Utilization Review Specialist Nurse; RN | Case Management | Part Time

At Houston Methodist, the Utilization Review Specialist Nurse (URSN) position is a licensed registered nurse (RN) who comprehensively conducts point of entry and concurrent medical record review for medical necessity and level of care using nationally recognized acute care indicators and criteria as approved by medical staff, payer guidelines, CMS, and other state agencies. In addition to performing the duties of the URN, this position is able to cover a multitude of utilization review functions through point of entry, observation progression of care management, concurrent review and denials reviews.

Additionally, the URSN will prospectively or concurrently determines the appropriateness of inpatient or observation services following review of relevant medical documentation, medical guidelines, and insurance benefits and communicates information to payers in accordance with contractual obligations. The URSN position serves as a resource to the physicians and provides education and information on resource utilization and national and local coverage determinations (LCDs & NCDs).

This position collaborates with case management in the development and implementation of the plan of care and ensures prompt notification of any denials to the appropriate case manager, denials, and pre-bill team members, as well as management. The URSN position helps drive change by identifying areas where performance improvement is needed (e.g., day-to-day workflow, education, process improvements).

• Collaborates with the physician and all members of the interprofessional health care team to facilitate care and communication with payers, and external case managers. Intervenes, as necessary, to ensure the plan of care and services provided are patient-focused, high-quality, efficient, and cost-effective. Serves as a preceptor and implements staff education specific to patient populations and unit processes, coaches and mentors other staff and students.
• Serves as a resource for the department and hospital. Provides education to physicians, nurses, and other health care providers on utilization management topics.
• Initiates improvement of department scores for employee engagement, i.e., peer-to-peer accountability.

• Performs review for medical necessity of admission, continued stay, and resource use, appropriate level of care and program compliance. Identifies when services no longer meet evidence-based criteria, initiates discussions with attending physicians, coordinates with external utilization review teams to facilitate efficient use of resources and seeks assistance from the Physician Advisor when necessary. Informs management of the possible need for issuing Medical Hospital Issued Notices of Non-Coverage and Advance Beneficiary Notices of Non-Coverage.
• Applies approved utilization criteria to monitor appropriateness of admissions, level of care, resource utilization, and continued stay. Reviews level of care denials to identify trends and collaborates with team to recommend opportunities for process improvement.
• Promotes medical documentation that accurately reflects intensity of services, quality and safety indicators and patient's need to continue stay. Identifies potentially unnecessary services and care delivery settings and recommends alternatives, if appropriate, by analyzing clinical protocols. Reviews H&Ps and admitting orders of all direct, transfer, and emergency care patients designated for admission to ensure compliance with CMS guidelines regarding appropriateness of level of care.

• Proactively takes action to achieve continuous improvement and expedite care/facilitate discharge.
• Identifies and records episodes of preventable delays or avoidable days due to failure of the progression of care process.
• Conducts chart audits and performs peer-to-peer evaluations for continuous quality improvement.

• Identifies population and/or service-specific trends impacting utilization and addresses/resolves issues impeding patient progression of care. Contributes to meeting department and hospital financial targets.
• Manages all patients in Observation, informing physicians of timely disposition options to assure maximum benefits for patients and reimbursement for the hospital.
• Collaborates with revenue cycle regarding any claim issues or concern that may require clinical review during the pre-bill, audit, or appeal process.
• Secures reimbursement for hospital services by communicating medical information required by all external review entities, managed care contracts, insurers, fiscal intermediaries, state, and federal agencies. Responds to requests for information, monitors covered days, initiates review to ensure that all days are covered and reimbursable.

• Identifies opportunities for practice change. Promotes use of evidence-based protocols and/or order sets to influence high-quality and…