Outpatient Care Manager - Social Worker, Full Time, Bethlehem

St. Luke’s University Health Network; Bethlehem (Northampton County); On-site; USD 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

St. Luke's University Health Network in Bethlehem, PA is seeking a qualified Care Manager Social Worker to provide social work care management services to patients and families, assessing bio-psychosocial needs and connecting them with community resources.

The CM SW SCH collaborates with the care management team to address social determinants of health and supports discharge planning to promote patient stability and prevent unnecessary readmissions.

Qualifications

• MSW required from an accredited program.
• Experience in clinical social work.
• Bilingual preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides assessment, care planning and intervention to patients and families, including psychosocial and resource evaluation and planning.
• Consults with providers, nurses and other members of the health care team to facilitate interdisciplinary care.
• Investigates insurance benefits and community resources to provide referrals.
• Organizes patient care meetings with internal and external team members to evaluate progress.

Skills

Care coordination

Case management

Psychosocial assessment

Counseling

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Resource navigation

Education

Master's degree in Social Work

Job description

St. Luke's is proud of the skills, experience and compassion of its employees. The employees of St. Luke's are our most valuable asset! Individually and together, our employees are dedicated to satisfying the mission of our organization which is an unwavering commitment to excellence as we care for the sick and injured; educate physicians, nurses and other health care providers; and improve access to care in the communities we serve, regardless of a patient's ability to pay for health care. The Care Manager Social Worker SCH is responsible for providing social work care management services to patients and families. The CM SW SCH provides professionally established methods of assessing a patient's unique bio-psychosocial status, assists patients and families in resolving problem areas, and connects them with appropriate community resources and services. Responsible for the psychosocial component of patient care as it relates to medical stability and wellness, the CM SW SCH collaborates with both health care and community partners to address social determinants of health and promote self-management of care needs. The CM SW SCH also collaborates with the Outpatient Care Manager RN, Care Management Outreach Coordinator and multidisciplinary teams as needed to address the social needs of the patient.

JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Provides assessment, care planning and intervention to patients and families, including psychosocial and resource evaluation and planning, advocacy, as well as crisis intervention as appropriate.
• Provides counseling directed towards helping patients and families cope with and understand the relationship between physical functioning, illness and the consequent social/emotional impact and adjustments required.
• Consults with providers, nurses and other members of the health care team to facilitate interdisciplinary care and address effective continuum of care coordination.
• Investigates insurance benefits as well as community resources to provide and facilitate appropriate referrals based on patient/caregiver agreement.
• Organizes individual patient care meetings with internal and as necessary, external multidisciplinary team members and the patient/caregiver to evaluate progress and to identify and resolve problems that may interfere with a positive patient outcome.
• Provides patient/caregiver and/or care team education as needed as it relates to government mandates/laws.
• Collaborates proactively with patient/caregiver, care team members, and community partners as necessary to address bio-psychosocial needs to ensure efficient and effective continuity of care, utilization of resources and to avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.
• Ensures appropriate clinical and patient care documentation in patient charts, completes reports and other requested/required patient documentation as needed, and maintain required statistical documentation for the department's management information system.
• Functions autonomously under the Organization and Departmental policies and procedures and regarding the NASW Code of Ethics.
• Acts as a liaison to community agencies, health institutions, etc., to address systems issues affecting patient outcomes by serving, as able, in community groups and organizations.
• Demonstrate competency in the assessment, range of treatment, knowledge of growth and development and communication appropriate to the age of the patient treated.
• Other related duties as assigned.

PHYSICAL AND SENSORY REQUIREMENTS:

• Sitting for one to two hours at a time, stand for two to three hours at a time, walk on all surfaces for up to five hours per day, and climb stairs.
• Must be capable of driving a car.
• Fingering and handling objects frequently.
• Occasionally firmly grasp, twist and turn objects with hands and fingers.
• May be required to lift, carry, push, and/or pull objects weighing up to 25 pounds.
• Occasionally stoops, bends, squats, kneels and reaches above shoulder level.
• Must have the ability to hear as it relates to normal conversations and high and low frequencies and to see as it relates to general and peripheral vision.
• Must have the ability to touch as related to telephone and computer keyboard.

EDUCATION:

Master's degree in social work from an educational institution accredited by the National Council on Social Work Education (NCSWE) required. Bilingual preferred.

Thank you for your interest in St. Luke's!!

St. Luke's University Health Network is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Founded in 1872, St. Luke’s University Health Network (SLUHN) is a fully integrated, regional, non-profit network of more than 23,000 employees providing services at 16 campuses and 350+ outpatient sites. With annual net revenue in excess of $4 billion, the Network’s service area includes 11 counties in two states: Lehigh, Northampton, Berks, Bucks, Carbon, Montgomery, Monroe, Schuylkill and Luzerne counties in Pennsylvania and Warren and Hunterdon counties in New Jersey. St. Luke’s hospitals operate the largest network of trauma centers in Pennsylvania, with the Bethlehem Campus being home to St. Luke’s Children’s Hospital. SLUHN is the only Lehigh Valley-based health care system to earn Medicare’s five‑star ratings (the highest) for quality, efficiency and patient satisfaction. It is both a Leapfrog Group and Healthgrades Top Hospital and a Newsweek World’s Best Hospital. The Network’s flagship University Hospital has earned the 100 Top Major Teaching Hospital designation from Premier 13 times total and eleven years in a row, including in 2023 when it was identified as THE #4 TEACHING HOSPITAL IN THE COUNTRY. In 2021, St. Luke’s was identified as one of the 15 Top Health Systems nationally. St. Luke’s is the ONLY health care institution in the Lehigh Valley to be named a Top Workplace regionally repeating the exclusive honor for the third year in a row. Also, for the third straight year, St. Luke’s has been a Top Workplaces in the Philadelphia Region by the Philadelphia Inquirer, ranking 9th in the large employer category for 2025 and the only health care system in PA to receive this award. In 2025, St. Luke’s was recognized as a national Top Workplaces by USA Today, three years in a row, including the 3rd best health care system in the nation in 2023 and 2024. Lastly, St. Luke’s was named a Top Workplace in New Jersey for the third year in a row.

Learn More Here.