Job Objective : Under the direction of the Director of Case Management, or designee, the Register Nurse (RN) Case Manager is responsible for prioritizing, planning, and monitoring the patient's progress through the Antelope Valley Hospital system. The Case Manager assesses for appropriate medical care with effective utilization of resources while promoting continuity of care. The RN Case Manager provides guidance and oversight to the LVN Discharge Coordinator, the Discharge Coordinator Assistant and the Utilization Review Assistant.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Case Management
Identifies care not meeting acute care criteria, or care that could be provided at an alternate level of care and researches, communicates and recommends alternative cost effective health care services to the health care team
Maintains knowledge and understanding of Medicare, Medi-Cal, CCS, GHPP, Managed Care, and other payer regulations and benefit limits
Acts as a resource to physicians and nursing staff regarding discharge planning and all issues that may affect resource utilization and reimbursement
Facilitates transitions of patients to the most appropriate level of care by providing pertinent clinical information to other health care providers
Works with onsite reviewers to facilitate communication of authorizations and documentation of discharge plans provided by the onsite reviewer
Utilizes the HDM and LING systems to trigger and monitor discharge planning and social work needs
Serves as a hospital and patient advocate regarding all clinical, social, financial and ethical healthcare matters
Identifies and reports abuse of children and adults as mandated by state law
Performs other duties as assigned
Utilization Review (UR) Management
Accurately completes admission, concurrent and retrospective reviews of the medical record in the HDM system for Medicare, Medi-Cal and other payers utilizing InterQual criteria for Severity of Illness and Intensity of Service criteria
Evaluates the medical record for documentation that supports services provided
Notifies the physician if documentation does not support the level of care provided and actively works with physicians on the concurrent medical record to improve accuracy and efficiency in capturing pertinent documentation
Utilizes the PCC Physician Advisor as needed for intervention with the medical staff relative to medical necessity, utilization of services, clinical documentation, denial review or clarification of discharge plan
Monitors payer authorizations to provide timely concurrent reviews and provides payers with pertinent clinical information for authorization and reimbursement of care
Completes appropriate documentation as required by payors, including but not limited to TARs and CCS referrals
Monitors and develops action plans for metrics including length of stay and resource utilization uses data to identify trends and problem utilization areas including avoidable days
Collects and uses data to identify trends and problem utilization areas including avoidable days
Identifies drivers of variation of care for high cost, high volume DRGs to assist in focused DRG effort
Notifies the physician of potential or actual concurrent denials. Intervenes with the physician, the Physician Advisor and the payer to attempt resolution of denial issues. Consults with the Physician Advisor and department Director and issues letters of non-coverage when appropriate
Reviews denied claims to evaluate for potential appeal. If appropriate, prepares appeal including documentation to support care provided and coordinates with the Utilization Review Assistant to assure timely submission of the appeal
Provides physician education regarding denied claims to minimize future denials
Refers to the Discharge Coordinator or Social Worker when indicated to facilitate the patient's transition to the appropriate level of care
Discharge Planning
Responsible for the timely development, implementation and documentation of an individualized discharge plan in collaboration with the patient, their family and the physician
Based on patient needs, updates the Discharge Plan throughout the hospital stay and maintains accurate, timely documentation on the medical record to enable other members of the Healthcare Team to complete the plan
Communicates the Discharge Plan to the health care team
Facilitates use of the most appropriate level of care to conserve patient, hospital and payer resources
Obtains authorizations for discharge planning needs, and if necessary, negotiates with payer to maximize post acute care benefits
Works with the Discharge Coordinator Assistant to facilitate placement and transfers to other acute and post acute care facilities
Works with the Discharge Coordinator Assistant and the nursing unit staff to coordinate medical transportation
Assesses for Home Health, Home Infusion and DME needs, makes referrals to the appropriate agencies and documents in the medical record to facilitate the completion of arrangements
Develops and maintains knowledge and understanding of hospital and community resources
Provides patients with referrals to and education of community resources
Collects and uses data to identify trends and utilization of discharge planning resources
Non-Essential Duties:
Assist with other duties as assigned , within skill sets and abilities
Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:
Knowledge
InterQual Guidelines
Working knowledge of Government, State, HMO, PPO, Commercial, and Workers Compensation utilization, authorization and billing guidelines
Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
Working knowledge of medical terminology
Skills
Knowledge of basic personal computers
Proficient in the operation of scanners, copiers, and fax machines
Good oral and written communication skills
Good interpersonal skills and customer focus
Abilities
Ability to handle stress
Ability to manage a heavy caseload in an organized and efficient manner
Ability to maintain a working relationship with other facilities and departments within the organization
Ability to document account information at time of account follow-up
Ability to run case management related reports as needed
Core Competencies: All AVH employees will effectively demonstrate these behaviors:
Accountability
Action Oriented
Customer Focused
Compassion
Effective Communication
Teamwork
Ethics & Values
Integrity & Trust
Education and Experience:
Education
High School graduate or equivalent
Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, preferred
Experience
Minimum 3-years broad-based acute care nursing experience
Case Management, Discharge Planning, and/or Home Health experience, preferred
Required Licensure and/or Certifications:
Registered Nurse License
CPR Certification
AVH Conduct/Compliance Expectations :
Ability to adhere with AVH Absenteeism and Tardiness Policy
Ability to adhere with AVH Leaves of Absence Policy
Ability to adhere with AVH Paid Time Off (PTO) Policy
Ability to adhere with AVH Recording of Hours Worked Policy
Ability to adhere to the department dress code
Ability to organize work and establish priorities
Ability to expand on own initiative in performance of duties
Skill and ability to follow the telephone etiquette/standards
Conforms to AVH Standards of Excellence
Ability to function effectively under pressure and meet time parameters
Ability to communicate effectively while maintaining good working relationships with co-workers, managers and other hospital staff
Ability to adhere to the normal standards of courtesy and conduct as defined under the rules of hospitality at AVH
Ability to maintain the confidentiality of patient, hospital and department information
Ability to adhere to safety rules and regulations
Safely and effectively uses all equipment necessary to carry out duties
Ability to interpret and function under hospital and department policies and procedures
Conforms with required and appropriate JCAHO requirements
Conforms with and supports hospital quality assurance and improvement guidelines
Ability to participate effectively in department and hospital staff education
Display a willingness to work as a team player
Ability to give and support the highest level of patient/customer satisfaction at all times
Supports and adheres to the values and mission statement established by the AVH Board of Directors
Ability to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the Compliance & Integrity Program and its requirements; complies with duty to report behavior standard; demonstrates understanding of purpose for a Compliance hotline and the importance of seeking guidance from a supervisor or the Compliance Officer when in doubt regarding a possible compliance issue
Ability to follow the Code of Business Conduct (Standards of Business Ethics and Integrity)
Physical Requirements and Working Conditions:
Primarily works in a climate-controlled area
Standing and/or walking 75% of time on duty
Tolerate repetitive arm and hand movements
Education and Experience:
Education
High School graduate or equivalent
Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, preferred
Experience
Minimum 3-years broad-based acute care nursing experience
Case Management, Discharge Planning, and/or Home Health experience, preferred
Required Licensure and/or Certifications:
Registered Nurse License
CPR Certification