Medical Social Worker

Primary Function

The incumbent is responsible for all operational activities of the Social Services program. The incumbent is responsible for planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and managing Social Services activities in order to assure meeting the needs of the member. The position also includes case management duties to assure clinically and financially responsible care. He/she maintains liaison with other departments, agencies, organizations, and community resources in determining appropriate resource utilization.

Job Description

Incumbent serves as the consultant to the Tribal Option staff on all matters pertaining to social work services.
Incumbent provides a wide range of social work activities to eligible Tribal Option members.
Incumbent is the official liaison and will promote and facilitate a positive professional relationship between EBCI Tribal Option and other social service and human service programs in the area. This includes all Tribal, regional, community, courts, and other medical and behavioral health facilities upon request for the Native American population served.
Services provided may include, but are not limited to the following:
Assisting members and families with discharge planning,
Arranging member transfer and transporting to and from other facilities,
Referrals for financial resources,
Referrals for death and dying resources and services,
Referrals for advanced directive facilitation and resources,
Assisting with referrals for child/adult abuse/neglect to the appropriate agencies,
Through consultation, shares social evaluations and knowledge of members, their families, and community resources with physicians, planning for the treatment and/or rehabilitation of members.
Utilizes the care management platform for documentation of interventions and outcomes and interactions with individuals encountered in providing care.
Assists the Tribal Option team with the development of plans of care by assessing the member’s needs through interviews with members, relatives, and other care team members in order to obtain pertinent information.
Ensures conformance to acceptable standards of Social Service and Case Management practice, including all policies, procedures, rules, and regulations of the Cherokee Indian Hospital, JCAHO, CMS, and State Division of Medical Assistance.
Responsible for assisting with planning, developing, and implementing the Social Service program.
Implementing Social Service activities within the organization including concurrent and retrospective reviews, identification of actual and/or potential delays in service and/or treatment, and reporting trends of inappropriate utilization of resources.
Attends daily multidisciplinary inpatient rounds and confers with the Inpatient Social Worker and Medical staff on Social Services and Care Management services.
Assists the Tribal Option staff as needed with coordination of care and disposition of members, such as, but not limited to members requiring placement or transfer to any medical, non-medical and/or behavioral health facilities.
Assists the nursing and medical staff as needed with facilitation of transfer for members from outside facilities back to CIHA medical or behavioral health inpatient units.
Responsible for identifying providers or services needed to coordinate the member’s care in the Primary Care setting, or upon discharge from the Cherokee Indian Hospital or any regional facility.
Interprets member’s resource and care management needs to the Medical and Nursing staff and collaborates with them in the determining available resources.
Maintains files and prepares reports on Social Service and Case Management activities and areas for improvement for submission to the Tribal Option Care Manager Supervisor and other appropriate groups.
Participates in the development and implementation of Performance Improvement activities, and participates or leads at least one Quality Improvement activity per year (PDSA).
Attends meetings, planning sessions, committees, and serves on teams to promote quality and performance improvement.
Attends conferences and meetings relating to social service practices.

Education, Licensure, Certification, and Experience

• Bachelors Degree in Social Work.
• At least 2 years experience as a Social Worker. Prefer that experience reflects knowledge of Hospital Social Work.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) required for the position. Can be acquired through the facility following appointment to position.