Hospice Liaison Nurse

Registered Nurse, Associates degree or Nursing Diploma or Masters of Social Work

Experience

Minimum of three (3) years experience required with hospice, home health, critical care, ER, oncology medical/surgical experience, community outreach or pastoral counseling

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Ability to market to and deal tactfully with customers (e.g. physicians, social workers, nurses, etc.), other possible referral sources, and the community.
• Excellent professional communication, negotiation, presentation and public relations skills.
• Self-directed with the ability to work with little supervision in a rapidly changing environment.
• Flexibility in scheduling and ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously.
• Strong clinical or psychosocial assessment and documentation skills.
• Strong computer skills including, e-mail, EMR, Word and PowerPoint applications.

Licensures, Certifications

• Must possess current Maryland State license as a Registered Nurse or Social Worker.
• Valid driver's license and safe driving record and an automobile that is insured in accordance with GHC requirements

Physical Requirements

• Able to provide patient care or assistance that involves lifting, repositioning, moving patients and includes bending, reaching and twisting.
• Ability to travel to patient locations; includes ability to drive, negotiate stairs and walkways, including uneven surfaces at private homes or facilities.
• Sufficient dexterity to utilize electronic record keeping systems, computers/keyboards and or laptops and other related equipment.
• Vision ability to assess patient's health status using visual inspection and observation and to read medications, charts, calibration and monitoring devices as appropriate
• Speech to verbally communicate to assess and impart information concerning patient status; to effectively complete patient/family teaching and to interact with internal and external health care teams.

Working Conditions

• Normal office environment with driving as large part of the day in the field, which includes visits to patient's homes, some in unsafe areas (escort provided).
• Exposed to adverse working conditions due to performance of patient care activities and exposure to communicable diseases

Conditions of Employment

• Valid driver's license and automobile insurance

• Actively develops and fosters area hospital referral source acceptance and allegiance to GHC.
• Effectively implements strategies and tactics to increase admissions from referral sources.
• Maintains awareness of changing medical environment and industry competition.
• Represents GHC with professionalism at all times & responds in a timely manner to referral source questions or requests for presentations.
• Maintains current knowledge of each facility's discharge planning process and builds relationships with key institutional referral sources.
• Professionally and compassionately interacts with patients, families and hospital referral sources to explain end-of-life care services.
• Delivers effective "in-services," "lunch & learns" and other presentations to relevant parties educating the medical community on GHC, end-of-life care, hospice philosophy and other related topics.
• Maintains current knowledge of Hospice Medicare Benefit and other applicable insurance information and communicates related information when needed.
• Tracks success of liaison efforts, partners with other Admission & Business Development team members to discuss current procedures, and suggests improvements and new ideas for Admission and Business Development team and specific roles.
• Prepares for and attends required meetings and contributes valuable feedback and relevant suggestions.
• Ensures all HIPAA Privacy and Security Regulations, Medicare Conditions of Participation and all other Joint Commission and other regulatory/compliance requirements are understood and followed.
• Assists with "Share Days" for prospective employees and in orienting new nursing personnel to policies, procedures and practices of GHC and the Hospice Liaison Nurse role.

• Performs job functions in a fiscally responsible manner consistent with GHC policies, mission and vision.

Direct Patient Care Services

• Performs eligibility and clinical assessment visits for patients and coordinates transition of patients to GHC service for their assigned hospital patients.
• Discusses clinical findings with hospital representatives when required.
• Explains GHC services to patients and families in situation-appropriate manner resulting in the admission of appropriate patients and positive impression of GHC.

• Completes timely electronic documentation of any eligibility visits and/or admissions performed and uses electronic medical record (EMR) systems effectively and efficiently to complete required documentation in a variety of patient care settings.
• Oversees pending patients (referrals) and partners with Hospice Admission RNs and other Admission team members in admission process.
• Prioritizes urgency of visits & duties when multiple referral sources require GHC services or information, as directed by GHC policies/procedures.
• Keeps all referral sources updated on the status of all patient care interactions, including on-going status reports for patients admitted to services, including death notifications.
• A willingness to perform the duties of an admissions nurse at homes and facilities when needed (e.g. holidays).

• Other duties as reasonably required.