Clinical Quality Nurse Specialist

Responsible for providing ongoing clinical practice monitoring in support of the mission of NorthStar Care Community. The Clinical Quality Nurse Specialist is responsible, through monitoring and supporting clinical staff, for ensuring quality and compliance with practice standards and regulatory requirements, thereby ensuring that patients and caregivers receive the best hospice experience possible.

Essential Functions:

• Demonstrates and teaches NorthStar Care Community protocols and standards and regulatory requirements as they relate to the patient care delivery process.
• Demonstrates the highest standards of charting and clinical care management.
• Demonstrates expertise in infection control practices and compliance with organizational infection control policies and procedures.
• Proactively assists in identifying learning and performance needs of clinical staff, including newly hired and current staff.
• Conducts patient visits with clinicians to monitor for compliance with the Five Star Visit model in addition to compliance with clinical standards of practice, compliance to policies and procedures, and compliance to regulatory requirements.
• Conducts patient chart audits to assess clinician’s ability to document timely, accurately and thoroughly, focusing and documenting patient decline related to terminal diagnosis.
• Provides immediate performance feedback to the clinician following a clinical visit. Communicating results of the audit. Identifying both positive practices as well as areas of opportunity.
• Collaborates with nursing leaders, providing results of auditing activities and coordinating a plan for performance improvement.
• Collaborates with Institute staff to meet the educational needs of clinical staff when deficiencies are identified during chart audits and patient visits.
• Acts as a teacher and mentor to newly hired staff as well as current staff to poise the staff member for success.
• Reviews various sources of quality data with quality and compliance leadership to identify areas of opportunity to improve clinical practice in the organization.
• Documents all audits into the NSCC quality monitoring platform.
• Collaborates with clinical leadership to continuously improve clinical practice and achieve high quality consistent patient outcomes.
• Proactively participates in quality assurance processes/programs.
• Attends IDT meetings to ensure discussion is focused on updating plans of care, documentation is complete and includes objective and evidence of ongoing decline.
• Participates in survey preparedness activities as needed.
• Maintains a positive working relationship with internal and external customers.
• Periodically attends scheduled team RNCM meetings to foster education, priorities, provide support.
• Utilizes allocated supplies and resources appropriately to ensure business outcomes are met.
• Adjusts to changes in workload and schedules based on changing team priorities.
• Actively participates in internal and external education, training, in-services, and other activities to promote personal and professional growth.
• Adheres to organizational code of conduct, policies and procedures and all regulatory and legal requirements.
• Adheres to the NorthStar standards to care for every person, every time, 100% of the time.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing preferred. Registered Nurse (RN) licensure in the State of Michigan required.
• Three (3) to five (5) years of demonstrated experience in Hospice RN case management required.
• Advanced knowledge and clinical expertise in hospice and palliative care required.
• Demonstrated strong understanding of regulatory/compliance requirements and performanc improvement processes.
• Certification in hospice and palliative nursing (CHPN) preferred.
• Demonstrates characteristics, skills and enthusiasm for teaching and mentoring staff.
• Demonstrated subject matter expert for electronic medical record.
• Demonstrated ability to organize, prioritize and manage teaching, learning, training, and human performance technology projects required.
• Demonstrated willingness to add to own professional growth.
• Must be able to read, write and speak English fluently and be able to effectively communicate orally and in writing in internal and external relationships for all essential job functions.
• Must have demonstrated ability to work cooperatively with and collaborate with others to achieve project outcomes.
• Ability to effectively use technology in support of management and clinical operations.
• Must possess sound judgment; effective organizational, prioritization and follow-through skills; attention to detail; accuracy; dependability; tact; and ability to maintain confidential information.
• The physical demands of the position include vision, effective speech, and hearing for extensive telephone contact; repetitive motion; traveling; driving or riding in motor vehicle; standing, sitting, walking, bending, reaching, and stretching; lifting up to twenty-five (25) pounds unassisted.
• Must have reliable transportation and willingness to travel and maintain the rigors of a busy schedule.
• Frequently works variable hours/days; activities and workload may require extended days.
• Must demonstrate eligibility to work in the United States.