At Houston Methodist, the Patient Placement Coordinator position is responsible for assisting with patient flow and appropriate patient placement according to diagnosis and service line. This position collaborates with Patient Access Services and all hospital departments in appropriate patient and census management. The Patient Placement Coordinator also serves as a liaison to physicians, patients, families and staff as appropriate. This position may also assist with insurance verification, registration and other duties of a similar nature that relate to effective and efficient patient throughput.

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Promotes a positive work environment and contributes to a dynamic team focused work unit that actively helps one another to achieve optimal departmental and organizational results.

• Collaborates with hospital departments in census management.

• Communicates with other departments (clinical and non-clinical) to facilitate patient placement process and ensure all patient placement needs are met. Collaborates with Operations Administrators as needed to resolve patient placement issues.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Gathers information on patients waiting for admission from various portals, develops a plan for all admissions and transfers where appropriate and assigns patients. Identifies patient placement issues and takes appropriate steps to resolve.

• Continually monitors bed availability to ensure bed status is updated, taking appropriate steps to resolve any issues. Monitors and facilitates unit discharge activity as projected.

• Completes daily reports pertaining to census demand, bed capacity and house operations. Maintains morgue census and assists with autopsy consents when necessary.

• Provides additional support to the department to bolster efficient and effective patient throughput and the patient experience.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Enters and updates patient and operational data into various database systems with a high level of thoroughness, accuracy and timeliness.

• Organizes and leads work efforts during shift to assure smooth operations and communicates pertinent hand-off information

• Communicates to resolve patient access and quality service matters. Keeps open channels of communication with physician, patient and service areas regarding action taken and outcome.

• Ensures patient information is conveyed to others appropriately while complying with patient confidentiality and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulations.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Accurately records information when performing functions such as registration and insurance verification/coordination to ensure financial objectives are met.

• Organizes time effectively, minimizing incidental overtime and sets priorities. Utilizes time between heavy workloads efficiently and helps other team members.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Displays initiative to improve job functions; offers suggestions to streamline process for efficient patient flow and other quality or service matters.

• Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies with a focus on continual development.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Three years of experience in a healthcare environment, to include experience in registration, scheduling, insurance verification, and/or business office.

• Experience with patient placement preferred.

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• N/A

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Proficient understanding of medical terminology and diagnosis/procedural codes

• Proficient computer skills and ability to learn and navigate multiple software programs

• Excellent customer service and professional communication skills

• Ability to handle detail work accurately and rapidly

• Critical thinking and independent decision making skills

• Ability to analyze and solve problems

• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations with patience and understanding

• Ability to work independently and as a part of the healthcare team

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No

• Scrubs No

• Business professional Yes

• Other (department approved) Yes

ON-CALL*

*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* No

TRAVEL

Travel specifications may vary by department

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No

• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Company Profile:

Houston Methodist The Woodlands Hospital opened in June 2017 as the eighth hospital in the Houston Methodist system. This 267-bed, 725,000-square-foot, full-service, acute-care hospital offers many of the same services as our flagship hospital in the Texas Medical Center. Also, on the beautiful hospital campus, located at the intersection of Interstate 45 and Texas State Highway 242, are two medical office buildings, which include a Breast Care Center; Cancer Center; infusion center; heart and vascular services; neurology; orthopedics and sports medicine; rehabilitation services; wellness services; an outpatient laboratory; and several other multispecialty physician practices. In January 2022, Houston Methodist The Woodlands opened Healing Tower — a $250 million expansion project that added 106 beds, focused on medical-surgical and women’s services, and provided nine operating rooms. The project also included the expansion of the endoscopy center, emergency department and diagnostic imaging department with an enhanced neurodiagnostic and interventional center.

Houston Methodist is an equal opportunity employer inclusive of women, minorities, disabled persons and veterans.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law. VEVRAA Federal Contractor – priority referral Protected Veterans requested.

Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law. VEVRAA Federal Contractor – priority referral Protected Veterans requested.