Discharge Planner - PRN

Louisiana Behavioral Health is a partnership between Ochsner LSU Health Shreveport and Oceans Healthcare, two Louisiana‑based providers leading the transformation of behavioral health care through evidence‑based, patient‑centered treatment for adolescents, adults and seniors. The Discharge Planner coordinates with admission and clinical staff to meet patients’ treatment needs for inpatient programs in accordance with Joint Commission, federal and state regulations, Oceans’ mission, policies, procedures, and performance‑improvement standards. This role acts as a patient liaison for physicians, clinical staff, and family members, and works with the Performance Improvement Coordinator to conduct closed and concurrent reviews of medical records.

Essential Functions

• Functions as patient liaison in the role of discharge planner to coordinate patient treatments with the physician, therapist, and nursing staff.
• Reviews psychosocial data and other assessments to complete discharge assessment with the patient; presents to the multidisciplinary treatment team for review and approval.
• Schedules appointments, follows up on absentees, and completes continuing‑care plans.
• Attends treatment team meetings and communicates discharge‑planning activities to other team members.
• Attends status meetings to share pertinent data, update the attendance calendar, and communicate individual patient needs to clinical and admission staff.
• Performs additional discharge‑planning duties as required, coordinates communication among staff involved in the patient’s care, and completes paperwork for judicial commitments and state‑bed packets.
• Completes referral processes and necessary paperwork for all other levels of care, makes follow‑up appointments, prepares follow‑up letters, completes medication‑assistance forms, and assists patients and families with follow‑up care items.
• Conducts special retrospective studies/audits when needed by M&PS or other committee structures.
• Accurately conducts discharge reviews on 100 % of all discharges each month, inputs review information into the computer database, and completes all initial CQI+ forms and questionnaires in a timely manner.
• Performs other duties and projects as assigned.

Education / Experience

• Associate degree with emphasis in healthcare or bachelor’s degree in a social‑services field (preferred).
• At least one year of psychiatric/chemical‑dependency experience with solid psychiatric/medical knowledge (preferred).

Skills / Abilities

• Demonstrates excellent assertive communication and customer‑service skills.
• Possesses in‑depth knowledge of chemical dependency and psychiatric treatment, including the discharge‑planning process.
• Strong writing and composition skills.
• Understands regulatory requirements, fiscal reimbursement, and utilization review as integral components of patient care.
• Demonstrates strong patient‑advocacy skills.
• Able to organize, prioritize, and manage a high‑volume workload effectively.
• Skilled in analyzing and utilizing data and systems to provide individualized, cost‑effective, high‑quality treatment.
• Functions independently with minimal supervision while maintaining a positive work attitude.
• Interacts cooperatively and professionally with staff to achieve optimal patient outcomes.
• Competent in addressing age‑, disability‑, and culturally related patient needs, relating to patients in a sensitive and respectful manner.
• Must successfully complete and maintain Basic Life Support (BLS) certification and an Oceans‑approved behavioral‑health de‑escalation program.

Work Environment

• Subject to many interruptions.
• Occasional pressure due to multiple calls and inquiries.
• Position can be high‑paced and stressful; must be able to cope mentally and physically with the atmosphere.
• Work requires spending approximately 90 % or more of the time inside a building that offers protection from weather conditions but not necessarily from temperature changes.