Discharge Planner

HEALING THE BODY AND MIND….

Founded fifteen (15) years ago, NeuroPsychiatric Hospitals is the largest hospital system in the nation providing care to patients with both neurological and medical needs.  We are unique in that we serve a population which others have been previously been unable to, largely due the patient’s underlying medial issues.  Our facilities maintain an inter-disciplinary focus using a multi-specialty approach for both neuropsychiatric and complex medical care issues.  This proven approach provides unrivaled quality care for all of our patients.  We have multiple locations throughout the United States and are continuing to add locations to ensure better access to our unique model of care. 

Medical Behavioral Hospital of Clearlake, a part of NeuroPsychiatric Hospitals,  is currently searching for a Discharge Planner to join our Social Services team to support our patients at our hospital in Houston, TX. The Discharge Planner is a professional who coordinates with the interdisciplinary team, patient/family on complex aspects of the patients' care, and serves as a communication point for patients and staff. The Discharge Planner works closely with the attending physician(s), social services, nurses, and other members of the interdisciplinary team throughout the continuum of care for identified complex inpatients. The Discharge Planner is a team member who in conjunction with the interdisciplinary team is accountable for assessing the complex discharge plan, effective and efficient utilization of resources, meeting established professional and regulatory standards, and who collaborates with the healthcare team and the patient/family to accomplish agreeable outcomes.

Benefits of joining our Clinical Team

• Competitive salary
• Clinical supervision provided or reimbursement by NPH
• Medical, Dental, and Vision Insurance
• NPH 401(k) plan with up to 4% Company match
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) Programs
• Generous PTO and Time Off Policy
• Special tuition offers through Capella University
• Work/life balance with great professional growth opportunities
• Employee Discounts through LifeMart

• Prepares Social Service Discharge documentation and prepares documentation for next level of care providers.
• Sets discharge appointments and arranges transportation as necessary.
• Has knowledge in behavioral health and awareness of community resources for proper discharge planning.
• Understands hospital continuum of care and refers patients within the continuum as able.
• Assists with daily workflow tasks with the Social Services department as needed.
• Documents any discharge planning activities in patient chart.
• Communicates with Social Service staff, Utilization Review, Physicians, Nurses, ancillary staff and families on issues pertaining to placement of patients.
• Collaborates with families and outside agencies to ensure seamless transitions of patients to the community.
• Able to serve as a liaison between hospital and community facilities.
• Arrange and coordinate family conferences, as appropriate or as needed.
• Participates in physician rounds as requested or needed
• Complies with all hospital, Medicare, Medicaid, state and federal regulations and guidelines.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, and other third party reimbursement sources.
• Maintains accurate demographic, medical, co-morbidities, and discharge planning information based on team input.
• Participates in planning and implementing quality improvement activities for discharge planning activities.
• Maintains up-to-date knowledge of field by participating in continuing education activities if possible
• Provides positive customer relations in dealing with patients, families, physicians, fellow department employees, referral sources, service agencies and others.
• Maintains a professional approach with confidentiality. Assures protection and privacy of health information as attained through written, electronic or oral disclosures.
• Displays concern and initiative. Is resourceful and calm in emergencies.
• Is prompt and efficient with minimal absences.
• Cooperates and maintains good rapport with nursing staff, medical staff, other departments, and visitors.
• Seeks guidance and remains knowledgeable of, and complies with, all applicable federal and state laws, as well as hospital polices that apply to assigned duties.
• Complies with hospital expectations regarding ethical behavior and standards of conduct.
• Complies with federal and hospital requirements in the areas of protected health information and patient privacy.
• Understands and adheres to NPH’s compliance standards as they appear in NPH’s Corporate Compliance Policy, Code of Conduct and Conflict of Interest Policy.
• Keeps abreast of all pertinent federal, state and hospital regulations, laws and policies as they presently exist and as they change or are modified.

• Education: High School Diploma or GED required. Bachelor’s degree in Behavioral Health, Social Work, or a human services fields preferred.
• Experience: Minimum of 2 years of experience in discharge planning, case management, or a similar clinical setting within a hospital environment preferred.
• Licensure/Certification: Basic Life Support (BLS) and NPH-Approved Safety Management Course certification required and obtained during orientation
• Excellent verbal communication skills necessary.  Familiarity with a behavioral health hospital setting.
• Ability to handle stressful situations with physicians, patient, and family.
• Ability to work as a part of a multidisciplinary team and to facilitate close working relations and cooperation with community in order to demonstrate, organize and structure the growth of the hospital.
• Maintain effective contacts with a variety of referral sources, the community and physicians.
• Ability to plan, organize, and effectively present ideas and concepts to groups. 
• Ability to assimilate information from a variety of sources, analyze information, and recommends courses of action to be taken.