Social Worker - Case Management

Under the direction of the Department Director, coordinates patient's care from pre-admission, through hospitalization, to post-discharge follow-up with emphasis on collaborative relationships with patients and families, clinical nurses, physicians, and other health team members to best meet the patient's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

Assists patients and families in coping with problems resulting from severe or long-term illness, and with difficulties in recovery and rehabilitation.

In doing so, interviews patients and families to obtain psycho-social history, assists patients in resolving environmental difficulties interfering with attainment of maximum benefits from medical care and conducts routine discharge planning.

Prepares and updates social work case records including nature of social problems, patient and family progress, and treatment administered. Directs patients to designated community agencies or resources, as necessary.

Specifically, the Case Manager uses a problem solving process that includes assessment, problem identification, goal definition, plan development, evaluation and revision of the plan to achieve optimum patient outcomes.

Shift: PRN - Weekends

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Consistently supports and communicates the Mission, Vision and Values of St. Joseph Medical Center.

Follows the St. Joseph Medical Center Guidelines related to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), designed to prevent or detect unauthorized disclosure of Protected Health Information (PHI)

Promotes a culture of safety for patients and employees through proper identification, proper reporting, documentation and prevention of medical errors in a non-punitive environment.

Demonstrates leadership skills including recognition and acceptance of accountability and responsibility for duties and functions in collaboration with other team members towards problem resolution and is precise and appropriate in verbal and written communication.

Maintains a regular caseload of more difficult and/or complex patient care problems. In doing so, contacts and interviews patients and families to assess and evaluate patient's social, financial and environmental situations. Reviews patient information obtained from patient care staff or medical records to determine patient's needs.

Interviews patients and families to obtain psychosocial history.

Participates in conferences on behalf of patients with other health-care professional to communicate environmental problems which may affect a patient's response to treatment.

Maintains knowledge of current trends and develops in the field by reading appropriate books, journals and other literature and attending related seminars, conferences.

Communicates with physicians as patient's condition warrants, evaluates daily the psychosocial adaptation to hospital environment.

Updates patient records including nature of social problems, patient and family progress. Directs patients to designated community agencies or resources for financial assistance, counseling, and assistance as needed.

Assess each patient on admission for discharge planning and educational needs, plans the patient's care and ensures the patient family teaching is complete.

• Supportive of the compliance program set forth by SJMC and demonstrated by:
• Upholds the Standards of Conduct and Corporate Compliance.
• Adheres to and helps to enforce all compliance policies relevant to his/her area.
• Assures timely compliance education as requested by the Regional Compliance & Safety Officer and/or through corporate initiatives.
• Sets an example to all staff in their daily activities.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities Required

WORK EXPERIENCE:

Approximately six to twelve months on the job experience necessary in order to gain full knowledge of federal, state and local regulations related to discharge planning and knowledge of health and welfare resources and facilities.

License/Registration/Certification

• Current state license as a Social Worker or Professional Counselor required.
• Current American Heart Association Healthcare Provider certification required.

Education & Training

Knowledge of social work/licensed professional counselor theories, therapies and techniques of casework processes

Principles of public welfare at a level normally acquired through completion of a Licensed Professional Counselor or Master's degree in Social Work with course work in Medical Social Work preferred from an accredited Graduate School of Social Work (Bachelor's degree in Social Work or licensed BSW through the grandfathering process and/or work experience can be counted in lieu of a Master's degree).

Skills

Interpersonal skills necessary in order to obtain information from patients and families provide counseling to same and interact effectively with patient's families and hospital patient care personnel.

Analytical skills necessary in order to assess patient's needs develop associated discharge planning and provide sound advice and guidance.

Ability to concentrate and pay close attention to detail for up to fifty percent of work time when interviewing patients, providing therapy, preparing discharge plans and the like.

Houston's oldest hospital is GROWING!

Welcome to St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC), Houston's first and only downtown hospital delivering world-class care for the last 137 years and looking forward to the next century of exceptional care to Houstonians when they need us most.

Whether it's for a scheduled surgery, the birth of a baby, an unexpected emergency, or an outpatient visit, we have staff available around the clock to provide you access to immediate, quality health care.

SJMC has been providing health care services to Greater Houston residents for over 130 years, which should give you great comfort in knowing that we have a great tradition of caring for our community.

We strive to meet our patients' expectations and encourage our patients to provide us with feedback on how we can help them have the best experience possible while they're in our care.

Over the last years we have expanded our services to include the Advanced Wound Care Center, Comprehensive Cardiac and Vascular Services, the Women's Center, the St. Joseph Maternal Fetal Medicine Center, and a Weight Loss Surgery Program, just to name a few. As you work with our physicians, nurses, case managers, educators, and other staff, you will be guided through your health care journey, from diagnosis to treatment, with compassion every step of the way.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the foundation of the care St Joseph Medical Center provides to our community we are privileged to support in all of our employment practices. We do not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression or any other non-job-related characteristic.