• Collaborates (with the attending physician) to determine the severity of illness and level of care which is most appropriate for the treatment needs of the patient. Selects individual or patient groups for case management. Implementation of clinical guidelines or clinical pathways in collaboration with physician (s) for designated case groups: Assessment of the patient’s condition and treatment needs, administration of the nursing therapeutic measures prescribed by the clinical pathway or plan of care, and initiate scheduling of patient care conferences when there is a variance.
• Provides direction and guidance to other disciplines, agencies or health entities to achieve optimal patient care outcomes through effective resource and service utilization. Serves as a liaison between family members, social work (case management), ancillary nursing staff and providers in promoting continuity of care and productive management in patient care issues. Collaborates with the department of utilization management regarding appropriate care issues (i.e., case identification or referred medical utilization).
• Coordinates, facilitates and augments as indicated, the appropriate managed care plan and its implementation. Monitors clinical pathway to determine effectiveness of service, progress in goal achievement, and continue need for service.
• Projects and individualizes a clinical pathway for meeting the patient’s treatment goals and objectives. Identifies variances from the clinical pathway to assure timely interventions and resolutions. Analyzes variances from the clinical pathway to determine causative factors. Recommends corrective action (s) for identified variances. Communicates clinical pathway variance (s) to multi-disciplinary team and ensure that facilitation and modification of treatment plan occurs.
• Monitors the quality of care through the identification of the source of variances and investigates and coordinates the corrective action required for the clinical pathway.
• Provides telephone and walk-in triage services for patients, identifying those patients who can wait to receive care and those patients who require immediate medical attention. Schedules service for patients that receive triage intervention within a time frame which meets the patient’s medical needs.
• Performs or assists with diagnostic procedures in accordance with ACCESS policy and procedure.
• Collaborates with the multi-disciplinary team to assure that patient education is achieved and documented. Coordinates patient education activities with other ancillary team members. Provides patient education that will meet an individual’s varying level of understanding and will adjust presentation accordingly to ensure the patient is knowledgeable of medical condition and plan of care. Provides nursing clinical leadership for ancillary staff. Serves as a resource for teaching patient education. Monitors patient outcome in response to patient education and alters teaching plan according in order to achieve optimum patient response. Actively participates in community outreach education.
• Ensures confidentiality of patient information and demonstrates appropriate documentation of examinations, treatments and procedures.
• Effectively demonstrates required competencies in the provision of patient assessment, education, care management, triage and medication administration.
• Maintains CPR certification.
• Maintains Illinois state licensure.
• Active participation in ACCESS’s meetings and committees as requested.
• Participates in the orientation and education of staff as requested.
• Assumes team leader responsibilities in accordance with ACCESS policies and procedures.
• Other duties as assigned including any other duties normally assigned to an employee in an equal or lower classification.