Clinical Social Worker

Psychiatric Unit Social Worker

• Works collaboratively with psychiatric unit team of physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, and other members of the health care team in meeting patient needs and developing individualized treatment plans.
• Provides individual, marital, family, or group therapy for psychiatric patients.
• Mobilizes community resources, agencies, and outpatient treatment for follow-up care for patients.
• Serves as on-call contact person on a rotation basis, for acute hospital crisis intervention.
• Provides psychosocial assessment and/or chemical dependency assessment for patients in acute house in addition to those on psychiatric unit.
• Performs admission necessity screening using criteria as established by the various federal, several state and private sector programs.
• Performs concurrent reviews for appropriateness of utilization, care planning quality indicators to optimize clinical and financial outcomes. Evaluates and revises plan of care as needed.
• Facilitates discharge planning by identifying variances and referring to the appropriate service.
• Communicates with physicians, patients, members of the health care team, Coordinated Business Office (CBO) staff, Denial Management Specialist and third-party payers.
• Notifies appropriate staff member(s) of any admission, service, length of stay, lack of medical necessity criteria, as well as denials/appeals and issuing of letters to patients.
• Implements and follows hospital and case management guidelines and procedures in practice.
• Identifies present and anticipates future learning needs of patient, family, staff and physicians related to compliance, medical necessity and payor guidelines.
• Provides information on compliance and payor regulations and restrictions.
• Initiates/participates in patient/family/physician/staff conferences related to plan of care and discharge plan.
• Assists with co-worker and student orientation and education as needed.
• Demonstrates competence in basic case management skills.
• Demonstrates basic knowledge of specific criteria as it relates to appropriate levels of care for all age groups.
• Practices proficiency in technical (computers, software programs, cell phones) and special skills relevant to case management.
• Maintains established safety, environmental, and infection control standards and takes appropriate corrective action for identified infractions.
• Maintains current knowledge base for regulations, state, federal, private and clinical necessity to fulfill job requirements.
• Maintains current knowledge of department standards and is a resource for other departments and members of the healthcare team.
• Able to identify complex patients with multi-system problems.
• Able to assess and develop appropriate case management interventions for patients of assigned units.
• Reviews disease process, treatment plan, potential complications, potential financial risk and areas for concern and communicates with appropriate physician, staff member, and director/designee in order to develop an individualized improved plan.
• Is accessible and open to staff nurse/students/physicians questions or concerns.
• Works collaboratively with staff, Social Work Coordinator and Division Directors in:
            Participating in the review/revision of policies, procedures, teaching materials, and performance improvement activities.
            Communicates/educates as needed as with payors and receiving facilities: SETON Specialty Hospital, Skilled/Nursing homes, Home Health/Hospice, Rehabs etc. 
   

• Ability to accept physician orders as related to their scope of arranging for continuum of care.
• Is knowledgeable of community resources and refers appropriately.

Minimum Position Qualifications

• Master's degree in Social Work from a school accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.
• Licensed Clinical Social Worker or Licensed-Eligible Clinical Social Worker
      

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