Team Manager Home Care

VITAS Healthcare•Fairview Heights, IL

10d

About The Position

The Team Manager leads the Patient Care Team, supervising, evaluating, and coordinating interdisciplinary team members. The role assures continuity of care from admission through discharge, transfer, or bereavement; advocates for patients; coordinates with community social-service and health-care providers; and maintains patient records throughout the care process. The manager directs patient-care services, including volunteer and bereavement services, and ensures they are integrated into the interdisciplinary plan of care. The role oversees admission, discharge, recertification, care planning, service coordination, staffing, and resource use. The Team Manager also supervises and develops staff, monitors regulatory compliance and quality improvement, addresses customer-service concerns, and manages patient-care costs and productivity. The position participates in the on-call rotation and professional development activities, including mentoring newly hired Team Managers.

Requirements

Reliable transportation and appropriate license and insurance coverage for the driver and passengers.
Private telephone in the home.
Knowledge of the principles and practices of primary medical and nursing care, including working knowledge of oncologic nursing and palliative care.
Basic understanding of interpersonal dynamics in interdisciplinary health-care teams and knowledge of dying and bereavement.
Working knowledge of the VITAS information system (Vx) and ability to use management reports.
Two years of successful supervisory experience or equivalent experience in a health-care organization.
Current and valid RN license to practice in the state where the VITAS program is located.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Direct all patient-care services for the team, including volunteer and bereavement services, and ensure integration with the interdisciplinary plan of care.
Review pending and new admissions and “alive” discharges to ensure eligibility and appropriateness criteria are met.
Collaborate with the team physician and attending physician regarding palliative care for pain and symptom management.
Ensure complete and accurate documentation is available for timely recertification decisions.
Review imminent “alive” discharges and ensure effective discharge planning.
Monitor the type and level of services provided to ensure they are appropriate and responsive to patient and family needs.
Manage the team schedule and ensure coordination of services 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Facilitate team meetings and interdisciplinary updates to plans of care as patient and family needs change.
Participate in the on-call rotation.
Interview, select, train, supervise, evaluate, and dismiss team staff in conjunction with the Patient Care Administrator.
Assess staff competence through field visits and documentation review, and provide team-based in-services.
Mentor and support staff on clinical issues, documentation, problem-solving, and customer service.
Oversee staff and volunteer schedules and territory assignments to distribute workload equitably and meet productivity expectations.
Review and approve payroll, ensuring accurate documentation of time, mileage, and additional expenses.
Monitor clinical records and team activities for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with VITAS policies and regulatory standards.
Develop and implement performance-improvement activities and participate in quality and service improvement programs.
Ensure completion of patient and family satisfaction surveys and implementation of quality-improvement measures and standards.
Assist with regulatory surveys and requests as directed by the local program, and perform substantive chart reviews.
Participate in Outcomes Management and the annual program review.
Perform utilization review of continuous-care and inpatient levels of care for patients on the team.
Address and resolve patient, family, physician, and MCO complaints or service failures promptly and satisfactorily.
Analyze customer-service issues and work with individuals and the team to improve performance.
Speak with patients, families, and attending physicians when a patient is considering revocation to seek solutions that may avoid unnecessary revocation.
Visit long-term-care and contract-bed facilities to support care-plan integration and customer satisfaction and discuss appropriateness criteria.
Provide in-services to customers with other team members and program staff, and participate in professional, voluntary, or community service organizations.
Verify and approve admitting IPOC diagnoses, treatments, staffing, and supplies.
Monitor patient resource utilization for cost-effective service delivery and manage productivity, labor, and patient-care costs within budget.
Approve bills and invoices related to patient-care services.
Attend in-services, educational seminars, and workshops; develop and achieve professional growth goals; and mentor newly hired Team Managers.