
Hospice administrators are given a senior-level leadership position in managing the daily operations of these facilities to guarantee that patients can live their final days as comfortably as possible. Hospice administrators are also commonly referred to as hospice directors.
Job Description of a Hospice Administrator
The job description of a hospice administrator is to run a very delicate and compassionate business. On a purely administrative level, this includes overseeing financial operations and staff specifics. Management is a critical part of the hospice administrator position and they need to maintain a supply chain of sanitation equipment, medical devices, food, staff, and medicine.
In each of these avenues, a hospice administrator must keep the bottom line and strategic goals in mind. The Job description of a hospice administrator is as follows;
- Hospice administrators make sure their hospice facility is meeting the needs of terminally ill patients in a manner that complies with local, state, regional, and national regulations.
- Hospice Administrators are involved in implementing new organizational policies.
- Creating and monitoring budgets and taking a leadership role in pursuing grants, community funding, and tracking expenditures.
- Reviewing facility activities.
- Establishing operational objectives.
- Inspecting facility equipment.
- Conflict and compliant management/resolution.
- The hospice administrator ensures that interdisciplinary care is provided.
- Hospice administrator ensures standards of ethical business and clinical practice are well maintained
- The hospice administrator serves as the privacy officer and compliance officer for the agency.
- The hospice administrator ensures that adequate space, equipment, and supplies are available.
- Oversees accurate medical and general business record keeping, efficient operation, and support services.
- Hospice administrators participate in the quality assurance program for patient care.
- Informing the governing body and staff of current organizational, community, and industry trends.
- Ensuring Hospice personnel stays current with clinical information and practices.
- Staff development includes orientation, in-service continuing education, competency testing, and performance improvement.
- Ensuring supportive services are available to the staff.
- Hospice administrators complete performance evaluations on subordinate staff under organizational policy.
- Hospice administrators ensure appropriate data collection and regular, complete reports are received by the governing body
- The hospice administrator ensures actionable objectives are derived from the evaluation of hospice services and personnel.
- The hospice administrator ensures that appropriate service policies and procedures are developed and implemented to accomplish the identified outcomes.
- The hospice administrator ensures that all personnel is assigned duties based upon their education, training, competencies, and job description.
- Complying with applicable laws and regulations.
- Hospice administrators direct staff in the performance of their duties including admission, discharge, transfer, revocation, and provision of service to patients.
- Hospice administrators monitor service utilization to ensure the delivery of comprehensive care.
- Hospice administrators manage operations following established fiscal parameters.
- Projects hospice philosophy to staff, patients, families, and the community at large.
- Establishing and maintaining effective communication with patients and families to ensure they are satisfied with the services provided.
- Ensuring collaboration with agencies and vendors for effective management of service.
- Consult with supervisory staff to set goals for the facility and monitor staff performance and progress towards the set goals.
- Hospice administrators engage in fundraising and assigning work schedules.
- A hospice administrator also oversees all staff management duties, which will include recruiting, hiring, training, supervising, evaluating, and sometimes firing the hospice medical personnel.