Clinical Manager - Hospice

About Us:

At VNA Health, our mission is to revolutionize healthcare through compassion and innovation, ensuring every individual's well-being is prioritized. We're dedicated to empowering our employees to make a real difference in the lives of our patients and communities, driving positive change in healthcare. Join us in our mission to provide exceptional care and improve the health and dignity of those we serve.

Why Join Us:

• Employer sponsored insurance premiums including dental, vision, basic life, disability, and AD&D insurance.
• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) accrual from the first day of employment.
• Generous Wellness Benefit annual reimbursement for fitness and wellness expenses.
• Financial wellness program with matching 403(b) Retirement Plan and Healthcare and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA).
• Supportive company culture promoting employee well-being through programs like the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and public transportation reimbursement.

Job Summary:

The Hospice Clinical Manager is responsible for ensuring that patient care is coordinated and managed appropriately.  The Hospice Clinical Manager is responsible for ensuring that care and services are delivered appropriately and for the supervision of nursing personnel, social workers, spiritual counselors and bereavement staff. Assures quality patient care including but not limited to meeting patient needs, ensuring the implementation and updating of the interdisciplinary care plan, facilitating the continuity of patient care, utilizing staff within their competencies, and assisting in designing and implementing measurements to monitor and improve processes for effectiveness and quality.  Respects and promotes the mission, values and vision of VNA Health.

Job Duties:

1. Monitors and evaluates patient care through review of nursing and secondary staff documentation, medications, patient care plans and interventions, case conference reports, supervisory visits, and phone consultation.  Reviews patient's medical diagnosis, prognosis, procedures and clinical course guiding nursing and other secondary disciplines staff as needed.   Will collaborate with RN Supervisor/Director.
2. Assists clinicians in establishing immediate and long-term therapeutic goals, in setting priorities, and in developing plan of care. Monitors nursing care and patient outcomes for adherence to care plan, meeting patient needs, producing desired outcomes, and interdisciplinary care.
3. Assists in the screening and interviewing process of new employees and makes recommendations for employment of individuals. 
4. Completes accurate, timely employee performance evaluations on probationary and annual basis.  Annual evaluation includes documentation to position and regulatory and accreditation standards.
5. Encourages employee problem solving, conflict resolution, and improved performance.  Seeks appropriate guidance and direction for difficult disciplinary situations.
6. Develops and implements a preceptor and/or mentoring environment for hospice staff.   Preceptors/mentors are selected on identified criteria and evaluated during and at the completion of the mentoring process for effectiveness and suggestions for improvement.
7. Enhances and maintains nursing orientation for RN case managers, staff nurses, On-Call nurses and secondary discipline staff to ensure initial and annual competencies.   Orientation for nursing staff is reviewed/updated at least annually. Individual nursing completion of orientation is documented on a checklist that contains content and skills.
8. Manages nursing and secondary discipline staff, equipment, and hospice resources to assure that the physical, psychological, spiritual and age-specific needs of patients are met and documentation is timely. Solicits care team members input, perceptions, plans and approaches as appropriate to support improvements in customer service and positive patient/family outcomes.
9. Holds regular communication meetings with staff to share and receive information regarding compliance, operational challenges, and continuous improvement in staff and patient/family satisfaction concerns.
10. Works with Hospice management team to maintain and evaluate agency/ program budget; and seeks opportunities to improve operational efficiencies, enhanced revenue and contain program costs.
11. Attends case conference meetings with hospice personnel to facilitate optimal patient care planning, coordination of care and interdisciplinary interventions. Identifies high risk or at risk patients and assists team in development of care plan that assures patient safety. 
12. Maintains procedures, protocols, processes and communication that facilitates team collaboration, effectiveness of nursing practice, and adherence to standards of practice.  Researches “best practices” to assure most current nursing practice is promoted for optimum patient outcomes.
13. In conjunction with hospice management team, develops, implements and evaluates processes for staff development, growth, professional goal setting, and pursuit of excellence in delivery of hospice care. Assists in the planning, implementation and evaluation of in-service and con­tinuing education programs. Assesses needs of hospice nursing and secondary discipline staff and assists in the development of program(s) to meet needs.   
14. Complies with accepted professional standards and principles. Assists in formulating, revising, implementing, and evaluating organization policies, procedures, goals and objectives, both short and long range.
15. Participates actively in quality management program (QAPI) in identifying improvement indicators for hospice patient/staff and collecting data to measure and quantify progress toward targets. Promotes continuous quality improvement through process improvements based on feedback on identified quality measures.   Participates in development of action plan based on quality improvement objectives.
16. Knowledge of state, federal and accreditation regulations for the delivery of hospice services.
17. Utilizes legal, regulatory, and ethical principles in the analysis of complex issues regarding end of life care. Complies with Corporate Compliance and organizational ethical guidelines and procedures.  Role models professionalism and teamwork behaviors.
18. Demonstrates effective planning by assuring there is sufficient staff to perform the duties and responsibilities of the program.
19. Able to prioritize and facilitate operational systems delivery that effectively solve or prevent problems related to day to day provision of patient care.
20. Ensures the delivery of quality hospice care by:

1. Oversight and review of interdisciplinary team’s plan of care
2. Knowledge of the insurance/ reimbursement benefits and covered services, assisting with obtaining and documenting authorization, when necessary.
3. Ensures appropriateness of patient eligibility for hospice services on patient admission and recertification
4. In collaboration with other hospice managers, assists case managers and interdisciplinary team to follow hospice standards of practice in the planning, evaluating and updating of the patient plan of care.  Provide examples of “best practices” to guide patient care when available. 
5. Assists staff RNs to obtain and process physician orders thoroughly and professionally
6. Coordinating appropriate follow-up on patient/ family/ physician needs, concerns or complaints
7. Participating in patient care as necessary.

1. Participates in public relation and community activities that promote the organization's role as an effective member of the hospice and health care delivery system.   Promotes customer service orientation to all hospice personnel.
2. Participates in on-call duties as defined in the on-call policy.

The above statements are only meant to be a representative summary of the major duties and responsibilities performed by incumbents of this job.  The incumbents may be requested to perform job related tasks other than those stated in this description. All clinical staff are expected to participate as needed in variable shifts, including weekend rotation per staffing needs and departmental holiday rotation.

Qualifications:

1. Current and active California RN/LVN license.
2. Bachelor’s degree, preferred.
3. Two years management or supervisory experience in health care setting, preferably hospice/home care. Proven ability to work within an interdisciplinary setting.
4. Current CPR certification. 
5. Licensed driver with insured automobile - in accordance with state and/or organization requirements.
6. Complies with accepted professional standards and practice.
7. Demonstrates excellent observation, verbal and written communication skills. 
8. Has demonstrated critical thinking ability, problem-solving skills in an interdisciplinary setting and effective communication skills.  Understands hospice philosophy and issues of death/dying. Understands principles of pain/symptom management.
9. Bilingual – Spanish preferred, but not necessary

Physical Requirements:

1. Ability to lift 50 lbs.
2. Ability to push/pull 50 lbs.
3. Ability to stoop, bend, and squat.
4. Ability to walk up one flight of stairs.
5. Ability to walk one mile.
6. Ability to sit for one hour, minimum.
7. Visual and audio acuity.