Patient Placement Case Manager, Per Diem

Baystate Health•Springfield, MA

About The Position

This Registered Nurse facilitates accurate patient placement throughout the health system based on clinical relevance and care management principles, while supporting organizational fiscal goals. The role serves as a clinical expert and decision-maker for daily patient throughput at BHS, integrating clinical and financial considerations to determine appropriate levels of care and placement. The Case Manager coordinates behavioral health emergency department admissions and Regional Transfer Center requests, consults specialty providers when needed, and manages internal patient flow between levels of care and beds. The position upholds decision-making processes for appropriate bed assignments and patient throughput. The Case Manager reviews admissions to assess level of care, anticipated length of stay, and care needs; collaborates with healthcare teams on patients’ medical, psychosocial, and physical needs; and uses utilization review criteria, nursing expertise, and judgment to support appropriate care settings. The role coordinates bed requests, transfer acceptance and assignment planning, responds to capacity and placement barriers, and escalates issues according to departmental guidelines. It also supports quality initiatives and department metrics, maintains required education, and serves as a resource for throughput software and Transfer Center applications.

Requirements

Registered Nurse with a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing.
Five years of clinical nursing experience.
Registered Nurse certification/licensure for the State of Massachusetts.
Working knowledge of community resources and utilization and quality review standards.
Ability to organize and prioritize workload to meet deadlines.
Understanding of the hospital’s patient placement guidelines and their role in supporting patient throughput.
Critical-thinking skills and ability to assess and prioritize decisions in a rapidly changing environment.
Excellent interpersonal skills for interacting with healthcare providers and support staff at all levels.
Excellent computer, telephone, organizational, and relationship-building skills.

Nice To Haves

Five years of emergency department or critical care nursing experience.

Responsibilities

Facilitate efficient patient movement from the access point to the appropriate location and level of care; review admissions for level of care, anticipated length of stay, and care needs.
Work with healthcare teams to evaluate patients’ and families’ medical, psychosocial, and physical needs and support appropriate bed placement.
Perform utilization analysis on admission using established screening criteria and guidelines, nursing expertise, and sound judgment; communicate findings to the healthcare team.
Coordinate appropriate bed requests based on patients’ clinical needs and level of care, and act as the patient-throughput decision-maker.
Assess admission and level-of-care appropriateness, communicate changes to the healthcare team, and facilitate discussion of care plans in the appropriate setting.
Intervene in placement or length-of-stay issues according to departmental policies and communicate concerns to the department manager.
Use clinical knowledge to support quality, evidence-based care and placement in the correct unit and behavioral health hospital, with the correct status.
Participate in quality management initiatives and help the department manager collect data and support throughput metrics.
Determine when physician intervention or review is needed for patients who do not meet admission or transfer criteria.
Coordinate provider calls for Transfer Center requests, consult specialists before transfers when needed, and plan bed assignments after acceptance.
Escalate delayed provider responses or conflicting information to service-line leaders according to guidelines.
Collaborate with the clinical supervisor on placement needs and escalate barriers on nursing floors that hinder throughput.
Work with unit staff to coordinate timely bed placement, assess capacity against demand, and identify alternative units when needed.
Monitor the clinical needs of in-house patients to determine triage capability and collaborate with physicians on those needs.
Maintain professional work habits and keep mandatory programs and education records current in accordance with hospital and departmental guidelines.
Serve as a resource and content expert for throughput software and Transfer Center applications.
Provide resource information and seek alternate care locations when the primary unit is unavailable.
Collaborate with the Patient Placement Assistant and communicate bed-placement plans for patient flow and Transfer Center requests.