Patient Placement Coordinator - Nursing Administration - Per Diem/Varied - Req# 2134710475

About the Role

The Patient Placement Coordinator (PPC) at Antelope Valley Hospital (AVH) expedites patient admissions from all avenues (Emergency Department, Direct Admits, PACU, Cath Lab, etc.) and inpatient transfers, focusing on Patient Throughput targets with clinical oversight. This role serves as the point person for appropriate patient placement, leveraging clinical expertise to understand the hospital’s capacity and working closely with Bed Control and the House Supervisor. The PPC screens for level-of-care appropriateness and special bed requirements (e.g., isolation, custody, dialysis, patient safety).

Responsibilities

• Demonstrate clinical knowledge to make decisions for specific patient populations, reviewing electronic medical records to ensure appropriate patient placement.
• Focus on patient-specific needs, including isolation, dialysis, involuntary holding, and patient safety.
• Communicate effectively with House Supervisor, Bed Control, and Charge Nurses to discuss patient population needs.
• Direct Bed Control staff to facilitate timely throughput of admissions and transfers, identifying appropriate bed placement based on medical necessity and utilization management principles.
• Track updates and downgrades on all nursing units, ensuring correct bed placement on the first attempt.
• Collaborate with Bed Control and House Supervisor on level of care, special needs, and unit scope of service to ensure compliance with bed placement policies.
• Understand capacity management and crisis intervention, including opening and managing the Incident Command Center with Nursing Administration.
• Maintain communication and review schedules for surgeries, Interventional Radiology, Cardiac Cath Lab, and same-day surgery patients to prioritize bed placement using clinical judgment.
• Assign specialized procedures requiring ICU or PCU beds the day before to ensure planned bed availability.
• Screen all admissions and transfer requests from other facilities, discussing acceptance with the House Supervisor and ED Physician for ED-to-ED transfers.
• Act as a liaison with other departments to check on process delays and maintain communication with nursing and hospital disciplines.
• Coordinate and ensure appropriate physician orders for admissions and transfers, including special needs (e.g., isolation, involuntary holds, psychiatrist consults).
• Handle problems collaboratively with the House Supervisor and escalate issues through the Manager and Director as needed.
• Monitor hospital census and bed availability, including turnover and patient flow, communicating with Charge Nurses about admissions and transfers.
• Escalate patient condition concerns to the House Supervisor or assigned physician to reevaluate level of care.
• Document delays and reasons in appropriate communication tools and flowsheets.
• Prioritize admissions, interpret hospital bed availability, and set patient placement priorities, communicating status updates as situations change.
• Attend Patient Rounds on an ad hoc basis and review Bed Huddle forms from Charge Nurses to assess patient needs.
• Transfer patients as directed by physician orders after clinical review of electronic records.
• Coordinate with Bed Control to notify ED, PACU, or nursing units about bed status (clean, ready, available).
• Monitor patient movement throughout the hospital and individual units, maintaining knowledge of discharges to assist with rapid bed cleaning.
• Work closely with the PCC Department (Case Management) and review the Physician suspension list before admitting patients.
• Ensure physicians are not suspended for admissions or transfers to AVH.
• Exhibit flexibility to adapt to new or unusual situations and assist with Nursing Administration duties as needed.
• Pre-register or register admissions, verifying correct demographic information, and function in all aspects of Bed Control responsibility.
• Assist with or initiate required documentation for HAvBED polling (ReddiNet) to meet County-wide completion expectations, maintaining >90% timeliness for report submission.
• Review Bed Huddle information from Charge Nurses at 09:00 and 21:00 regarding bed flow and ensure reports are sent to designated groups.
• Interpret and predict patient placement needs for Code calls (e.g., trauma, stroke, ELVO) and prepare/clear beds for higher levels of care.

Quality Improvement

• Contribute ideas, suggestions, and solutions to improve processes, procedures, and productivity to meet throughput metrics.
• Ensure patients are placed correctly the first time, identifying special needs in all placement considerations using clinical judgment.

Risk Management

• Cooperate fully in all Risk Management activities and investigations.
• Place patients according to diagnosis, special needs, level of care, and patient/staff safety to prevent harm, escalating concerns to the House Supervisor or unit Manager/Director.

Information Management

• Maintain confidentiality, security, and integrity of all health information, following HIPAA/PHI guidelines for patient privacy.
• Navigate patient electronic records for accurate bed placement and maintain confidentiality with all documents and staff information.

Patient/Staff Safety

• Demonstrate knowledge of and comply with the hospital’s Patient Safety Program and Plan.
• Accept guidance from the House Supervisor, Charge Nurse, and Manager/Director to resolve placement concerns.
• Ensure involuntary holds or aggressive patient behaviors are isolated, placing patients in private rooms and coordinating with Nursing Office Secretary and House Supervisor for Patient Safety Attendant or Security Officer requirements.

Environment of Care

• Demonstrate knowledge of and comply with hospital Safety and Infection Prevention policies.
• Communicate with Environmental Services (EVS), House Supervisor, and Sr. Director of Nursing Administration regarding urgent bed cleaning needs.
• Assist with hospital incidents from a capacity management standpoint.

Skills and Qualifications

Knowledge

• Clinical needs of patients.
• Medical terminology.
• Microsoft Office applications.
• Basic arithmetic.
• Electronic medical record (EMR) systems.

Skills

• Use of personal computer workstations with dual screens, scanners, phones, fax machines, copiers, and printers.
• Proficiency in operating scanners, copiers, and fax machines.
• Computer and program usage in a hospital setting.
• Microsoft Office applications.
• Strong communication, organization, planning, time management, and decision-making skills.
• Analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and customer focus.
• Effective oral and written communication with a team-oriented approach.
• Ability to support and function in any position within Nursing Administration.

Abilities

• Handle stress and manage a heavy caseload in an organized and efficient manner.
• Maintain working relationships with other departments within the organization.
• Read handwritten and transcribed documents in the EMR and interpret clinical patient information.
• Enter complete and accurate data into facility computer systems with an accuracy rate of 98% or higher for Bed Control activities.
• Function in the absence of Bed Control staff on an emergency basis.

AVH Values

• Patients Come First – Actively listen and communicate with patients and families, prioritizing safety.
• Accountability & Ownership – Complete tasks fully, communicate transparently, and recognize that actions reflect on the individual.
• Teamwork – Build trusting relationships, promote a sense of community, and respect everyone. Success is about the whole team.
• Integrity & Honesty – Tell the truth, speak up when something is wrong, and do the right thing even when unobserved.
• Excellence – Take pride in work, be goal-oriented, and strive for top-tier quality.
• Initiative & Innovation – Maintain a can-do attitude, use creativity and resourcefulness to improve the patient experience, solve problems, and make timely decisions.
• Tenderness & Compassion – Demonstrate empathy and care in all interactions.