Job Summary
Facilitates hospital to hospital transfers while adhering to EMTALA guidelines and collaborates with physician, hospital staff, patient/family regarding higher level of care requests. Ensures all incoming and outgoing transfers are triaged through the Access Center to standardize process, ensure insurance authorization (when applicable), and secure accepting physician who will provide the medical care that meets the patient's needs. Document all communication, demographic information, clinical information, financial information, insurance information, and outcome determination.
Job Specific Duties
- Establishes and maintains trusting and professional relationships with referring parties by providing excellent customer service.
- Engages with referring parties in a professional and collaborative manner to understand referring parties' needs, being aware that many referring parties call to transfer clients to other programs or seek additional help for clients in need of multiple services.
- Completes daily assignments in the Transfer Center.
- Coordinates transfers from external facilities from ED to ED or Inpatient Level of Care to Inpatient Level of care.
- Coordinates transfers from NCH to other external acute care providers when services or care cannot be provided at NCH.
- Secures clinical information for all transfer requests from external facilities to ensure that we have the capacity and capability of meeting the patient's medical care needs.
- Collaborates with bed control and patient access to ensure that the patient is registered appropriately and there is a bed assignment before transfer occurs.
- Follows EMTALA guidelines and hospital policies and procedures for all transfers to avoid any regulatory, compliance or legal issues.
- Collaborates with Patient Access to verify insurance benefits and secure authorization for transfer as appropriate.
- Utilizes knowledge of InterQual and/or MCG criteria to determine appropriate level of care for transfer in order to place the patient in the correct patient status.
- Maintains strict documentation on all transfer requests including patient demographics, reason for transfer, referring facility, referring physician, insurance information, and outcome determination.
- Collaborates with Physicians and Nurses at both the transferring and receiving facility to facilitate a telephonic hand-off report prior to the transfer.
- Secures authorization from payer for the transfer (as warranted).
- Provides hand-off, verbally and in writing, for the incoming Access Center RN at change of shift.
- Works closely with the Access Center Coordinator regarding all administrative duties (i.e., faxing documents, calling to confirm transfer acceptance, etc.).
