Discharge Planner

1004 Lehigh Valley Hospital; Allentown (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Lehigh Valley Health Network is seeking a Discharge Planner to coordinate safe and timely transitions from hospital to home or other care settings. You will work with inpatient teams, care managers, and payers to schedule follow-up appointments, secure authorizations, and arrange post-acute services.

The role emphasizes patient education, documentation, and ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. A bachelor’s degree in healthcare-related field is required with 2 years of experience or

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in healthcare or related field is required.
• 2 years of healthcare experience or less than 1 year as a new graduate.
• Knowledge of discharge planning concepts, HIPAA, and medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate safe, timely discharge and arrange post-acute services with care teams.
• Obtain payer authorization for levels of care and services; communicate denials.
• Document discharge planning in the medical record accurately.
• Collaborate with patients, families, providers, and payers to ensure smooth transitions.
• Assist with transportation, home health, and community resources as needed.

Skills

Discharge planning

Communication

Time management

Team collaboration

EHR proficiency

Education

Bachelor's degree in healthcare related field

Bachelor's Degree in social work

Tools

EHR systems

Job description

Imagine a career at one of the nation's most advanced health networks. Be part of an exceptional health care experience. Join the inspired, passionate team at Lehigh Valley Health Network, a nationally recognized, forward-thinking organization offering plenty of opportunity to do great work. LVHN has been ranked among the "Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report for 23 consecutive years. We're a Magnet(tm) Hospital, having been honored five times with the American Nurses Credentialing Center's prestigious distinction for nursing excellence and quality patient outcomes in our Lehigh Valley region. Finally, Lehigh Valley Hospital - Cedar Crest, Lehigh Valley Hospital - Muhlenberg, Lehigh Valley Hospital- Hazleton, and Lehigh Valley Hospital - Pocono each received an 'A' grade on the Hospital Safety Grade from The Leapfrog Group in 2020, the highest grade in patient safety. These recognitions highlight LVHN's commitment to teamwork, compassion, and technology with an unrelenting focus on delivering the best health care possible every day. Whether you're considering your next career move or your first, you should consider Lehigh Valley Health Network.

Summary

The Discharge Planner facilitates safe, timely, and cost-effective transitions of care by coordinating all post-acute service and appointment needs for patients on the assigned unit. Working collaboratively with providers, care managers, and interdisciplinary team members, the discharge planner ensures that follow-up physician, laboratory, procedural, and financial appointments are accurately scheduled and linked to appropriate orders and payor requirements. This role communicates with third-party payers to secure authorization for inpatient and post-acute services. The Discharge Planner also assesses psychosocial and environmental factors affecting recovery, provides education and referrals to community resources, and supports patients and families in coping with the transition from hospital to home or another level of care.

Job Duties

• Coordinates safe and timely discharge by arranging necessary post-acute services including home health, DME, transportation, infusion services, specialty populations (dialysis, VBR, etc.) and community-based resources in collaboration with the inpatient care manager RN, MSW, Social Services Coordinator, or Social worker BSW.
• Obtains payer authorization for appropriate level of care, length of stay, and post-discharge services; ensures timely submission of clinical information and communicates payer determinations of denials to the care manager.
• Documents all discharge planning activities including authorizations, communications, and service arrangements promptly and accurately in the medical record to ensure regulatory and organizational compliance.
• Reviews and completes Medicare Notice of Hospital Discharge with inpatient and behavioral health hospital admissions for beneficiaries in hospital.
• Acts as a liaison between patients, families, healthcare providers, payers, and community agencies to support smooth transitions of care and ensure continuity post-discharge.
• Monitors and assists with intra-facility and acute care hospital transfers by collaborating with care management, utilization management and transfer center colleagues to initiate authorization, transportation and repatriation of medically stable patients.
• Communicates, escalates, and prioritizes transportation needs between care management colleagues and the transfer center.
• Completes required delivery and documentation for regulatory documents.(Facility specific)
• Coordinates payer interactions with physician advisors when necessary.
• Completes admission assessments under the supervision of a inpatient care manager RN, MSW, Social Services Coordinator, or Social worker BSW.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in healthcare related field.
• 2 years of experience in healthcare related field or Less than 1 year as a new graduate.
• Knowledge of the techniques and the ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.
• Ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.
• Computer and EHR literate.
• Knowledge of patient appointment and procedure scheduling rules, insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and medical terminology.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in social work.
• Knowledge of discharge planning regulations, patient choice, and insurance authorization as needed, Familiar with electronic health records and documentation.
• Familiar with medical terminology.

Additional Qualifications

• Lift and carry 40-50 lbs. Examples: Push/pull patients on bed, stretcher (requires 29 lbs. push force), lateral transfers up to 50 lbs. of the patient's weight. Frequent to continuous standing/walking. Patient transporters can walk 8-10 miles per shift. *Patient care providers may be required to perform activities specific to their role including kneeling, bending, squatting and performing CPR.

Job Description Disclaimer

This position description provides the major duties/responsibilities, requirements and working conditions for the position. It is intended to be an accurate reflection of the current position, however management reserves the right to revise or change as necessary to meet organizational needs. Other responsibilities may be assigned when circumstances require. Lehigh Valley Health Network is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with, and where applicable, in addition to federal, state and local employment regulations, Lehigh Valley Health Network will provide employment opportunities to all persons without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or other such protected classes as may be defined by law. All personnel actions and programs will adhere to this policy. Personnel actions and programs include, but are not limited to recruitment, selection, hiring, transfers, promotions, terminations, compensation, benefits, educational programs and/or social activities.

https://youtu.be/GD67a9hIXUY Lehigh Valley Health Network does not accept unsolicited agency resumes. Agencies should not forward resumes to our job aliases, our employees or any other organization location. Lehigh Valley Health Network is not responsible for any agency fees related to unsolicited resumes.

Work Shift: Day Shift Address: 1200 S Cedar Crest Blvd Primary Location: Lehigh Valley Hospital- Cedar Crest Position Type: Onsite Union: Not Applicable Work Schedule: Monday-Friday 8:30a-5:00p, weekend and holiday rotation Department: 1004-09452 Case Management - CC Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is the region's largest employer and health care provider of choice. Our nearly 20,000 health care professionals take pride in what they do and are driven by our mission to heal, comfort and care for the people of our community. LVHN is honored to be certified as a Great Place to Work®. LVHN's culture of trust - and the positive things colleagues said about working at LVHN when surveyed by Great Place to Work and Fortune - align perfectly with what makes a great workplace. This designation tells you that LVHN is a great place to work from hire to retire. If you are someone who aligns with LVHN's core values - Compassion, Integrity, Collaboration and Excellence - you will have a rewarding and successful career here.