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A Brief Overview The Patient Flow Nurse plays a vital role in optimizing the movement of patients through the healthcare system, ensuring a smooth transition from admission to discharge. This role enhances hospital operations and improves the overall patient experience by minimizing delays in admissions, transfers into or outside the system, and discharges while maximizing resource utilization and patient safety. The Patient Flow Nurse collaborates with patients, families, healthcare providers, and various departments to identify and address barriers in the patient throughput process, contributing to the refinement of practices that enhance efficiency.
In addition, the Patient Flow nurse focuses on improving patient access and flow by utilizing clinical expertise and critical thinking skills to resolve delays in care and discharge barriers such as prioritizing needed imaging or service consultations. This role involves monitoring real-time data, triaging alerts, and investigating throughput obstacles. The Patient Flow Nurse works closely with Operations leadership to prioritize daily tasks and partners with the care team to implement effective resolutions, ultimately enhancing the patient experience and ensuring efficient care progression.
The Patient Flow Nurse will collaborate with the transfer center to coordinate transport, and is not responsible for care coordination as delineated in case management's role, such as discharging patients to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). An example initiative includes prioritizing outgoing transfers from the Emergency Department (ED), partnering with the ED providers and handing off to the transfer center to facilitate the transfer process to SHC-Tri-Valley.
Locations Stanford Health Care
Patient Transfers and Throughput Management o Screen patients for anticipated internal or external transfers to the healthcare system and discharge planning needs. o Collaborate with the transfer center to arrange patient transfers between locations, such as from the Emergency Department to outside hospitals. o Expedite the transfer and discharge process to decrease length of stay. o Participate in care progression in collaboration with case management and the care team, such as appropriate tests and assessments to inform safe transfer and discharge to other hospitals. o Document findings and recommendations for patient transfers or transports. o Facilitate patient throughput with a focus on admissions and discharges. o Attend relevant daily rounds and huddles, representing patient throughput.
Patient Flow and Discharge Planning o Facilitate patient throughput with a focus on admissions and discharges. o Triage barriers to discharge to optimize hospital capacity. o Collaborate with care coordination teams to facilitate timely implementation of discharge plans for patients with complex needs. o Manage each patient's transition through the system and ensure care team accountability for transfers and/or discharge.
Collaboration and Communication o Liaise with Operations leadership and team members regarding clinical priorities and synchronization based on system needs. o Liaise with hospital management to activate escalation policies to reduce emergency department overcrowding. o Maintain communication with other hospitals to manage escalations efficiently. o Perform effective handoff communication to support continuity of care.
Quality Improvement and Process Efficiency o Collaborate with leadership to identify quality and process improvement strategies and enhance process efficiency. o Conduct chart audits to ensure care plans are updated, particularly regarding admission and discharge information. o Manage deviations from patient care pathways and resolve bottlenecks in service delivery. o Participate in performance improvement activities at the department and organizational levels. o Utilize performance improvement methodologies to identify opportunities for care/service enhancement.
Education and Mentorship o Identify and address educational needs of patients and families. o Serve as a resource and consultant to nurses, physicians, and families regarding patient flow practices. o Support the orientation of new staff members and serve as a mentor on throughput practices to staff. o Demonstrate leadership by promoting engagement, team building, and participating in formal and informal development and evaluation of competencies.
Professional Development and Productivity o Maximize productivity through effective time management and prioritization. o Pursue lifelong learning to enhance clinical and professional knowledge. o Participate in department program planning, goal setting, and process improvement initiatives. o Perform other duties as assigned, including on-call responsibilities. Education Qualifications Bachelors of Science in Nursing Degree from an accredited college or university required Master’s Degree preferred Experience Qualifications Five (5) years of acute care nursing experience required Two (2) years of emergency nursing, transfer center nursing, case management or care coordination experience, or directly related work experience preferred Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Regulatory Knowledge: Understanding of the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), third-party payer regulations (e.g., Medi-Cal, Medicare), and compliance with federal and state hospital laws and guidelines.
Clinical
Strong clinical judgment for triaging patients, prioritizing care, and assessing patient needs; knowledge of medical terminology, health promotion, risk reduction, and disease management. Communication
Excellent verbal and written communication abilities for effective interaction with patients, families, staff, and external stakeholders. Organizational and Time Management
Exceptional organizational abilities to manage multiple tasks and prioritize patient needs in a fast-paced environment. Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: Ability to identify and resolve issues in patient flow, particularly in high-demand times; demonstrated skills in teaching, educating, and critical thinking. Technical Proficiency: Knowledge and experience using Epic Electronic Health Records (EHR) and familiarity with computer systems and software relevant to the role.
Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Ability to integrate patient care with the interdisciplinary healthcare team and provide guidance to non-licensed personnel. Patient Assessment and Care Planning: Skills in developing and implementing patient assessments and care plans, monitoring access to appropriate care, and ensuring continuity in patient healthcare. Ethics and Professional Standards: Ability to apply nursing ethics and professional guidelines to clinical practice; knowledge of medical and professional nursing ethics and patient privacy rights.
Financial and Operational Knowledge: Understanding of financial processes related to healthcare services, hospital operations, and the continuum of care available to patients. Leadership and Mentorship: Ability to mentor staff and promote team building; skills in project development and management, if applicable. Conflict Resolution: Ability to resolve conflicts and negotiate effectively to achieve positive outcomes and maintain interpersonal relationships.
Lifelong Learning: Commitment to pursuing ongoing education to enhance clinical and professional knowledge and skills. Licenses and Certifications CA-RN (Registered Nurse) required BLS - Basic Life Support required These principles apply to ALL employees: SHC Commitment to Providing an Exceptional Patient & Family Experience Stanford Health Care sets a high standard for delivering value and an exceptional experience for our patients and families.
Candidates for employment and existing employees must adopt and execute C-I-CARE standards for all of patients, families and towards each other. C-I-CARE is the foundation of Stanford’s patient-experience and represents a framework for patient-centered interactions. Simply put, we do what it takes to enable and empower patients and families to focus on health, healing and recovery.
You will do this by executing against our three experience pillars, from the patient and family’s perspective: Know Me: Anticipate my needs and status to deliver effective care Show Me the Way: Guide and prompt my actions to arrive at better outcomes and better health Coordinate for Me: Own the complexity of my care through coordination Equal Opportunity Employer Stanford Health Care (SHC) strongly values diversity and is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all of its policies and practices, including the area of employment.
Accordingly, SHC does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity and/or expression, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, medical condition, genetic information, veteran status, or disability, or the perception of any of the above. People of all genders, members of all racial and ethnic groups, people with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.
Qualified applicants with criminal convictions will be considered after an individualized assessment of the conviction and the job requirements. Base Pay Scale: Generally starting at $76.97 - $102.01 per hour The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to, internal equity, experience, education, specialty and training. This pay scale is not a promise of a particular wage.