Social Worker

Job Description

The Social Services Case Manager coordinates, negotiates, procures, and manages the care of complex patients to facilitate achievement of quality and cost outcomes. He or she shall work collaboratively with interdisciplinary systems that are both internal and external to the hospital. He or she shall participate in quality improvement and evaluation processes related to the management of care. 

SHIFT & SCHEDULE

Full Time

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS/PERFORMANCE EXPECTATIONS

• Social Services screen all patients with a length of stay of three days or longer for high risk criteria.
• Completes psychosocial assessment on patients who have social services consults/referrals within 24 hours of notification. (48 hours if holiday is involved).
• Reads and follows hospital policies.
• Maintains knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security programs.
• Maintains current knowledge of local, state, and national resources.
• Coordinates referrals, follow-up and counseling for complex patients.
• Seeks and provides consultation about cases presenting problems and/or experiencing significant deviations from the plan of care.
• Explores strategies to reduce length of stay and resource consumption and implements and documents the results in the electronic chart.
• Provides accurate, timely and complete documentation in electronic charting per policy.
• Conducts adult/child abuse assessments as needed.
• Applies CQI principles to collect, assess, and analyze outcome data.
• All communications are professional in appearance, reflect an appropriate analysis of the data, and contain conclusions and action plans when appropriate.
• Demonstrates critical thinking skills when making decisions.
• Attends weekly case management meetings and is prepared to discuss patient’s plan of care.
• Demonstrates well-developed interpersonal skills with patients, families, physicians, nursing colleagues, ancillary departments, and the case management team.
• Demonstrates appropriate delegation of tasks and duties to direct and coordinate patients’ progress through the system.
• Participates actively on committees and attends meetings as required.
• Prioritizes projects appropriately and utilizes work time effectively.
• Sick and/or personal absences are minimal and without trends or emerging patterns.
• Willing to work a flexible schedule to meet the needs of the department. Social workers rotate being on call for hospital for a week at a time, 24hrs a day.
• Respects patient’s rights and maintains confidentiality following HIPPA guidelines.
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of Advanced Directives and serves as a patient advocate.
• Utilizes age specific criteria to interact with patients and families.
• Assumes responsibility for identifying and meeting own personal development.
• Participates in code 1000 disaster preparedness activities
• Provides Important Message from Medicare letters to patients in a timely manner.

EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:

• Minimum of a baccalaureate degree in Social Work (BSW) or master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) from a Council on Social Work Education (CSWE)-accredited social work program
• Licensed by the Texas State Board of Social Worker Examiners (TSBSWE) as an LBSW or LMSW OR
• Will obtain Social Work License from the TSBSWE within 90 days of date of employment.
• Elementary knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, and designing graphs

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential responsibility satisfactorily. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. The individual must be able to: Stand, walk, sit, stoop, reach, lift, see, speak and hear. Lifting is limited to 35 lbs. for clinical staff and to 50 lbs. for non-clinical staff. The individual must use an assisted-lift device or get another individual(s) to assist with the lift that is over these maximum limits.