Team Manager Home Care

About the role

The Team Manager is the leader of the Patient Care Team and serves as patient advocate and coordinator for other social service and health care providers in the community who are involved in the care of the team's patients. This role assumes responsibility for the maintenance of patient records from intake through discharge or transfer to bereavement.

Responsibilities

• Direct all patient care services for the team, including volunteer and bereavement, ensuring services are rendered as integrated components of the interdisciplinary plan of care
• Review information on all pending patient admissions, new admissions (assessments and history), and "alive" discharges to assure eligibility and appropriateness criteria are met
• Collaborate with both the team physician and the attending physician regarding palliative care measures for pain and symptom management
• Assure complete and accurate data and documentation are available to make recertification decisions on a timely basis
• Review all imminent "alive" discharges to assure effective discharge planning
• Monitor the type and level of team services provided (staffing, medications, HME, supplies, level of care changes to inpatient and continuous care, etc.) to assure they are appropriate and responsive to patient/family needs and expectations
• Manage the team schedule and assure coordination of services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to all patients on the team
• Facilitate team meetings, assuring interdisciplinary input into the update and revision of the plan of care
• Participate in on-call rotation
• Interview, select, train, supervise, evaluate and dismiss team staff in conjunction with the Patient Care Administrator
• Assure staff competence and performance levels through making field visits, evaluating documentation and providing team-based in-services on hospice principles and practices
• Act as a resource and mentor for staff regarding clinical issues, documentation, inter- and intra-team problem solving and appropriate customer service behavior
• Oversee staff and volunteer schedules, scheduling and territory assignments to assure workload is distributed equitably and staff meet productivity expectations
• Review and approve payroll, assuring accurate documentation of time, mileage and additional expenses
• Monitor clinical records and all team activities to ensure accuracy, completeness and compliance with VITAS policy and regulatory standards
• Develop and implement performance improvement activities to respond to 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
• Perform substantive chart reviews to assure evidence of 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
• Assure problems/grievances/service failures are addressed and resolved promptly with team members, vendors and other VITAS departments
• Analyze customer service issues on team to identify causes and work with individual team members and entire team to improve performance
• Personally speak with patients/families and attending physicians when patient is considering revocation to seek satisfactory solutions
• Regularly visit LTC and Contract Bed facilities to assure care plan integration and customer satisfaction
• Participate in providing in-services to customers along with other team members and program staff
• Participate in professional, voluntary or community service organizations
• Verify/approve admitting IPOC diagnosis, treatments, staffing and supplies
• Monitor utilization of resources by every patient to assure cost effective delivery of services
• Control and be accountable for productivity, labor and all related patient care costs with respect to budget
• Approve all bills/invoices related to patient care services
• Attend in-services, educational seminars and workshops
• Develop and achieve professional growth goals and objectives
• Participate as a mentor of newly hired Team Managers

Qualifications

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

Education

• Bachelor's degree preferred