Team Manager Home Care

VITAS Healthcare•Atlanta, GA

About The Position

The Team Manager leads the Patient Care Team and supervises, evaluates, and coordinates its interdisciplinary members. The role ensures 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 each patient’s interdisciplinary plan of care. Responsibilities include reviewing admissions and discharges, collaborating with physicians on palliative care, ensuring timely recertification decisions, monitoring service levels and resource needs, coordinating team coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week, facilitating team meetings, and participating in the on-call rotation. The role hires, trains, supervises, evaluates, and may dismiss staff in conjunction with the Patient Care Administrator. It supports staff competence through field visits, documentation review, training, mentoring, schedule oversight, and payroll approval. The manager also monitors clinical records and team activities for quality and regulatory compliance; supports improvement initiatives, surveys, chart reviews, utilization reviews, and program reviews; and addresses patient, family, physician, and customer service concerns. Additional responsibilities include verifying and approving admitting plans of care, monitoring resource use and costs, managing productivity and patient-care budgets, approving related bills and invoices, and pursuing professional development.

Requirements

Reliable transportation and an appropriate license and insurance coverage for the driver and passengers.
Private telephone in the home.
Knowledge of primary medical and nursing care principles and practices, including working knowledge of oncologic nursing and palliative care.
Basic understanding of interdisciplinary health care team dynamics 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 R.N. license to practice in the state where the VITAS program is located.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Responsibilities

Supervise, evaluate, and coordinate interdisciplinary Patient Care Team members.
Ensure continuity of care from admission through discharge, transfer, or bereavement, and maintain patient records throughout that process.
Serve as patient advocate and coordinate with community social service and health care providers.
Direct patient care services, including volunteer and bereavement services, and ensure they are integrated into the interdisciplinary plan of care.
Review pending and new admissions and discharges to assess eligibility, appropriateness, and discharge planning.
Collaborate with team and attending physicians on palliative measures for pain and symptom management.
Ensure complete and accurate information is available for timely recertification decisions.
Monitor staffing, medications, equipment, supplies, and changes in level of care to ensure services meet patient and family needs.
Manage team schedules and coordinate services for patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Facilitate team meetings and interdisciplinary updates to plans of care.
Participate in the on-call rotation.
Interview, select, train, supervise, evaluate, and dismiss team staff in conjunction with the Patient Care Administrator.
Support staff competence and performance through field visits, documentation review, team training, mentoring, and assistance with clinical and team issues.
Oversee staff and volunteer schedules, scheduling, and territory assignments to distribute workload equitably and meet productivity expectations.
Review and approve payroll and ensure accurate documentation of time, mileage, and expenses.
Monitor clinical records and team activities for accuracy, completeness, quality, and compliance with VITAS policies and regulatory requirements.
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.
Assist with regulatory surveys and information requests as directed by the local program.
Conduct substantive chart reviews, participate in Outcomes Management and annual program review, and perform utilization reviews of continuous care and inpatient levels of care.
Resolve patient, family, physician, and managed-care customer service issues and analyze team service concerns to improve performance.
Speak with patients, families, and attending physicians when a patient is considering revocation to seek solutions.
Visit long-term-care and contract-bed facilities to support care-plan integration, customer satisfaction, and discussion of appropriateness criteria.
Participate in customer in-services and professional, voluntary, or community service organizations.
Verify and approve admitting diagnoses, treatments, staffing, and supplies in the initial plan of care.
Monitor patient resource utilization and manage productivity, labor, and patient-care costs in relation to budget.
Approve bills and invoices related to patient care services.
Attend educational sessions and pursue professional growth goals.
Mentor newly hired Team Managers.