RN Case Manager - Discharge Planning Job Opening

The Case Manager utilizes the nursing process for age and diagnosis of specific populations to assess, plan and evaluate the care of a designated case load of patients so that clinical and financial outcomes are achieved. Holds primary responsibility for oversight of Care Coordination, Utilization Review and Discharge Planning for all patients, providing direction and delegation as appropriate to accomplish. Responsible for appropriate utilization of medical necessity criteria and provides guidance to medical and other clinical staff in their use.

Primary Duties

Care Coordination:

Directs, coordinates and supervises the care delivered to his/her caseload.

• Conducts a comprehensive assessment on all patients to identify potential and actual patient problems.
• Initiates, monitors and revises an individualized plan of nursing care and clinical path in coordination with nursing staff.
• Evaluates and revises the plan of care and progress towards outcomes.
• Makes initial and ongoing discharge planning assessments, anticipates discharge needs and develops and executes a plan.
• Determines patient/family teaching needs and ensures the provision and evaluation of such teaching and learning.

Communicates effectively with patients, families, physicians, staff and other customers.

• Communicates clearly and accurately in both verbal and written form.
• Consistently demonstrates tact, diplomacy, sensitivity and professionalism.
• Exhibits appropriate telephone protocol.
• Adheres to proper channels of communication in a courteous and cooperative manner.
• Acknowledges each patient complaint within the shift and takes appropriate action.
• Greets patients and visitors promptly and makes them feel welcome.
• Utilizes correct procedure in regard to hospital information systems and communication with ancillary departments.
• Communicates, coordinates and conducts at a minimum weekly inter-disciplinary health team conferences for individual case types.

Contributes to modifications in nurse and physician practice patterns to continuously improve quality of care, patient satisfaction and appropriate use of resources.

• Maintains current knowledge of national standards or practice, as well as Joint Commission standards, appropriate to medical and nursing specialty.
• Identifies educational needs of individual or groups of clinical staff through daily contact; conducts informal education of staff, as appropriate; communicates learning needs to the appropriate Director and/or Clinical Educator.

Identifies and communicates clinical staff practice variances to the appropriate Director and physician practice variances to the CM/UR Physician Advisor.

Utilization Review:

Maximizes positive financial outcomes for his/her designated case types.

• Develops and demonstrates organizational skills and effective time management skills on a daily basis.

• Compares and contrasts resource utilization before and after a planned change.

• Identifies and implements changes/strategies to improve profitability of targeted case types.

• Ensures optimization of reimbursement through assignment of proper coding for specific cases.

• Monitors and analyzes variances from standard and individualized clinical paths.

• Assesses efficiency and cost effectiveness of interdepartmental systems.

• Identifies and communicates problems/inefficiencies in interdepartmental operations to the Director, Case Management.

• Assists the Director, Case Management in planning, implementing and evaluating strategies to correct/improve problems/inefficiencies.

Performs and/or delegates admission and continued stay review for all payers and levels of care; performs these responsibilities within 24 hours of admission and continued stay reviews not less than every three (3) days.

Utilizes consistent processes to assure that all patients are evaluated and monitored for appropriate resource consumption.

• Applies utilization review criteria objectively for admissions, continued stay, level of care and discharge readiness, using InterQual or other facility criteria guidelines.
• Screens and coordinates admissions and transfers, including emergency and elective care, observation status, conversions from outpatient to inpatient care and out-of-area transfers.
• Participates in the investigation and collaborates with the attending physician in case denials and appeal process.
• Collaborates with the attending physician when the medical record documentation does not reflect admission or continued stay criteria and confers with UR Physician Advisor for assistance when consensus cannot be reached with the attending physician.
• Ensures facility processes for working with external reviewers is followed in a timely and complete manner.
• Communicates external UR determinations to patient and/or family.

Participates in the Case Management/Utilization Review Committee formal processes.

• Collects and aggregates utilization data for tracking and trending reports.
• Coordinates and maintains data to address issues of over-utilization, under-utilization and admission necessity.
• Attends CM/UR Committee meetings as assigned.
• Actively collaborates with CM/UR Physician Advisor to maximize appropriate and efficient care of patients.
• Is knowledgeable of and supports the Case Management Plan.
• Assists with coordinating peer review, focused reviews or other studies as directed by the CM/UR Committee.

Discharge Planning:

• Provides focused discharged planning, initiated as early as possible after admission, to facilitate timely and appropriate discharges.

