Hospice Clinical Team Manager (RN Required)

About the role

The Team Manager leads the Patient Care Team, supervising, evaluating, and coordinating interdisciplinary team members while ensuring continuity of care from admission through discharge or transfer to bereavement. This role serves as patient advocate and coordinator for community health care providers involved in patient care.

Responsibilities

• Direct all patient care services for the team, including volunteer and bereavement services, ensuring integrated delivery across the interdisciplinary plan of care
• Review information on pending admissions, new admissions (assessments and history), and "alive" discharges to verify eligibility and appropriateness criteria
• Collaborate with team physician and attending physician regarding palliative care measures for pain and symptom management
• Ensure complete and accurate data and documentation for recertification decisions, made on a timely basis
• Review all imminent "alive" discharges to assure effective discharge planning
• Monitor type and level of team services (staffing, medications, HME, supplies, level of care changes to inpatient and continuous care) to ensure appropriateness and responsiveness to patient/family needs
• Manage team schedule and coordinate services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to all patients on the team
• Facilitate team meetings, ensuring interdisciplinary input into plan of care updates and revisions based on changing patient and family needs
• Participate in on-call rotation
• Interview, select, train, supervise, evaluate, and dismiss team staff in conjunction with the Patient Care Administrator
• Assure staff competence through field visits, documentation evaluation, and team-based in-services on VITAS values, hospice principles, and team growth needs
• Act as resource and mentor for staff on clinical issues, documentation, inter- and intra-team problem solving, and customer service behavior
• Oversee staff and volunteer schedules, scheduling and territory assignments to assure equitable workload distribution and productivity expectations
• Review and approve payroll, verifying accurate time, mileage, and expense documentation
• Monitor clinical records and team activities for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with VITAS policy and regulatory standards
• Develop and implement performance improvement activities addressing service issues and challenges
• Ensure team completes patient/family satisfaction surveys and implements Quality Improvement measures
• Assist with surveys and requests from regulatory bodies and intermediaries as directed
• Perform substantive chart reviews to verify quality care delivery
• Participate in Outcomes Management and annual program review
• Perform utilization review of continuous care and inpatient levels of care for all patients on team
• Address problems, grievances, and service failures for patients, families, physicians, and MCOs promptly and satisfactorily
• Analyze customer service issues to identify causes and work with team members to improve performance
• Personally speak with patients/families and attending physicians considering revocation to seek satisfactory solutions
• Visit LTC and Contract Bed facilities regularly to assure care plan integration and customer satisfaction
• Participate in providing in-services to customers alongside other team members and program staff
• Participate in professional, voluntary, or community service organizations
• Verify and approve admitting IPOC diagnosis, treatments, staffing, and supplies
• Monitor resource utilization for cost-effective service delivery
• Control and account for productivity, labor, and patient care costs relative to budget
• Approve all bills and invoices related to patient care services
• Attend in-services, educational seminars, and workshops
• Develop and achieve professional growth goals and objectives
• Participate as mentor for newly hired Team Managers

Requirements

• Current and valid R.N. License to practice in the state where the VITAS program is located
• Two years successful supervisory experience or equivalent in a health care organization
• Bachelor's degree preferred
• Reliable transportation with appropriate license and insurance coverage for driver and passengers
• Private telephone in home
• Knowledge of principles and practices of primary medical and nursing care, with working knowledge of oncologic nursing and palliative care
• Basic understanding of interpersonal dynamics within an interdisciplinary health care team
• Knowledge of the process of dying and bereavement
• Working knowledge of VITAS information system (Vx) and ability to utilize management reports