Medical Director taking new patients?

[tahijajan]

Currently we have a shortage of physicians. Our Medical Director is paid. He also has his own private practice. He very seldom will agree to become the primary care physician for patients who come to us wanting hospice but without a local primary care physician.

I was wondering how open other Medical Director's, who are not full-time employees, are to taking on new patients? And, short of getting a new Director which is out of the question, any suggestions?

Thanks

[river1951]

It really depends on the medical director. My last job, the director was the director of two other hospices and he was great about taking patients on. Where I am now, occasionally the medical director will take a patient, but only if they re in his specalty area, oncology. This is helpful, but not as helpful as taking all who need the service:rolleyes: !

[CANRN, MSN, RN]

Our medical director is awesome, He has NEVER said no to taking on a patient. More often that not, the primary will acutally ask us to go to our medical director for all orders etc, and many times they will request our medical director take over the patient's care. Our doc just asks us to make sure we have a good history for him so if he has to sign a death certificate, he has all the facts.

It really depends on the medical director. My last job, the director was the director of two other hospices and he was great about taking patients on. Where I am now, occasionally the medical director will take a patient, but only if they re in his specalty area, oncology. This is helpful, but not as helpful as taking all who need the service:rolleyes: !

[aimeee, BSN, RN]

We have 3 part-time medical directors, all very busy with their own practices and all will take patients who have no primary physician. They never say no but they like us to ask them first just as a courtesy. This is a very necessary part of being medical director. This expectation should be a part of your contract with the medical director.

[doodlemom]

We have several Medical DIrectors that wil take patients with no physician - or if the primary MD does not wish to follow.

[RNDYN2CU]

we have two M. D.'s and they alternate IDT's. Our primary MD is wonder woman, truly, has a compassionate busy geriatric practice, in fact I switched my dad over to her and he loves her... and she NEVER turns down a request, is on call 34/7, yeah, it must feel like 34/7, and I love her to pieces. Our other MD has a thriving practice, in fact when my son was in town on a college break, 20 years old, he split the heck out of his lip goofing off with a skateboard, clean up to his nostril... no insurance... Dr. J.... stiched him up for practically nothing, by the way my son went on PRICE IS RIGHT 4 days later, catch him on 9/21, thats all I can say... golly I am rambling like a manic depressive off lithium HA HA HA any who.... what was the question? OH... sounds like you have a dudd of a doctor.

[doodlemom]

In addition to our medical directors taking patients, we also have been working with some house call doctors in the area - we refer to them and they refer to us. It's a win-win situation. If you have anybody like that in your area that could make it easier. If you have marketing reps, they might be able to help you find soem docs that are wanting new patients.

[hcan]

I've worked at hospices where the md's took whatever came down the pike, and were great with orders for symptom mgmt. It is really nice to have a med director who knows hospice and can direct care. Most MD's don't havae the understanding of symptom mgmt, and most doctors don't mind turning their patient's over, unless they have had a bonding relationship with them. At the hospice I work with now, we try to stay with the referring doctor because our med director is reluctant to take many patients, and it's not as easy on the nurses.

[silverwillow]

It is in our medical director contract that they will be willing to assume care for patients who are from out of town and have no primary physician. He is always great about taking them, and we have never had a problem. In many cases, as stated by others, our medical director becomes the default physician that we call for new orders and many primary physicians prefer it that way. When I send the initial certs to the primary for signature, I sometimes put a statement there that the medical director may be called for orders. I have never had a problem with the primary MD not wanted to allow that.