• Maintains current, accurate information regarding community resources to facilitate discharge planning.
• Identifies patients with complex discharge planning needs arising from diagnoses, therapies or psychosocial or other relevant circumstances.
• Documents discharge planning activities in the medical record.
• Facilitates transfers to appropriate higher level of care facilities when services are not available based upon the facilitys Scope of Care (e.g., pediatric or neonatal intensive care).
• Includes alternative care facility placement, DME, family involvement and community resource referral in discharge planning activities.
• Directs and delegates activities associated with executing the discharge plan to appropriate personnel.

Dimensions of Patient Care Employee:

• Identifies and corrects conditions that affect employee safety; upholds safety standards.
• Maintains stable performance under pressure or opposition; handles stress in a manner that is acceptable to others and to the organization.
• Makes customers and their needs a primary focus on ones actions; develops and sustains productive customer relationships.
• Having achieved a satisfactory level of technical and professional knowledge in position related to areas, maintains current development and trends in area of expertise.
• Clearly conveys information and ideas through a variety of media to individuals or groups in a manner that engages the audience and helps them understand and retain the message.

• Education: Graduate of an accredited program of nursing required; BSN preferred. Case Managers focused on Discharge Planning may have a Master of Social Work (MSW) in lieu of nursing degree.
• Licensure/Certification: Current state Registered Nurse license or license from a state within the Nursing Compact required. If MSW, current Social Work licensure required.
• Experience: Minimum of 3 years clinical experience in cardiovascular nursing preferred. Two years of case management experience preferred.
• Essential Technical/Motor Skills: Able to operate various types of audio-visual equipment, performs various office support skills, and work with computer entry and report generation.
• Interpersonal Skills: Must be able to interact and communicate with all levels of staff, physicians, patients and families in an effective manner, exhibiting tact, enthusiasm, and patience. Must be sensitive to cultural and bilingual issues.
• Essential Physical Requirements: Requires full range of body motion including handling and lifting, manual and finger dexterity and eye-hand coordination. Able to stand and walk for long periods of time. Able to lift/push/pull patients to transport and/or reposition. Able to lift and carry equipment and supplies of 10 pounds or more. Demonstrates corrected vision and hearing in the normal range. Able to working under stressful conditions and irregular hours.
• Essential Cognitive Abilities: Able to comprehend and interpret complex clinical subject matter related to specialty. Able to read, write and comprehend instructions at a college level.
• Essential Sensory Requirements: Able to respond to visual, auditory and other senses by patients, families, staff and physicians in a professional manner. Able to palpate pulses, hear heart and breath sounds manually and electronically.
• Exposure to Hazards: Requires exposure to communicable diseases and potentially contaminated body fluids and hazardous materials. OSHA risk factor: Category I. Possible risk of physical injury due to moving machinery and supplies.
• Age-Specific Criteria: Must demonstrate and maintain current knowledge and skills necessary to provide care/services to the age of the patients served in the hospital facility. Must also possess the ability to assess data and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patients requirements relative to their specific needs.
• Other: Understands the mission and vision of the hospital. Operates within the concept of patient focused care. Evolves into an effective team member. Must adhere to dress code; good grooming and personal hygiene habits; and strict adherence to attendance policies. Maintains knowledge of and conforms to hospital policies and procedures. Employee must maintain satisfactory level of knowledge and skill in Age Specific Competencies for the appropriate patient population.

Key Relationships

• Maintains positive relationships with internal customers. Is effective in interacting with others and problem-solving.
• Maintains positive relationships with external customers. Is effective in interacting with others and problem-solving.
• Proactive in meeting customers needs. Responds promptly to customer needs or requests.
• Keeps Director informed of problems, recommends solutions.
• Participates in education/development of peers and other staff.

Initiative

• Develops specific work plans and due dates.
• Follows through on planned assignments within assigned time frames.
• Effectively prioritizes assignments.
• Demonstrates a willingness to accept extra assignments.
• Adjusts to change, work pressures or different situations without undue stress.
• Demonstrates skill in developing improvements in work methods.
• Effective in cost control and resource utilization

Professionalism

• Adheres to dress code, conduct and attendance policies.
• Accepts both positive and negative constructive feedback.
• Attends at least 80% of in-services and departmental meetings.
• Demonstrates a supportive/positive attitude toward the hospital and fellow employees is a positive team member.
• Expresses self in an organized, comprehensive, articulate and concise manner