JOB SUMMARY
This position shall be responsible for explaining the Hospice program to referrals, assessing the patient/family status, advise on appropriateness of admission based on the Hospice admission criteria, and will perform admissions. Will seek education and learning experiences to maintain current knowledge and skills. Performs responsibilities utilizing knowledge of office systems and processes, regulations and Hospice goals and objectives.
Hours - 1 day per week plus 10:00 AM -10:30 PM Saturdays/Sundays
RESPONSIBILITIES
Essential
1. Makes the initial contact on referrals as required, explaining Hospice services and evaluating the patient’s ability to meet Hospice’s admission criteria.
2. Responds timely to all referrals, fostering relationships of trust, responsiveness, and open communication with all referring customers including but not limited to hospital case managers, physicians, patients and families.
3. Promotes the Hospice benefit and provides education to all potential referring customers including but not limited to case managers, physicians and physician office staff, and community groups.
4. Assists in the evaluation and transfer of the patient to the Inpatient Facility and other contracted facilities as indicated.
5. Makes visits to hospitalized patients for the purpose of evaluating education, providing patient / family support and assisting in the discharge planning process as necessary.
6. Performs as admission nurse in the home, extended care facilities, and assisted living facilities. Completes admission and begins assessment of patient / family needs including physical, emotional, and bereavement status.
7. Insures optimal communication and reimbursement by providing for documentation of services rendered that is compliant with state and federal regulations.
8. Participates in on-call service to patient/family to insure availability on a 24 hour, seven day a week basis.
9. Completes and documents all admission paperwork using point of care service in a concise manner with the patient/family, targeting meeting the patient goals of care.
10. Voicemails appropriate teams and or departments only pertinent information.
11. Collaborates with Director or designee to assure completion of duties, scheduling and arranging coverage for referrals and admissions.
12. Collaborates with Referral Supervisor and hospice MD/NP regarding medical eligibility and paint the picture documentation.
13. Exemplifies time management skills to complete at least 2 admissions in a work day.
14. Builds collaborative relationships with Referral and Admission Team members, Interdisciplinary Teams, Referral Coordinators, and others to assure coordination and continuity of care and services.
15. Mediates and solves problems effectively.
16. Communicates with all community partners and referral sources, as well as with families in a positive manner, consistently seeking win-win solutions.
17. Meets with patient/family to identify needs and offer hospice solutions.
18. Reviews relevant medical records, assessing for documentation for support hospice medical eligibility and goals of care.
19. Evaluates coverage/relatedness of care/treatment/services based on the hospice patient care and treatment coverage guidelines. Informs others for all care/treatment/services needed at admission.
20. Begins the interdisciplinary assessment based on immediate patient/family needs, as outlined in the plan of care established for patient admission.
21. Identifies immediate education needs of the patient/family and addresses those needs.
22. Evaluates patient/family outcomes and satisfaction with care/services provided.
23. As appropriate during admission, may begin the process for preparing family/caregiver for the dying process, including signs and symptoms of impending death and notification of hospice at the time of death.
24. As appropriate during the admission process, meet with varying facility care staff. Assess staff for hospice/palliative care education needs, communicate plans for and build a collaborative relationship with external customer.
25. Completes requests for other services (Certified Nursing Assistant, Volunteer, other) and initiates plan of care when service need is identified upon admission.
26. Completes the admission Plan of Care, in coordination with the patient/family.
27. Demonstrates the ability to work autonomously, with efficiency, time management and strong work ethic to see the task to completion.
28. Participates on assigned committees and/or staff meetings (e.g. Tumor board, Cancer Care Committee, Palliative Care Committee).
29. Participates in the provision of educational and community relations activities to the community and other health care professionals as requested.
30. Completes medication reconciliation at visits comparing profile to pharmacy profile and medications present in the home or facility. This includes notifying the pharmacy of changes in orders.
31. Provides support to the Hospice Inpatient Facility as needed in the accomplishment of effective patient / family care.
32. Consults with appropriate Patient Care Manager/Director Clinical Services for questions and concerns regarding urgent needs/issues that arise.
33. Demonstrates competency in understanding quality metrics and is accountable for following standards and best practices in order to contribute to organizational excellence.
Additional Duties & Responsibilities
1. Performs additional duties and/or responsibilities as delegated by the Director of Clinical Services including but not limited to direct patient care, after-hours visits (i.e. symptom management, death visit, post fall visit), admissions, discharges, preparing family and caregiver for dying process, medication administration and treatments.
2. Provides assistance with medical record workflow including but not limited to audits, physician order approvals and patient transfers within the electronic health record.
QUALIFICATIONS
1. Education – Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing (BSN); or currently enrolled in an accredited program.
2. Experience – Preferred: One to three years’ experience in health care.
3. Licensure
a. Licensed Registered Nurse in the State of Indiana.
b. Valid Driver’s License and car insurance.
SKILLS
- Proven managerial skills, including strong oral and written communication skills; excellent listening skills; excellent interpersonal and motivational skills; and the ability to interpret instructions furnished in a variety of formats, e.g. written, oral, diagram, etc.
- Demonstrated knowledge of healthcare regulations.
- Ability to read, analyze and interpret general industry periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, and governmental regulations.
- Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.
- Ability to effectively present information to and respond to questions from patients/families and the general public.
- Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.
- Excellent problem solving ability.
- Must be able to effectively utilized Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint and the Internet.