Clinical Support Specialist
Walla Walla Community Hospice believes our people are our most valuable resource, and our most important work is achieving excellence in end-of-life care for the communities we serve. We believe that every individual is responsible for creating a culture of excellence in which we become more than the sum of our parts. It is our hope and expectation that each team member contributes to their fullest potential wherever and whenever reasonably necessary to accomplish our goals. As an employer we strive to give our best to our team members and expect the same in return.

Mission
Walla Walla Community Hospice exists to provide compassionate care to individuals in the final stages of life and to support their loved ones and caregivers.

Summary
The Hospice Clinical Support Specialist is responsible for working closely with internal and external customers and stakeholders as a point of entry into hospice care for potential patients and serves as a resource for information regarding Hospice services. This role is responsible for working with cross-functional team members to complete referral intake, patient and staff scheduling optimizing access to services, and ensuring all payer requirements are identified and fulfilled.

Values
Compassion – we strive to see and support the needs of our patients, their loved ones and caregivers, and our community through person-centered care that aligns with each individual’s values.
Commitment – we are committed to one another and our community to utilize our time, talents, and resources to provide excellent end of life care. We do this by consistently demonstrating accountability, dependability, and excellence in our work. We believe that our people are our most valuable resource, and we commit to being good stewards of our resources.
Collaboration – we believe teamwork is essential to achieving our goals and believe that each individual voice is important. We promise to work together effectively and efficiently toward the common goal of access to excellent end-of-life care for the communities we serve.
Excellence – we set ambitious standards for ourselves and commit to continuous growth in operational and clinical excellence.
Integrity – we promise to communicate honestly and respectfully and commit to constructively approaching conflict resolution. We commit to creating a culture of inclusivity, and to doing the right thing in our professional and personal lives.

Primary Duties
1. Performs non-clinical intake and referral support for incoming referrals.
2. Performs scheduling for all clinical disciplines.
3. Performs insurance case management.
4. Performs other duties as assigned.

Accountabilities/Competencies
1. Proficiency in reading, writing, comprehending, and speaking English as required for business necessity.
2. Accountability for HIPAA privacy and security standards.
3. Must be proficient in Office365 core applications (e.g. Excel, Word, OneNote, Forms), as well as specialized software and hardware.
4. Parts of the work involve multiple steps and are quite complex and can require tracking over days, weeks, or even months. Work requires diligence, creative problem-solving skills, and a high degree of accuracy as the tasks of the CSS impact delivery and documentation of patient care as well as claims processing.
5. Scheduling
a. Schedules patient visits for all disciplines including admission visits, routine visits, recertification visits, discharge, and death visits.
b. Coordinates assignment of individual caseloads to ensure stewardship in utilization of resources.
c. Enters clinical data into the electronic health record.
d. Produces and distributes reports as requested.
e. Works with internal and external customers to obtain information needed for scheduling.
f. Provides support to clinical staff members as needed.
6. Intake and Referral Support
a. Pre-registers patients for visits, gathers and organizes referral information, completes insurance verification process.
b. Updates patient/family/caregiver information in the electron health record as needed.
c. Updates provider and physician information in the electronic health record as needed.
d. Communicates availability with external partners.
e. Maintains referral tracking and planned admission logs (e.g. excel files, EHR).
f. Generates reports as needed.
7. Insurance Case Management
a. Obtains eligibility and benefits information.
b. Obtains prior and ongoing authorization.
c. Maintains detailed notes in the EHR of all insurance information and authorization.
d. Routes authorization letters, invoices, etc. to appropriate parties as needed.
e. Updates patient/family/caregiver information in the EHR as needed.
f. Responds to internal and external customer inquiries
g. Provides support to clinical staff as needed.
8. May utilize hospice PBM, DME vendor portal, multiple E&B sites, external partner EHRs as needed and other applications as needed to meet business needs.
9. Ability to maintain frequent two-way communication with agencies, physicians, IDG team members to address complex care concerns.
10. Problem-solving and decision-making skills. Ability to exercise independent judgment within scope of work as well as collaborate with multiple stakeholders, and exercise professional judgment.
11. Extreme attention to detail.
12. Flexibility to travel in support of the team as needed.
13. Other duties as assigned

Minimum Qualifications Required

• Associates degree or equivalent combination of education and work experience.
• Two years of administrative support experience with a minimum of one year working in a healthcare setting.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications.
• Proficiency with medical terminology.
• Knowledge of lean methodologies and applications in operational excellence.
• Familiarity with healthcare insurance payor contracts including terms and rates.
• Must possess excellent organizational skills and work well under pressure.
• Ability to work independently, establish priorities and work productively
• Ability to interact professionally and successfully with a diverse range of individuals and dispositions.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills to effectively obtain information from patients, providers, other team members, and community resources as needed.

Preferred

• 2-3 years of healthcare experience

Physical and Environmental Demands
Occasionally 1-33%

• Kneeling, bending, stooping
• Pushing pulling
• Crawling, climbing twisting
• Reaching above shoulders
• Carrying 21-50lbs
• Driving

Constantly 66-100%

• Standing, walking
• Sitting
• Keyboarding, grasping, handling
• Repetitive motion/wrist
• Customer Service
• Communicate (speak and listen) with other – in person and telephonic communication
• Must communicate effectively in all situations
• Data entry

Work Environment:

• Office based position in a professional, temperature controlled, office building with frequent foot traffic and low to moderate noise levels. Occasional remote work possible as approved by direct supervisor.

This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work expected of the typical person assigned this job. However, it is not an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, or requirements. Job duties may be subject to change if this role evolves. Employees may be asked to perform other job-related duties as requested by their supervisor to fulfill business needs. If you have questions or concerns regarding items outlined in this job description, please seek clarification from your direct supervisor.