Inpatient Care Manager

Advocate Health and Hospitals Corporation • Park Ridge, IL

9d • Onsite

About The Position

The Inpatient Care Manager is responsible for conducting complete assessments, establishing appropriate plans, and initiating interventions within desired timeframes. This role collaborates and negotiates effectively with patients, families, and the healthcare team to achieve patient and organizational goals related to care needs, choice, and satisfaction during discharge planning and care transitions. The Care Manager utilizes patient/family strengths in the problem-solving process, involving them and the team in decision-making from admission throughout the hospital stay. They provide continuity of care and discharge planning services compliant with regulatory standards by offering coordinated options and services based on assessed needs, ensuring patients, families, and the healthcare team are informed and able to proceed with accountabilities in a timely manner. This includes facilitating smooth transitions for patients, families, and staff during transfers. The role also involves providing case management services for various levels of healthcare, finances, housing, family discord, or illness adjustment, managing family dynamics and crisis situations, using community resources effectively, and educating patients/families on accessing and using services. Initiating internal and external referrals, documenting interventions and utilization review activity, and performing concurrent and retrospective reviews are key functions. The Care Manager communicates effectively with the healthcare team, partners with Social Work and unlicensed support personnel, and serves as an active member of the Outcome Facilitation Team/Patient Care Multidisciplinary Team. They collaborate with medical staff, hospital departments, and ancillary services to resolve discharge barriers, expedite care delivery, and implement/report care coordination, discharge planning, and utilization management activities. Collaboration with managers, physicians, medical directors, advisory groups, and treatment teams on physician practices and best practices for patient care plans is expected. The role involves referring cases to a physician advisor as needed and staying knowledgeable about healthcare regulations, reimbursement issues, length of stay impacts, and community resources. Completing UM activities, including providing clinical updates to payers, collecting data, coordinating denial activity, supporting UM activity, and managing avoidable delays, is required. Delivering CMS regulatory notices within established timeframes and developing productive relationships with community-based agencies are also part of the responsibilities. The Care Manager serves as an educator and expert resource to medical and hospital staff regarding admission status, acute care criteria, utilization management, care coordination, discharge planning, and regulatory requirements. The position requires the ability to demonstrate knowledge and skills for age-appropriate patient care, understanding principles of growth and development, assessing patient status, and interpreting information to meet age-specific needs.

Requirements

• Registered Nurse License issued by the state in which the Team Member practices.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
• 2 years of clinical nursing experience.
• Ability to prioritize and organize work.
• Effective communication skills.
• Utilization of critical thinking and timely decision making.
• Ability to navigate the Electronic Health Record.
• Basic utilization of MS Office products.
• Knowledge of Medicare A and B guidelines.
• Knowledge of Managed Care program requirements/implications.
• Ability to apply elements of Utilization Management programs.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served.
• Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures.

Responsibilities

• Conducts complete assessments, establishes appropriate plans, and initiates interventions within desired timeframes.
• Collaborates and negotiates effectively with patient, family, and team while striving to achieve patient and organizational goals with regard to patient’s care needs, choice and satisfaction when discharge planning/transitioning care.
• Utilizes patient/family strengths in the problem-solving process, involving the patient/family and team in the decision-making process beginning on admission and continuing throughout patient’s hospital stay.
• Provides continuity of care and discharge planning services compliant with regulatory standards by providing coordinated relevant options and services based on assessed needs to ensure patient/family and healthcare team is informed and able to proceed with accountabilities in a timely manner.
• This includes participating in the communication process to facilitate a smooth transition for patient, family, and staff when patients are transferred.
• Provides case management services related to various levels of health care, finances, housing, family discord, or illness adjustment, based department scope.
• This may include managing family dynamics and crisis situations in a timely and professional manner, using community resources effectively, and educating patient/family regarding access to and use of services.
• Initiates internal and external referrals to assure timely progression of care and transitions.
• Documents discharge planning interventions and utilization review activity per department and medical center standards in a timely manner.
• Performs and documents accurate and timely concurrent and retrospective reviews based on approved established criteria as required by department standards.
• Communicates effectively with the healthcare team.
• Works in partnership with Social Work and unlicensed support personnel to effectively establish and implement a safe plan of care.
• Serves as an active member of the Outcome Facilitation Team/Patient Care Multidisciplinary Team and works closely with medical staff, hospital departments and ancillary services in identification and resolution of barriers to discharge, expediting care delivery to avoid delays in timely service provision, and implementing and reporting care coordination, discharge planning and utilization management (UM) activities.
• Collaborates with managers, physicians, medical directors, advisory groups, and treatment teams for issues related to physician practices and best practices for the patient’s plan of care.
• Refers cases to physician advisor as needed to ensure efficient progression of care, accurate status, and compliance with regulatory guidelines.
• Remains knowledgeable in issues of healthcare regulations, reimbursement issues, impact on length of stay and community resources.
• Completes UM activities as required based on local structure to include providing clinical updates to payers and/or external review organizations, collecting data, coordinating denial activity, supporting UM activity, and managing avoidable delays.
• Delivers CMS regulatory notices within CMS established timeframes, as appropriate based on-site guidelines.
• Develops and maintains productive relationships with community-based agencies and networks by representing Advocate Aurora Health Care in a positive manner working collaboratively, internally, and externally, to meet patient/family needs.
• Works in collaboration with Advocate Aurora Ambulatory Care Management and Continuing Health to meet common goals and outcomes.
• Serves as an educator and expert resource to medical and hospital staff regarding admission status and acute care criteria, utilization management issues, care coordination and discharge planning needs, and relevant regulatory requirements.
• Must be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served.
• Must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient's status and interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient's requirements relative to his/her age-specific needs, and to provide the care needed as described in the department's policies and procedures.
• Age-specific information is developed further in the departmental job standards.

Benefits

• Compensation Base compensation listed within the listed pay range based on factors such as qualifications, skills, relevant experience, and/or training
• Premium pay such as shift, on call, and more based on a teammate's job
• Incentive pay for select positions
• Opportunity for annual increases based on performance
• Paid Time Off programs
• Health and welfare benefits such as medical, dental, vision, life, and Short- and Long-Term Disability
• Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses
• Family benefits such as adoption assistance and paid parental leave
• Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs
• Educational Assistance Program

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level