Access and Flow Leader - Corporate Access and Flow

Job Description  Access and Flow leaders primarily facilitate the flow of patients in order to maximize patient throughput and place the right patient into the right bed in the right time. The leader identifies and addresses processes and or issues that may impede patient flow and acts as a resource to high risk patients who require coordination and navigation through services to achieve outcomes consistent with best practice.

The leader also assists the organization in achieving corporate, Ontario Health, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Long-Term Care targets for access and flow outcomes.
Accountabilities   Functions as the primary facilitator of daily patient flow
Provides direction and coordination of admissions, discharges and transfers and has knowledge of current bed availability across the entire hospital
Facilitates appropriate and timely transfers between units
In collaboration with the Admitting department, regularly reviews preferred accommodation bed requests and follows up with the units to ensure accommodations are achieved whenever possible
Coordinates and facilitates repatriation following established repatriation guidelines and communicates with resource Nurses regarding repatriation admissions
Liaises with ICU, Paediatrics, Mental Health and Addictions and other specialty areas that arrange their own repatriations and utilizes this information to make appropriate placement decisions
Provides direction to admitting/bed clerk as needed to expedite bed assignments
Communicates with physicians/hospitalists related to patient placement and throughput issues as identified prior to or following the bed meeting
Liaises with the discharge coordinator and external health care providers, including Home and Community Care Support Services, to proactively facilitate the identification of resources and opportunities to improve the patient experience by reducing length of stay
Collaborates with discharge coordinators and resource nurses to facilitate timely discharges
Collaborates with the patient care units and housekeeping to prioritize cleaning of rooms based on need
Conducts regular rounds in the Emergency Department to facilitate the smooth transition of potential and unscheduled admissions so that bed placements are timely
Conducts regular rounds on all nursing units to maintain visibility, continuously tracks and determines alternate options for bed placements to mitigate congestion in the Emergency Department and other admitting sources
Maintains overall cognizance of the current hospital activity level and the activity within 24 hours with consistent communication to all nursing unit contacts (team leaders, resource nurses and PCMs) and brings issues regarding their patients, units and flow to their attention as soon as possible
Lead bed meetings at least once per day and as needed
Initiates bed alerts as required and creates and sends electronic bed management updates
Identifies pre-gridlock situations and utilizes the Bed Escalation Policy to support the identification of an appropriate strategy and plan of action to prevent or deal with gridlock
Provides coordination, supervision and leadership during all bed alerts
For shifts worked beyond the regular weekday shift, the following are additional key accountabilities and responsibilities:
Walk-abouts – conducts ongoing rounds in all patient care areas and works with clinical and support service department to expedite issue resolution and optimize efficiency
Resolving operational issues that have been escalated from the resource nurse/charge nurse
Resolving patient complaints, staff and visitor issues that have been escalated from the resource nurse/charge nurse
Develop and enhance staff leadership through coaching and support
Coaches staff in the use of resources and protocols/policies to assist with decision making
Help ensure a safe and risk adverse environment for patients and staff
Optimize resource utilization (including staffing resources) within the organization, re-organizing staff where appropriate to ensure safe and efficient workflow
Serves as a resource to the type of patient that each unit can accept and the level of care provided on each unit type
Acts as a resource for codes or other emergency situations
Escalate issues to the administrative director on-call where appropriate
Follow up with manager/directors on any relevant issues
Qualifications   Registered Nurse (with College of Nurses of Ontario) with BScN or a health related discipline or equivalent experience in acute care
Masters prepared is preferred
Post graduate diploma in Utilization Management is an asset
Minimum five years recent acute care hospital experience
Two years experience in a progressive leadership role
Previous experience in utilization review is an asset
Additional Information

Hours:

Days/Evenings/Nights, including weekends and statutory holidays (subject to change in accordance with operational requirements)
Salary:
Minimum: $56.12;
Maximum: $70.15
Internal Final date to receive…