Care Coordination Assistant

Welcome to Saint Joseph Hospital, a 433-bed hospital founded in 1877 by the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth as the first hospital in Lexington, Kentucky. Led by Sister Euphrasia Stafford, the mission to provide compassionate care to the underserved is still carried out today. Saint Joseph Hospital holds over two dozen national ranks and recognitions and is recognized as a 2024 Best Place to Work in Kentucky. 

Saint Joseph is part of CommonSpirit Health, a non-profit, Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people. With approximately 175,000 team members and 25,000 physicians and advanced practice clinicians. 

Our commitment to serve the common good is delivered through the dedicated work of thousands of physicians, advanced practice clinicians, nurses, and staff; through clinical excellence delivered across a system of 140 hospitals and more than 2,200 care centers serving 24 states.

JOB SUMMARY / PURPOSE
The Care Coordination Assistant role is responsible for supporting critical and time sensitive functions of the Clinical Care Coordination team, including but not limited to managing post acute care referrals, direct communication with patients/families, post acute care agencies, and other key stakeholders. The Care Coordination Assistant performs these duties with a high degree of accuracy utilizing critical thinking skills and in compliance with hospital policies, standards of practice, and Federal and State regulations. Employees are accountable for demonstrating a strong commitment to our organizational values of: Compassion, Inclusion, Integrity, Excellence, and Collaboration.

ESSENTIAL KEY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES

• Collaborates with and supports the Care Coordination team, including, but not limited to the RNCC and Social Worker.
• Manage timely post-acute care referrals, to assist with length of stay management and mitigation of denials.
• Communicate and collaborate with interdisciplinary teams, patients, and family to facilitate care progression.
• Ensure post-acute follow-up appointments for identified patients to assist with readmission prevention and ensuring continuity of care.
• Deliver required patient notifications and letters, and obtain patient or family signatures on required documentation as needed to meet regulatory compliance.
• Manage transportation referrals as requested.
• Comply with confidentiality policies, HIPAA regulations, and organizational standards when transmitting protected patient information to external agencies and vendors as needed for placement, payment or referral.
• Ensure compliance with hospital policies, standards of practice, applicable Federal or State regulations pertaining to their role, and contribute to the identification of opportunities for process improvement.
• Prioritize, manage, and document communications relating to insurance requests, authorizations, denials and Physician Advisor status recommendations to the appropriate licensed staff member as applicable.

The job summary and responsibilities listed above are designed to indicate the general nature of the work performed within this job. They are not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all job responsibilities required of employees assigned to this job. Employees may be required to perform other duties as assigned.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• Required Education and Experience Required
  • Associate (two-year) Degree in Business/Health-Related field or High School Diploma or GED with a current license/certification as a healthcare professional (Medical Assistant/Certified Nursing
    Assistant/Emergency Medical Technician).
  • Medical terminology certificate or ability to demonstrate knowledge of medical terminology is required.
  • Intermediate to advanced computer skills required to include Microsoft Office and/or Google Workspace applications including Word, Docs, Excel, Sheets, typing, and data entry skills.
• Preferred Education and Experience
  • At least 3 years previous experience in health care, care coordination, utilization review, discharge planning or similar healthcare setting.
  • Bachelor's degree or BSW.
  • Experience supporting clinicians in demanding and fast paced patient care environments.
• Preferred Licensure and Certifications
  • LVN/LPN, Licensed BSW, Medical Assistant, Certified Nursing Assistant, or Emergency Medical Technician certificate preferred.
• Required Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training
  • Working knowledge of medical terminology.
  • Excellent customer service and presentation skills are a must.
  • Strong interpersonal and written communication skills are essential.
  • Demonstrated ability to apply analytical and problem solving skills.
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple tasks or projects effectively.
  • Ability to work independently as needed with a high degree of detail orientation.
  • Ability to work efficiently in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
• Preferred Minimum Knowledge, Skills, Abilities and Training
  • Awareness of CMS and other