Social Worker Case Manager

PURPOSE OF THIS POSITION

The purpose of the role of Social Worker Case Manager is to develop, implement and evaluate an organized inpatient case management service for pediatric and adult hospitalized patients under the direction of the attending provider.  The Social Worker Case Manager will assist in identifying and addressing the physical and psychosocial needs of patients to achieve an optimal level of health, both during hospitalization and after discharge.

JOB DUTIES / RESPONSIBILITIES

Duty 1 : The Social Worker Case Manager collaborates with the interdisciplinary team to assess patient needs, confers with patients and families to determine an effective plan of care, and documents the physical and psychosocial needs and plan in the electronic medical record.

Duty 2 : The Social Worker Case Manager actively participates in interdisciplinary rounds to identify and communicates physical and psychosocial needs that will require intervention during and after hospitalization.  The Social Worker Case Manager communicates identified patient needs with associates, physicians, and outside referral services to enhance continuity of care and documents psychosocial assessment in the electronic medical record.

Duty 3 : The Social Worker Case Manager, as assigned, participates in various committees and meetings to contribute information regarding transitions of care and utilization of care resources for the purpose of improving patient care and outcomes.

Duty 4 : The Social Worker Case Manager addresses the safety of patients by reporting suspicions of abuse and neglect to Protective Services.

Duty 5 : The Social Worker Case Manager confers with patients and families as indicated to present options toward enhancing the patient’s well-being.

Duty 6 : The Social Worker Case Manager, on an ongoing basis, helps to maintain accurate information about provider agencies and community resources to better assist with appropriate linkages of patients and families to these services.

Duty 7 : The Social Worker Case Manager, as needed, implements and leads process improvement to continually enhance quality of services provided.

Duty 8 : The Social Worker Case Manager ensures after hour coverage for emergent care plan needs and provides a handoff of their cases to ensure that all members of the interdisciplinary team are aware of the care plan during hours that the Social Worker Case Manager is not providing coverage.

Duty 9 : The Social Worker Case Manager directly communicates ongoing needs of their patients with the receiving party (family, facility or agency) and hands off the care to that party to ensure safe, smooth and sustainable transitions of care.

Duty 10 : When it is not possible to hand off care to a receiving party, the Social Worker Case Manager follows up with patients who have left the acute care setting who are identified as high risk to ensure the transitional plan of care was successful.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Current Ohio license (LSW or LISW)
• Graduate of an approved school of social work
• Positive service-oriented interpersonal and communication skills required.
• Individual must demonstrate the ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary team, patients, families, and external organizations / agencies in complex problem-solving, communication and planning.
• Individual must be able to use the computer for documentation in the electronic medical record and demonstrate the ability to document in a timely manner.
• Possesses knowledge / experience with care improvement processes and resource utilization / coordination strategies.
• Possesses knowledge and skill in coordinating and managing patient cases across the continuum.
• Individual must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide a smooth, safe and sustainable transitional care plan for patients of all ages.   The individual must demonstrate knowledge of the principles of growth and development over the life span and possess the ability to assess data reflective of the patient status.  Must be able to interpret the appropriate information needed to identify each patient’s requirements relative to their age-specific needs and to provide the care needed as described in the area’s policies and procedures.
• A valid driver's license is required (if you do not have a valid Ohio driver’s license you must obtain one within 30 days of your residency in the state).  You must also meet BVHS's company fleet policy and insurance company requirements, and any other requirements that may be required to operate a vehicle.

PREFERENCED QUALIFICATIONS

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This position requires a full range of body motion with intermittent walking, lifting, bending, climbing, squatting, kneeling, twisting, sitting and standing. The associate must be able to lift ten pounds. The individual must have corrected vision and hearing in the normal range to provide efficient patient care. Individual must have excellent verbal skills to communicate with patients, physicians and co-workers. The associate must have excellent eye-hand coordination to grasp, push, and pull and have fine finger manipulation.

This position is classified “at risk” for possible occupational exposure to blood borne pathogens (HBV, HIV, etc.)