What are the responsibilities and job description for the INTAKE & REFERRAL RN position at Heartlinks?
Job Description Summary
The Referral/Intake Nurse is responsible for the initiation, screening and triage of all referrals for Yakima County. This position is responsible for maintaining relationships with referral sources. The Referral/Intake nurse will also be responsible for completing admission visits to bring patients on to hospice services. This position is full-time and based out of the main Heartlinks office in Grandview and requires travel throughout Yakima County.
Essential Job Functions/Responsibilities
- Receives and documents hospice and palliative care referrals called or faxed to the department from all outside sources, including hospitals, clinics, other facilities or families.
- Assesses clinical needs of patients interpreting and utilizing data obtained from referral sources and medical records as available.
- Determines patient eligibility for hospice or palliative care services as measured against program criteria.
- Verifies skilled care orders with physicians as needed, obtains history and physical from physician as needed.
- Obtains insurance information from referral source and forwards information to insurance verifier.
- Ensures compliance with all state, federal, and Accrediting Body referral/intake regulatory requirements.
- Establishes and maintains positive working relationships with current and potential referral sources.
- Builds and monitors community and customer perceptions of Heartlinks as a high-quality provider of services.
- Gathers, collates, and reports referral statistics including key customer referral trends.
- Maintains a comprehensive working knowledge of Heartlinks contractual relationships and ensures that patients are admitted according to contract provisions.
- Participates in quality assessment performance improvement teams and activities.
- Maintains a comprehensive working knowledge of community resources and assists referral sources in accessing community resources should services not be provided by Heartlinks.
- Completes admission assessments as directed.
The above statements are intended to be a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job. The incumbents may be requested to perform job-related tasks other than those stated in this description.
Position Qualifications
- RN or LPN with current licensure to practice professional nursing in the state of Washington.
- Bachelor’s degree in Nursing from an accredited program. Master’s degree in health care preferred.
- At least two years of nursing experience required, preferably in hospice care.
- Ability to market aggressively and deal tactfully with customers and the community.
- Knowledge of corporate business management, governmental regulations, Accrediting Body standards, and private payer practices.
- Demonstrates good communications, negotiation, and public relations skills.
- Demonstrates autonomy, organization, assertiveness, flexibility and cooperation in performing job responsibilities.
Benefits
- Full-time employees accrue up to 168 hours of PTO annually, in addition to accruing sick time at the rate of 1 hour for every 40 hours worked. Bereavement and jury duty leave also available.
- Option to enroll in medical, dental, vision, and life insurance. Heartlinks pays for 100% of the employee's medical premiums, and 75% of the employee's dental and vision premium. Health benefits begin the first of the month after start date.
- Miles driven for work are reimbursed at 62.5 cents per mile.
- Holiday pay for 6 observed holidays.
- Ability to enroll in 401(k) and begin contributing at time of hire. Heartlinks will match dollar for dollar up to 5% of earnings after one year of employment and 1080 hours worked.
- Tuition reimbursement/professional development assistance.
- Premium pay for hospice related certifications.
- Hourly wage dependent on hospice and experience.
