Patient Flow Coordinator – Transfer Center – Full Time 12 Hour Rotating Days (Non-Exempt) (Union)

The Patient Flow Coordinator has primary responsibility for facilitating transfers from outside facilities and managing patient flow and bed placement. The Patient Flow Coordinator interacts with physicians, nursing staff, CAS, PACU, clinic staff, and EVS to effectively communicate patient bed placements to coordinate patient throughput. The Patient Flow Coordinator has centralized authority for the electronic bed control throughout Keck Medical Center of USC. The individual will utilize the electronic bedboard to ensure timely and appropriate patient placements. The individual occupying this position must demonstrate appropriate, diplomatic, and sensitive communication and interaction skills, all while working in a fast-paced, acute healthcare environment with multiple distractions and ever-changing priorities. This position will assist with screening and facilitating unscheduled/urgent admissions.

Essential Duties:

• ADMITTING NURSE CARE COORDINATION – In collaboration with the physician and admitting personnel analyzes clinical data to determine the appropriate level of care at the time of admission. – Collaborates with admitting, care coordinators, and business office to minimize patient financial exposure and minimizes financial risk of Keck Medical Center of USC. – Documents weekly admissions on the weekly admission report.
• PLANNING – Works with admitting and business office to ensure appropriate patient financial screening, appropriateness of admissions to avoid denials. – Assures financial clearance is obtained prior to admittance. – Prior to admission AND at the time of admission, admitting nurse actively collaborates with physician to determine diagnosis, anticipate length of stay, and overall treatment plan (severity of illness/intensity of service.
• IMPLEMENTATION – Works with physicians to ensure patients are placed at appropriate level of care (observation vs. inpatient), educating physician to write observation admitting orders to reflect status, as appropriate. – During pre-admission and admission timeframe, collaborates with physician and seeks to obtain revised orders if planned patient status is not according to InterQual criteria. – Works closely with Director of Case Management and Physician Advisor to escalate any issues related to physician requests for an inappropriate level of care. – Utilizes electronic bedboard to forecast bed availability and bed demand by maintaining constant awareness of those beds into which inpatients can b e admitted or transferred as soon as the demand occurs. – Facilitates direct admission placement by collaborating with hospital-based case managers in order to expedite the transfer of these patients to the hospital from other healthcare facilities. – Selects level of care and follows EMTALA guidelines for emergency department referrals. – Assigns inpatient beds based upon an understanding of care requirements, admission criteria, and regulatory criteria for the patient population house in specific nursing units. – Triages and Determines the priority order for bed assignment when multiple patients are awaiting bed. – Placement, according to unit and hospital census. – Manages and monitors the electronic bedboard modality. – Responds quickly to changes in workload, adjusting assignments as necessary to achieve optimal productivity and efficiency. – Maintains real time knowledge of census and available beds in the electronic bedboard and monitors on a regular basis to ensure the effective management of patient flow. – Notifies A.O.D. when unable to accept transfer.
• LEADERSHIP – Assists with problem solving and serves as a resource person for physician, admitting personnel, CAS, and other health care team members. – Maintains awareness of Keck Medical Center of USC administrative and departmental policies. – Demonstrates knowledge of state and federal regulation, i.e. Medicare, Medi-Cal, and Managed Care. – Role models and coaches staff to develop clinical, managerial, and leadership skills employing fairness, honesty, and consistency in interactions with others – Conveys a positive attitude toward work-related responsibilities as demonstrated by tolerance of fluctuating priorities in a fast paced environment.
• COMMUNICATION – Demonstrates effective communication methods (written, verbal, non-verbal, telephonic, electronic) when dealing with patients, families, colleagues, and payers. – Facilitates communication between clinical nurse leads, EVS, and nursing staff to ensure timely bed assignments. – Provides live escort via telephone to facilitate communication between referring case manager/physician and USC Phyisican. – Able to access daily physician call schedule. – Assists referring facility in obtaining appropriate USC attending physician to accept patient transfer. – Provides well-reasoned guidance and direction of nursing and ancillary staff when called upon to resolve clinical staff issues. – Provides well-reasoned guidance and direction to attending M.D. when called upon to resolve care issues. – Maintains open lines of communication with the clinical supervisors, clinical directors, and admitting case manager in order to keep them informed of any significant patient issues or employee issues.
• FISCAL RESPONSIBILITIES – Demonstrates knowledge of denial management as demonstrated by working collaboratively with physicians and case managers to ensure appropriate documentation of acute care criteria. – Advocates fiscal responsibility through knowledge of reimbursement related to Medicare, Medi-Cal, PPO, HMO, and POS.
• PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT – Maintains awareness of own professional development needs and communicates these needs by setting annual performance goals.
• OTHER – Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Specialized/technical training Graduate from an accredited school of Nursing

• 5 years Nursing experience in an acute care setting.
• 1 year Critical Care nursing experience.

• Demonstrates ability to utilize effective, appropriate, and diplomatic oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrates ability to utilize critical thinking and problem solving skills to work independently.
• Proficient computer skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree OR related field
• 3 years Case Management experience. Or
• 1 year Transfer Center or similar capacity experience.
• Clinical Certification.

Required Licenses/Certifications:

• Registered Nurse – RN (CA DCA)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) Healthcare Provider from American Heart Association
• Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)

The hourly rate range for this position is $47.31 – $88.00. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.