JOB SUMMARY

This job is responsible for tracking patient placement needs and current availability and for making department bed assignments (e.g., emergency department, critical care, PCU, med/surg, external transfers, etc.) based on existing policies, standards and procedures applicable to the assigned hospital. Patient placement assignments are made in coordination with the Mission Control Patient Placement RN, patient care unit Charge RNs, providers or other healthcare personnel as appropriate.

Work involves maintaining constant awareness of patient admissions, transfers, clinical status, and discharge information to ensure that bottlenecks are addressed and bed utilization is maximized. When hospitals are at full capacity, an incumbent acts as the key resource to keep all CHI Franciscan Health (CHI-FH) facilities aware of the situation and the plan of action to address/resolve. Updated information is obtained through observation of Mission Control Tiles, reports, direct communication and/or other communication resources.

An incumbent communicates patient bed changes to all the involved departments and is responsible for keeping automated systems accurate with respect to patient bed locations and status. Work requires knowledge of medical terminology and clinical diagnoses sufficient to make preliminary determinations of appropriate bed assignments, but recommendations are discussed with Mission Control Patient Placement RN, Charge RN, provider, or other appropriate healthcare staff before implementation.

Essential Job Functions:

• Reviews Mission Control Tiles to identify anticipated patient admissions and discharges and determine available bed count for the assigned hospital.
• Plans for and coordinates patient placement/bed utilization for CHI-FH, in coordination with Mission Control Patient Placement RN, Clinical Expeditor(s), Transfer Center staff, Charge RNs, nursing units, Emergency Department staff, and providers; maximizes bed utilization within scope of position and facilitates the timely coordination of bed assignments and patient flow; assures prompt and appropriate patient placement per established standards.
• Attends daily meetings held to discuss census status, needs and issues; debriefs Patient Placement RN and/or Hospital Supervisors identifying critical patients, discharges, patient issues, etc.
• Communicates with, and serves as liaison between, Transfer Center staff, nursing units, providers, medical staff, support staff, and patients to facilitate patient flow and keep appropriate parties up-to-date on relevant information.
• Cultural Sensitivity and Competence: Demonstrates proper use of communication tools/materials for effective communication and understands how the culture(s) of patient populations can affect communication, collaboration and the provision of care, treatment and services. Patient Population Served: Demonstrates knowledge and proper skills associated with the department’s defined specific populations served.

Education/Work Experience Requirements