Discharge Planner

Job Purpose
The Discharge Planner ensures that the department meets the discharge planning needs of our client hospitals’ patients. They collaborate with patients, nursing homes, and mental health and substance abuse facilities

Duties & Responsibilities

• Effectively communicate with client hospitals to assist in implementing an appropriate discharge plan to meet patients’ needs
• Work with hospital staff, patients, and families to reduce the incidence of avoidable days and to lower the patients’ overall average length of stay
• Facilitate timely discharges/transfers while identifying early identification of the appropriate reimbursement source for nursing home placement or rehabilitative services
• Interact with health care providers to facilitate movement of the patient through the system
• Update accounts with detailed progress notes, as needed
• Contact nursing homes for patient placement
• Maintain written records relating to facilities contacted
• Produce reports using Microsoft Excel and our proprietary database
• On occasion, travel to deliver and/or retrieve documents from our client hospital locations and nursing homes
• Other duties as assigned
• Use, protect and disclose patients’ protected health information (PHI) only in accordance with Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards
• Understand and comply with Information Security and HIPAA policies and procedures at all times
• Limit viewing of PHI to the absolute minimum as necessary to perform assigned duties

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required
• Valid Driver’s License with clean driving record
• 2+ years of healthcare experience
• Must be fluent in Spanish and English to effectively communicate with patients
• Knowledge of community resources and benefits such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security
• Ability to learn internal databases (Prolaw)
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate well at all levels of the organization
• Strong problem solving and creative skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on accurate and timely analyses
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results oriented
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills required
• Gracious and welcoming personality for customer service interaction

Working Conditions

• Occasional travel to hospitals and other locations
• Must possess a smart-phone or electronic device capable of downloading applications, for multifactor authentication and security purposes.
• Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to move around the work area; Sit; perform manual tasks; operate tools and other office equipment such as computer, computer peripherals and telephones; extend arms; kneel; talk and hear.
• Mental Demands: The employee must be able to follow directions, collaborate with others, and handle stress.
• Work Environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually minimal.


Med-Metrix will not discriminate against any employee or applicant for employment because of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, veteran status, other non-merit based factors, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.