Rehabilitation Admissions Coordinator

GENERAL SUMMARY:

Assists in identifying and assessing a patient’s need for an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Proactively consults with the interdisciplinary team including patient care staff, physicians, patient family/support systems and other resources as needed to obtain necessary components and complete a rehab pre-admission screen. Helps coordinate and ensure a smooth transition from the referring facility to Bryan’s Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit.

PRINCIPAL JOB FUNCTIONS:

1. *Commits to the mission, vision, beliefs and consistently demonstrates our core values.

2. *Responsible for the early identification of potential patients through interdisciplinary team members and medical record review.

3. *Collaborates with the rehab physician to admit patients to Bryan Inpatient Rehab Unit.

4. *Facilitates patient/family participation in post-acute care planning and post rehab discharge planning.

5. *Provides initial patient/family education with regards to admissions criteria, services provided, typical patient schedule, goals for IRF stay, discharge planning process and anticipated length of stay. Provides patient/family initial education regarding rehab diagnosis, role of the caregiver and estimated plan of care.

6. Provides education to patients, family and support members, and internal and external referral sources on Rehab program benefits, services and qualifications. This will include staying up to date on current advanced certifications of staff members on the unit, rehab unit outcomes, as well as specialized services/consults that are offered.

7. Provides tours of rehab unit for potential patients, family/support members, and potential referral sources. Will be able to give detailed and personalized tours based on patient diagnosis and function regarding specialized therapy equipment and gym spaces, benefits of hospital based IRFs, and safety measures and equipment available to prevent patient harm.

8. Performs utilization review activities, including pre-admission screening, insurance verification for benefits, medical necessity reviews, denial and appeals and coordinates admissions with the admitting physician and staff. Will demonstrate strong clinical judgement to accurately complete an individualized pre-admission screen in a timely manner that justifies admission criteria for an IRF. This will include accurate assessment of patients medical needs, therapy needs, necessary treatments/services while on the IRF, anticipated follow up services and estimated length of stay.

9. Serves as an internal and external resource regarding Medicare/Medicaid rules, regulati0ns and policies, 3rd party and managed care contracts, and authorization for post-acute services.

10. Performs in person evaluation, as appropriate and within scope of professional license, to determine appropriateness for IRF. This could include conducting a therapy session, observing a therapy session and/or having an in-person conversation with the patient/family to identify needs for rehab.

11. Works within professional license on unit as needed when workload allows.

12. *Maintains awareness of financial reimbursement methodology, utilization management, payer/reimbursement practices and regulations and participates in resource stewardship.

13. Promotes quality improvement initiatives and health care outcomes based on currently accepted clinical practice guidelines and total quality improvement initiatives.

14. Maintains professional growth and development through seminars, workshops, and professional affiliations to keep abreast of latest trends in field of expertise.

15. Participates in meetings, committees and department projects as assigned.

16. Performs other related projects and duties as assigned.

(Essential Job functions are marked with an asterisk “*”. Refer to the Job Description Guide for the definition of essential and non-essential job functions.) Attach Addendum for positions with slightly different roles or work-specific differences as needed.

REQUIRED KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

1. Knowledge of CMS and CARF standards for inpatient rehabilitation facilities, specifically regarding admission criteria and pre-admission screening process.

2. Knowledge of governmental and third party payer regulations and requirements related to acute rehabilitation admission, stay and discharge activities, i.e., CMS, CARF.

3. Knowledge of computer hardware equipment and software applications relevant to work functions.

4. Skill in constructive problem solving and conflict resolution.

5. Skill in responding to patient, family and visitor needs with courtesy, consideration, tact and sensitivity.

6. Ability to maintain confidentiality relevant to sensitive information.

7. Ability to communicate and cooperate with all levels of personnel, medical staff and auxiliary and ancillary departments fostering and promoting intra- and inter-departmental relationships.

8. Ability to advocate for patient needs to promote positive outcomes.

9. Ability to prioritize work demands and work with minimal supervision.

10. Ability to communicate effectively both verbally and in writing.

11. Creative problem solving ability to identify and resolve barriers to admission and discharge from the inpatient rehab facility (e.g. identifying home modification needs, assistance at discharge, community resources, etc.)

12. Ability to maintain regular and punctual attendance.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

Current Registered Nurse licensure from the State of Nebraska or approved compact state of residence as defined by the Nebraska Nurse Practice Act OR Current Physical Therapist licensure from the State of Nebraska OR Current Occupational Therapist licensure from the State of Nebraska OR Current speech language pathologist licensure from the State of Nebraska with current Certificate of Clinical Competence (CCC) from American Speech and Hearing Association (ASHA) required.

Minimum of three (3) years recent clinical experience required with preference of experience in an Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility required.

OTHER CREDENTIALS / CERTIFICATIONS:

Basic Life Support (CPR) certification required. Bryan Health recognizes American Heart Association (for healthcare professionals), American Red Cross (for healthcare professionals) and the Military Training Network.

Advanced certifications in the field of rehabilitation are encouraged (e.g.-CRRN, neuro certified specialists, stroke and brain injury certifications, etc.)

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

(Physical Requirements are based on federal criteria and assigned by Human Resources upon review of the Principal Job Functions.)

(DOT) – Characterized as medium work requiring exertion of 20 to 50 pounds of force occasionally, and/or 10 to 25 pounds of force frequently, and/or a greater than negligible up to 10 pounds of force constantly to move objects.

Requires ability to move between facilities, patient rooms and medical center departments in order to meet patient and family contact needs.