Social Service and Admissions Assistant

Pay Range:

$21.52 - $28.60

Monday - Friday, 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM, plus rotating on-call weekends

Summary:

This position supports the delivery of social services to Transitional Care (TC) patients and their families. It provides administrative support to the Director of Admissions for Supportive Living. This position helps implement the Crestwood, Woodland Park, and Oak Lea (TC) admissions processes and sales strategies to meet SL occupancy goals. This position helps the Transitional Care Admissions and Discharge Manager ensure that the Social Services Sections of the MDS, CAAs, and Care Plans are up to date. Responsible for assisting with residents' advocacy, care planning, and the discharge process. Participates in assessing residents and ensures an appropriate individualized service plan. Responsible for completing and distributing the TC admission paperwork and supporting new patient referral review, when needed. Works collaboratively with other professionals and supports the Director of Admissions - SL in delivering services that support the mission, vision, and values of VMRC.

Position

A. Essential Functions – Operations and Administration

1. Supports the integration of social services in TC and CLC that promote a patient/resident centered approach and systems continuity.

2. Completes work efficiently and accurately to maintain VMRC’s occupancy goals for Supportive Living. This includes supporting SL pre-admission tours, paperwork, and correspondence.

3. Integrates social services that promote the resident-centered approach and systems continuity.

4. Records social history, trauma-informed care, MDS, and other relevant data into the EMR system. This information supports the Care Plan and CAA implementation.

5. Assists with communicating Notice of Medicare Non-Coverage (NOMNC) information to skilled patients.

6. Assists with timely and accurate completion and distribution of Supportive Living admission paperwork with patients and/or responsible parties.

7. Participates in scheduled team, service line, and organizational meetings.

8. Participates in the Supportive Living referral and move-in process without the Director of Admissions and/or the Transitional Care Admissions and Discharge Manager.

9. Assists with follow-up phone calls to patients following discharge and tracks responses as indicated.

10. Assists in ordering, tracking, and delivering DME.

11. Assists with insurance communication with patients and stakeholders.

12. Communicates thoroughly and effectively both in writing and verbally, with others who impact patient/resident care, including but not limited to coworkers, supervisors, patients, providers, referral sources, families, and insurance groups.

B. Essential Functions – Supportive Living Occupancy Management

1. Support the Director of Admissions – Supportive Living during the move-in process.

2. Involved in the marketing, promotion, and sales of Supportive Living and professionally representing VMRC to external stakeholders.

3. Effectively communicates with internal stakeholders about vacancies, move-ins, move-outs, patient/resident needs and trends to meet or exceed occupancy goals.

4. Provides Supportive Living tours and responds to telephone and online inquiries from prospective residents as needed.

5. Coordinates with Director of Admissions – Supportive Living to support admission paperwork and procedures while maintaining consistency and standardization.

6. Proactively develops customer relationships by listening to, understanding, anticipating, and providing solutions to customer needs.

7. Actively participates in service activities as requested by supervisor.

C. Essential Functions – Patient/Resident Centered Care

1. Collaborates with multi-disciplinary staff for resident care planning and services, communicating and coordinating treatment approaches, including behavior management, with patients/residents, family, and staff.

2. Promotes staff actions that maintain or enhance each patient's/resident’s dignity and individual rights, creating a homelike environment.

3. Builds relationships with patients/residents and their families/significant others; maintains ongoing communication concerning the patients/residents’ needs and changing health status.

4. Coordinate the equipment needs of patients prior to discharge (walkers, wheelchairs, etc.).

5. Assists with both short-term and long-term care insurance claims.

6. Actively engages patients/residents and provides emotional and social support.

7. Champion’s patient/resident centered care.

D. Essential Functions – Resident Assessment

1. Conduct MDS assessments that comply with the Resident Assessment Instrument (RAI) accurately and on time.

2. Provides psychosocial assessment (cognitive and mood patterns) upon resident move-in and at periodic intervals, thus promoting the understanding of individual patients/residents.

3. Maintains an ongoing assessment of patient/resident needs, planning services to meet these needs.

4. Assesses with patients/residents, families, and staff the best room and/or roommate placement and coordinates any changes.

5. Provides Life Enrichment assessment.

E. Essential Functions – Patient/Resident Focused Problem Solving

1. Assists in overseeing and monitoring the adjustment of the resident and family following move-in, and during other personal adjustments due to significant changes such as the patient’s/resident's medical condition, death/loss issues, etc.

2. Assists with planning and coordinating applicable move-out processes.

3. Adapts the environment to facilitate patient/resident optimal adjustment and oversees arrangements for adaptive equipment, clothing, and personal items.

4. Assists patients/residents with financial and legal matters, referring to appropriate community resources.

5. Assists in managing patient/resident complaints/grievances as stated in the Resident Agreement.

6. Assists in overseeing the missing item process and ensuring investigation, resolution/closure, and tracking.

F. General

1. Complies with all VMRC and service line policies & guidelines conscientiously.

2. Actively engages residents in a meaningful, positive, and compassionate manner while ensuring an environment of resident-centered respect and appreciation.

3. Maintains confidentiality of all resident care and protected health information. Reports known or suspected incidents of unauthorized disclosure of confidential information to supervisor or designee.

4. Handles responsibility and maintains a positive, professional, collaborative working relationship with residents, families, administration, peers, and co-workers.

5. Uses correct body mechanics to prevent injury to self, residents, and other staff.

6. Assumes responsibility for and actively participates in staff development (professional growth) and continuing education to keep skills and required certification(s) up-to-date.

7. Demonstrates computer skills necessary to complete job tasks/responsibilities.

8. Attends all required in-services and service line staff meetings.

9. Follows emergency and evacuation procedures.

10. Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Summary of Physical, Sensory, Environmental and Other Requirements Needed to

Perform the Essential Functions of this Job

A. Work Environment

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally exposed to dust, fumes, odors, and airborne particles, as well as to biological and chemical hazards and mechanical equipment.

B. Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

This position operates in an office setting and regularly visits patients/residents in their rooms. It routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets, and fax machines. The routine work schedule is during business hours; however, occasional after-hours needs may require scheduling flexibility. Additionally, on-call responsibilities are expected for referrals and admissions.

C. Access to Confidential Information

This position has access to patient/resident medical records as needed to perform essential functions.

E. Supervisor Responsibility

This position does not have supervisory responsibilities or the authority to determine who can access confidential information.

Requirements:

Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university (social work or related degree with at least 1 year of supervised social work experience in a health care setting and experience working with senior adults preferred). Must demonstrate interest and the ability to effectively work with older adults. Must be able to communicate orally, in writing, and through presentation effectively. Must be able to work collaboratively throughout the entire organization to effectively engage staff, residents, family members, and other stakeholders. Must possess computer experience with proficiency in Microsoft Office suite (Word, Excel, Power Point and Outlook) for operations, report generation, and presentations. Must possess a command of the English language, both written and spoken. Must be self-motivated, organized, and willing to be flexible to accommodate changing priorities. Proven ability to work both independently and in a team-based environment with minimal supervision.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk and hear normal as well as soft tones. This position requires frequent sitting, standing, walking, fine manipulating and grasping with hands; and occasional bending, stooping, and reaching above head. The employee must occasionally lift or move objects weighing 25 pounds as well as pushing/pulling up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and the ability to adjust focus. Required to work extended periods of time at a video display terminal.

Requirements for emergency situations are defined by service line expectations and may differ based on the nature of the emergency.