Responsibilities

• Under the supervision of the Director of the Inpatient Hospice Units, the Hospice Liaison RN is responsible for referral development and facilitating admissions for inpatient hospice, home hospice and community based palliative referrals.
• Facilitating admissions of hospice patients in the hospital setting.
• Referral development involves establishing professional contacts as referral sources and marketing programs and services to these contacts.
• Facilitating admissions involves the clinical evaluation of referrals, completion of required paperwork, and marketing services to referred patients/residents.
• The Hospice RN must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to evaluate the age-specific clinical needs of potential admissions to the Allied Services health care system and determine their appropriateness for admission to Allied Services’ various levels of care.
• 50% Evaluates each patient on an individual basis and documents findings on the "Patient Evaluation Form." (E)
• 20% Communicates with patient and family: short- and long-term patient goals; hospice diagnosis to patient's understanding; expectations of patient's understanding of hospice; multi-disciplinary approach of hospice and philosophy of care. Provides patient and/or family with Hospice Patient Handbook and reviews information with them. (E)
• 10% Meets with the Medical Director or Director of Inpatient Units to review the patient's abstract and discuss the patient's candidacy for admission. (E)
• 10% Contacts Social Workers at the referring acute care facilities regarding patients to be evaluated. Obtains patient's abstracts plus a verbal update on patient's status. (E)
• 10% Follows-up with all referred patients that are not initially accepted for admission on a continued basis in subsequent visits until the patient's condition renders him/her ready for admission or is deemed unacceptable. (E)

Requirements

• Graduate of an accredited Nursing Program required.
• Hospice experience preferred.
• Minimum of five (5) years experience as a registered nurse required.
• Home hospice or Inpatient hospice experience preferred.
• Possession of a current license as a Registered Nurse as issued by the Pennsylvania Board of Nurse Examiners required.
• Must be cleared by PA State Police criminal history check.
• Valid PA driver’s license required for travel to referrals sources.
• Good written and verbal communication skills and interpersonal skills required for effective communication with administration, staff, residents, families, physicians, and representatives of other external customers.
• Must have knowledge of admission criteria for inpatient hospice, home hospice, palliative care and hospice in skilled nursing facilities.
• Must maintain confidentiality of all contacts with residents/families.