Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner I

Posting Date

Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner I (IKC)

Department: Clinical Operations
Position Type: Full-Time
Care Delivery Model: Remote (Telehealth) - VA & PA preferred

The Palliative Care Nurse Practitioner I (NP I) provides specialized, person- and family-centered care for adults living with advanced chronic kidney disease (CKD), end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), and complex comorbid conditions.

In this role, your primary mission is to connect patients with external palliative and hospice care aligned with their personal values and goals. You will identify eligible patients, lead goals-of-care discussions, facilitate orders and referrals within scope, and champion equitable access to concurrent hospice and dialysis care. Acting as a clinical leader, the NP I guides an assigned Interdisciplinary Team (RNs and LCSWs), driving collaborative care planning, case reviews, and seamless transitions across care settings while partnering across IKC to elevate clinical quality and program outcomes. About DaVita Integrated Kidney Care (IKC)

DaVita Integrated Kidney Care (IKC) is DaVita's dedicated value-based care division, providing holistic, comprehensive chronic care management to patients across the kidney care continuum-from chronic kidney disease (CKD) through end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and transplant. Operating as an extension of the clinic care team, IKC integrates specialized Nurse Practitioners, Registered Nurses, Licensed Clinical Social Workers, and Care Coordinators to proactively support patients' clinical and psychosocial needs outside the dialysis clinic. By focusing on personalized care planning, symptom management, patient education, and seamless transitions of care, IKC strives to prevent avoidable hospitalizations, improve health outcomes, and enhance quality of life for our patients and their families

• Coordinate external palliative care and hospice transitions from initial recommendation through start of care.
• Confirm clinical eligibility, assess patient/family goals, and address remaining clinical questions.
• Complete orders/referrals within scope or collaborate with authorized clinicians to secure required orders and documentation.
• Partner with hospice agencies, nephrology practices, dialysis clinics, and payers to champion and facilitate concurrent hospice and dialysis care.
• Ensure receiving organizations receive complete clinical records, track referral status, resolve transition barriers, and execute warm handoffs.

• Evaluate and manage complex symptoms common in advanced kidney disease and serious comorbid illnesses.
• Utilize evidence-based pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic interventions, including prescribing/deprescribing within scope, appropriate renal drug dosing, and ordering diagnostic studies.
• Coordinate symptom management plans with nephrology, hospice, external palliative care, and primary care teams across transitions of care.

• Conduct in-depth assessments evaluating physical symptoms, functional/cognitive status, psychosocial and spiritual needs, caregiver support, health literacy, treatment burden, prognosis, and patient quality-of-life priorities.
• Review medical records, diagnostic/lab trends, medication regimens, and utilization history to create individualized care plans with the patient, family, and IKC IDT.

• Lead culturally responsive, values-based conversations around illness understanding, prognosis, and treatment preferences.
• Facilitate shared decision-making regarding dialysis initiation/continuation, modality changes, conservative kidney management, resuscitation, and life-sustaining treatments.
• Facilitate advance directives, healthcare proxy documentation, and portable medical orders (e.g., POLST/MOLST).

• Provide clinical guidance to an assigned IDT (RNs, LCSWs), leading regular case reviews, care planning, clinical prioritization, and closed-loop communication.
• Partner with Care Coordinators, clinical operations, quality improvement, and leadership stakeholders to optimize workflows and integrate palliative care across the broader IKC care model.

• Maintain prompt, accurate documentation of assessments, shared decision-making, referrals, provider collaboration, barriers, and transition milestones.
• Support clinical quality metrics (time to start of care, referral completion rates, and transition outcomes).

• Education: Master's or Doctoral degree from an accredited Nurse Practitioner program (Required).
• Licensure: Current, unrestricted RN and APRN / NP license in state(s) of practice (Required).
• Board Certification: Current national board certification in an adult-focused population (e.g., AGPCNP, AGACNP, or FNP) (Required).
• Certifications & Registrations: Current BLS/CPR certification (Required).
• Eligibility to obtain DEA registration and state controlled-substance authority as applicable (Required).
• Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse (ACHPN) certification (Preferred).

• Clinical Experience: Minimum of 5 years of Nurse Practitioner experience managing adults with serious or complex illness (Required).
• Specialty Background: Experience in Palliative Care, Hospice, Nephrology, Geriatrics, or Complex Care Management (Required).
• Clinical Skills: Demonstrated expertise in serious illness communication, advance care planning, pain and symptom management (including controlled substances and renal dosing), and conservative kidney management (Required).
• Team Leadership: Experience guiding interdisciplinary clinical teams (RNs, social workers) and navigating multi-stakeholder care coordination (Required).
• Credentialing: Ability to become credentialed with DaVita Kidney Care, Medicare, and commercial payers (Required).

• Proficiency with Electronic Health Record (EHR) systems (Cerner and EPIC) and ability to demonstrate functional proficiency within 90 days (Required).
• Intermediate proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) (Required).
• Strong commitment to patient confidentiality, compliance, and ethical clinical practice (Required).

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This position will be open for a minimum of three days.

Compensation for the role will depend on a number of factors, including a candidate's qualifications, skills, competencies and experience. DaVita offers a competitive total rewards package, which includes a 401k match, healthcare coverage and a broad range of other benefits. Learn more at https://careers.davita.com/benefits

Colorado Residents: Please do not respond to any questions in this initial application that may seek age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You may also redact this information from any materials you submit during the application process. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.

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