Quality Process Coord/Discharge Planner: FT

Firelands Health; Bellevue (OH); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Work‑life balance support

Tuition reimbursement

Loan forgiveness

Comprehensive major medical insurance

Dental and vision insurance

Paid time off

401(k)

Health and wellness offerings

Monthly employee events

Job summary

Firelands Health in Ohio seeks a discharge planning RN to coordinate comprehensive discharge planning across the acute care continuum, ensuring safe transitions to post‑acute care. You will work with interdisciplinary teams to assess patient needs, manage risk, and drive quality improvement while documenting processes in the EMR.

The role requires 3–5 years in an acute care setting, case management experience, and an active Ohio RN license.

Qualifications

• RN license active in the State of Ohio.
• Three to five years of experience in an acute care hospital setting.
• Experience with case management processes.
• Certification in a related field is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform concurrent and retrospective multidisciplinary review of patient care and compile data into reports to identify improvement opportunities.
• Coordinate discharge planning throughout the acute care continuum to ensure safe, appropriate transitions to post‑acute care.
• Identify risk management and utilization issues and report findings per department protocol.
• Stay current with interdisciplinary standards of care and evidence‑based practices to guide quality interventions.
• Conduct real‑time and retrospective assessments of processes and outcomes for assigned populations.
• Aggregate data and provide timely, reliable reports; abstract patient data as needed.
• Collaborate with Directors and care teams to refine care processes and improve outcomes.
• Provide immediate feedback to staff regarding systems deficiencies and facilitate peer evaluation.

Skills

Detail oriented

Interdisciplinary collaboration

Discharge planning

Quality improvement

Education

RN license (Ohio)

RN-BSN preferred

Job description

Benefits

• Work/life: You will find support to help you manage your personal life while building a career.
• Employee‑centric: Tuition reimbursement, loan forgiveness, comprehensive major medical, dental and vision insurance, paid time off, 401(k), health and wellness offerings, monthly employee events, and more.
• Lifestyle: Sandusky was voted “Best Coastal Small Town in America”. You will have the opportunity to enjoy living and working in this growing area along the beautiful shores of Lake Erie.

What You Will Do

• Perform concurrent and retrospective multi‑disciplinary review of patient care. Use comprehensive quality review criteria to collect data pertaining to the appropriateness of care, compile and organize data into meaningful reports for evaluation, identify opportunities for improvement and coordinate interdisciplinary intervention for planned change, assist and act as a resource for assigned functions to facilitate quality activities, promote development and enhancement of total quality systems.
• Under the supervision of the Director, this position is responsible for initial and ongoing discharge planning throughout the acute care continuum, including but not limited to coordination of care through the facilitation of a safe and appropriate discharge plan to the post‑acute environment. This process is supported by current research and evidence‑based practice.
• Identify potential risk management and utilization issues and report findings per departmental protocol. Work closely with the Social Worker as appropriate in the identification of discharge and transition needs and be ultimately responsible for the coordination of discharge planning activities. This is accomplished by working collaboratively with interdisciplinary staff internal and external to the organization. Participate in quality improvement and evaluation processes.
• Possesses knowledge and remains current with interdisciplinary standards of care to effectively review patient care, compliance with evidence‑based best practices, prioritize quality of care interventions, and facilitate immediate action when necessary.
• Conduct “real time”/concurrent and retrospective assessments of processes and outcomes for assigned populations and communicate within the interdisciplinary team and provide direct service, as needed, to assure delivery of best practices.
• Demonstrate the ability to assist with the development of criteria‑based evaluation tools; identify opportunities to improve patient care, assure appropriate reporting and follow through with physicians, nursing, and ancillary services.
• Aggregate data and provide reports that are timely, pertinent, reliable, and accurate to report positive and negative findings. Abstract direct patient data as needed.
• Collaborate with Directors and caregivers of assigned care areas regarding development and refinement of care processes as indicated through monitoring.
• Institute immediate feedback to personnel regarding systems/process/quality deficiencies, as needed.
• Coordinate the flow of findings to facilitate peer evaluation.
• Demonstrate responsibility for the management of the quality information contained in the assigned database, monitoring functions and registries including inputs, validation of data, and required reporting.
• Execute ingenuity, judgment, and problem‑solving techniques in the absence of established guidelines and precedents and consistently demonstrate an ability to assess a situation from a variety of perspectives, consider several alternatives, and choose an appropriate course of action.
• Demonstrate responsibility through responsiveness to others and competent follow‑up on matters requiring additional attention; contact appropriate personnel as required, following appropriate channels of communication.
• Demonstrate a consistent level of performance; avoid periods of extremely high activity and very low activity; maintain progress on special projects; regularly demonstrate initiatives and flexibility in scheduling.
• Conduct comprehensive discharge planning assessments within 1 business day of admission or as required.
• Conduct readmission risk stratification and follow‑up care as appropriate.
• Collaborate with interdisciplinary care teams to develop individualized discharge plans based on medical, psychosocial, and functional needs.
• Facilitate communication between the patient, family, physicians, nursing, social work, and post‑acute care providers.
• Arrange and coordinate post‑discharge services, including but not limited to:
  • Skilled nursing facility (SNF) placement
  • Home health services
  • Rehabilitation services
  • Durable medical equipment (DME)
  • Transportation
  • Follow‑up medical appointments
• Post hospitalization phone calls and intervention as appropriate.
• Provide patients and caregivers education regarding discharge plan.
• Document all discharge planning activities in the electronic medical record (EMR) in accordance with hospital policy.
• Identify and address barriers to discharge in a timely manner.
• Participate interdisciplinary rounds as per hospital policy.
• Maintain current knowledge of community resources, insurance guidelines, Medicare/Medicaid, and managed care regulations.
• Promote patient safety and readmission reduction through proactive discharge planning and education.
• Communicate with nursing and medical staff in assessing the psychosocial needs of the patient to monitor and oversee the discharge plan.
• Maintain current working knowledge of HFAP, COBRA, EMTALA, OSHA, CMS and other regulatory standards.
• Maintain current, accurate documentation in the patient’s medical record.
• Maintain current and accurate data collection related to the quality of the delivery of care of the department.
• Work with the social worker as appropriate in assigning tasks and responsibilities in the discharge planning process.
• Maintain a working knowledge of and update community resources in areas of practice.
• Participate in reporting abuse, neglect or exploitation suspected prior to hospitalization as indicated by hospital protocol. Report findings to the appropriate agency.
• Assure all high risk and/or complex patients have an interim plan of discharge established prior to discharge from our facility.
• Propose alternative placement and/or treatment options as appropriate to facilitate and ensure a cost‑efficient plan of care and quality outcomes.
• Collect appropriate avoidable delays and other data as directed.

What You Will Need

• RN‑BSN Preferred. License must be active and valid in the State of Ohio.
• Demonstrated ability to work with constant attention to detail and accuracy. Demonstrated ability to work closely and cooperatively with others; educate effectively and influence appropriate actions to effect positive change.
• Three to five years of experience in an acute care hospital setting.
• Experience with case management process.
• Certification in a field related to Case Management preferred.