What are the responsibilities and job description for the Decedent Affairs Specialist position at BJC?

Additional Information About the Role

Barnes-Jewish Hospital is seeking an onsite Decendent Affairs Specialist to provide dignified decedent care and compassionate family guidance after a loss.
This position acts as liaison for with both internal and external parties and agencies.
Schedule: Friday-Monday, 1p-11:30p
Prior Mortuary experience is a plus.

Overview

Barnes-Jewish Hospital at Washington University Medical Center is the largest hospital in Missouri and is ranked as one of the nation's top hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. Barnes-Jewish Hospital's staff is composed of full-time academic faculty and community physicians of Washington University School of Medicine, supported by a house staff of residents, interns, fellows and other medical professionals. Recognizing its excellence in nursing care, Barnes-Jewish Hospital was the first adult hospital in Missouri to be certified as a Magnet Hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

Preferred Qualifications

Role Purpose

The Decedent Affairs Specialist is the sole process-owner to complete the administrative/legal documents for BJH in the event of a patient death. The specialist acts as liaison for BJH with both internal and external parties and agencies. The expiration specialist is responsible for the following on a daily basis: Acts as hospital liaison for the decedent family, medical examiner, physicians, and funeral homes, processes legal documents of expired adult patients and fetal remains, authorizes and processes autopsy requests: inpatients/outpatients and outside hospitals, administers and oversees the generation of cremation letters for unclaimed bodies, communicates with internal stakeholders through hand-offs with other Expiration Specialists, Nursing Office and Security. Picks up and reviews the medical record to verify its completeness and closes the cases once the expiration process has been finalized.

Responsibilities

Acts as hospital liaison for the decedent family, medical examiner, physicians, and funeral homes. BJH’s contact with the decedent’s family to answer questions related to BJH expiration policy/procedures, the City of St. Louis Medical Examiner’s Office on all trauma and emergency room expirations. Reviews the patient’s chart to determine if circumstances surrounding the cause of death are reportable to the Medical Examiner’s Office and assisting BJH physicians with research reports and questions related to past expired patients that were under their care. Works with funeral homes with questions about the decedent for purposes of completing the death certificate or cremation authorization.

Processes legal documents of expired adult patients and fetal remains. Responsible for processing the legal details of expirations at BJH, which includes: completion of the Memorandum of Death which summarizes details of the death and disposition of the remains. Generates death certificates for physicians to sign, works with the designated funeral homes for completing the death certificate, and sends the death certificate to the Missouri Health and Senior Service’s Department of Vital Records for processing. Must work with Social Services to determine if the decedent falls under unclaimed status and contact appropriate sources to determine if a decedent is a candidate for donation with the Center for Anatomical Science and Education of St. Louis or cremation and complete the appropriate documentation which becomes part of BJH’s legal documents.

Authorizes and processes autopsy requests: inpatients/outpatients and outside hospitals. Works with the decedent’s family to complete the Request for Postmortem Examination documents to authorize the Washington University Department of Pathology or outside agency to proceed with autopsy. Makes arrangements for transportation of the remains as needed into and away from the hospital morgue.

Administers and oversees the generation of cremation letters for unclaimed bodies. Plays a vital role in legally documenting and processing cremation letters for unclaimed bodies.

Communicates with internal stakeholders through hand-offs with other expirations specialists, Nursing Office and Security. Picks up and reviews the medical record to verify completeness and closes the cases once the expirations processes have been finalized.

Minimum Requirements

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Experience

2-5 years

Supervisor Experience

No Experience

Preferred Requirements

Education

Associate's Degree

Experience

<2 years

Benefits and Legal Statement

BJC Total Rewards

At BJC we’re committed to providing you and your family with benefits and resources to help you manage your physical, emotional, social and financial well-being.

Comprehensive medical, dental, vison, life insurance, and legal services available first day of the month after hire date
Disability insurance* paid for by BJC
Pension Plan*/403(b) Plan funded by BJC
401(k) plan with BJC match
Tuition Assistance available on first day
BJC Institute for Learning and Development
Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Paid Time Off benefit combines vacation, sick days, holidays and personal time
Adoption assistance

To learn more, go to www.bjctotalrewards.com/Benefits

*Not all benefits apply to all jobs

The above information on this description has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees in this position. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job. Equal Opportunity Employer

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