Responsibilities

The Hospital Social Worker will provide supportive and informational counseling, along with discharge planning, to adult, pediatric, adolescent and geriatric patients/families as it relates to the patient's emotional, functional, financial and social adjustment to illness, hospitalization and discharge. The Hospital Social Worker's goal is to collaborate with patients, families and healthcare providers to promote health and manage illness. The Hospital Social worker facilitates the use of assessment, coordination and education to achieve quality patient care outcomes while coordinating interdisciplinary, comprehensive and cost-effective care across the continuum.

Essential Functions:

• Provides consultation to members of hospital staff, community agencies and other persons or groups to resolve the problems of patients.
• May facilitate a support group of patients/families/community members to discuss similar concerns related to a specific disease, aspect of care, etc., according to established Grand View Hospital protocol.
• Obtains and updates information on community resources when indicated to provide patients, families and staff with accurate information.
• Participates in multidisciplinary team meetings as assigned by department manager to identify patients in need of social work intervention and to enhance communication among hospital personnel.
• Develops and maintains good working relationships with community agencies, and reaches out to the community on a regular basis to develop new resources to meet patient needs.
• Participates in community planning activities as assigned by department manager as related to the interests of the patients and the hospital.
• Works collaboratively with other healthcare disciplines (PT, RT, dietary, nursing, physicians), utilizing the expertise of all in a team effort, to facilitate discharge planning and meet patient/family needs.
• Intervenes with physicians and ancillary departments concerning clinical and utilization issues to ensure an optimal patient outcome.
• Conducts psychosocial and discharge planning assessments within 1 working day, and performs reassessments per departmental policy.
• Documents all interventions in the medical record via computer according to departmental standards on the day of occurrence.
• Precertifies services for discharge as needed.
• Participates in Quality Management projects according to departmental monitors to ensure appropriate Case Management intervention and to provide a mechanism for problem resolution.

Schedule: Per diem, Monday through Friday, 2 day/month, 8:00am to 4:30pm