Advanced Practice Provider

Department

BSD MED - Geriatrics - Advanced Practice Providers

About the Department

The Inpatient Geriatrics Consult Service was established to take care of complex issues that arise in patients older than 65 years old who have been hospitalized. These patients often have different needs than their younger counterparts, often experiencing delirium, falls, failure to thrive, and other complex geriatric syndromes related to their age and co-morbid conditions. The Geriatrics Inpatient Consultation team is able to recognize the issues that occur in this unique and vulnerable patient base, and can improve outcomes and length of stay for these patients with their recommendations. The service also serves to evaluate patients for appropriateness of discharge to post-acute care settings. By implementing these “warm handoffs” to the nursing homes in particular, we have been able to reduce 30-day all cause rehospitalizations by over 50%. A robust Inpatient Geriatrics Consultation Service can save the hospital substantial amounts of money in Medicare denials for readmission, more timely discharges and better outcomes for these patients. They can also work collaboratively with surgical services to optimize perioperative care.

Job Summary

The Advanced Practice Provider (APP) will work as part of a Geriatrics Inpatient Consultation team, alongside the attending on service, one existing APP, and learners (medical students, internal medicine residents, and fellows) who work directly with the attending physicians. The APP is expected to work independently to evaluate geriatric patients and make recommendations to the primary service to improve the course of each patient’s treatment while admitted to the hospital. Possibility to split the job between outpatient geriatrics care and inpatient geriatrics care, but the primary responsibility would be for inpatient care (80:20).

Responsibilities

• Evaluation and treatment of geriatric patients in the inpatient setting, with the goal to improve their outcomes, improve transitions of care to the post-acute setting, and to make recommendations to the primary service that will result in improved geriatrics syndromes, better discharge planning, and enhanced documentation to impact the O-E Mortality mode.

• Provides independent interventions and evaluation of care.

• Conducts daily rounds (Monday-Friday), assessment, and discharge planning of hospitalized medical patients.

• Works closely with social workers and case managers on the floors to identify appropriate candidates for discharge, early in their admissions, and prepare them for discharge.

• Participates in the development, review and evaluation of standards and protocols.

• Communicates regularly with the physicians, nurses and staff of the skilled nursing facilities to ensure pertinent patient information is received by the team.

• Assesses newly-transferred patients, and creates treatment plans.

• Takes patient histories, conducts physical examinations, writes progress notes.

• Prepares patient workups and summaries noting pertinent positive and negative findings.

• Designs patient education programs that include information required to make informed health care and treatment decisions.

• Evaluates goals and outcomes taking into account the benefit-versus-burden, safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness for the patient, family and the organization.

• Performs other related work as needed. ​

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree from an accredited school/college.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through a combination of education and a minimum of 2 years of relevant work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

Current and/or eligible for State of Illinois licensure/registration required. Eligibility to be privileged and credentialed through the Medical Staff Office (MSO). - State of Illinois

---

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated clinical competency, effective leadership and teaching skills.

• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work independently.

• Strong organizational skills.

• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills and strong analytical skills.