Covenant Health

Rapid Access Coordinator

PRN/OCC, Varied shifts and varied hours

Covenant Health Overview:

Covenant Health is East Tennessee’s top-performing healthcare network with 10 hospitals and over 85 outpatient and specialty services, and Covenant Medical Group, our area’s fastest-growing physician practice division. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health is a community-owned, not-for-profit healthcare system and the area’s largest employer with over 11,000 employees.

Covenant Health is the only healthcare system in East Tennessee to be named six times by Forbes as a Best Employer. 

Position Summary:

The Rapid Access Coordinator serves as the primary contact for referring physicians and facilities requesting the services of Covenant Health for a continued, and often, higher level of patient care.  This position is responsible for collecting appropriate clinical information and coordinating and facilitating the acceptance of patient transfers and direct admissions into Covenant Health facilities in accordance with established clinical guidelines and protocols and Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).  The Coordinator will obtain accurate patient demographic information and enter into the registration system and will also obtain verbal patient status/type admission orders from providers and enter into the Computerized Order Entry (CPOE) system, so the patient status/type is classified in the correctly in a timely manner.  The Coordinator will communicate and collaborate with physicians, hospital CAOs and leadership, System and Facility administrators on call (AOC), house supervisors and capacity management staff on a routine basis to elevate and resolve issues that are barriers to patient transfer acceptance.  Critical to this position is the ability to utilize critical thinking skills and judgement, multitask and initiate appropriate actions to ensure patients receive care in a timely manner.   This position reports directly to the Call Center Manager.

Recruiter: Kathleen Rice || kkarnes@covhlth.com || 865-374-5386

• Coordinates and facilitates appropriate patient transfer and consult requests from referring facilities in accordance with established clinical guidelines and protocols and EMTALA within established timeframes.
• Coordinates and facilitates appropriate direct patient admissions from physician offices and ambulatory outpatient centers in a timely manner.
• Coordinates and schedules tele-medicine consults for emergency departments and inpatient facilities.
• Utilizes effective and professional communication to act as liaison on behalf of the patient between physicians, hospital staff, and referring facilities.
• Obtains and documents accurate patient clinical information relevant to transfers or direct admissions and clearly communicates information to accepting physicians. Demonstrates the ability to triage and prioritize patient acuity utilizing critical thinking skills, clinical decision making and acquired knowledge to assist in assessing situations and facilitating patient flow through the continuum of care. 
• Obtains verbal admission order from the provider for patient type/status (inpatient, observation, etc.) and appropriate level of care (critical care, telemetry, medical, etc.) Enters order into eCare.
• Obtains accurate patient demographic information from referring facilities and physician offices to perform patient quick registration.
• Immediately requests bed placement for patients and communicates bed numbers back to referring facilities or physician offices. In the event of delays in bed assignment, perform patient status checks and coordinate placement. In event of urgent placement involves the ED physician and/or Clinical or System AOC.
• Monitors and communicates daily system bed status across the organization. Maintains an up-to-date and accurate profile of bed capacity across all Covenant Health facilities, including the number of patients holding for a bed in the emergency departments, surgery and other patient holding areas. Elevates capacity issues to System Clinical AOCs, hospital CAOs and CNOs.
• Immediately elevates transfer acceptance issues to the appropriate level of system and facility leadership
• Schedules appointments for Outreach Link for Covenant Health emergency department patients who need follow-up treatment and/or resources for mental health or substance misuse.
• Coordinates air transportation when needed.
• Follows appropriate hand-off protocols at shift change including giving full patient report, completing all patient transfer documentation and patient status orders, and logging off the telephone
• In the event of an unexpected telephone downtime and/or power outage, opens an urgent ticket with the Covenant Help Desk to implement Crisis Link and WiFi phones and immediately initiates proper downtime action steps.
• Completes all necessary training and refers to facility acceptance guidelines and protocols to coordinate transfers and admissions. Attests quarterly to a review of all guidelines and protocols. Checks emails on a routine basis to stay up-to-date on process changes that need to be implemented immediately. Maintains an awareness of all services and capabilities within Covenant Health.
• Completes appropriate patient follow-up and manages expectations related to transfer requests in a timely manner (i.e., follow-up when additional testing requested by accepting physician, needed data for stroke/neurology transfers, when physicians request a patient be transported immediately, etc.)
• Demonstrates proficiency in working with the Patient Checklist, Flowboard, eCare, eCare Schedule Book, STAR and other office-oriented systems as needed. 
• Completes necessary reports and assignments during call downtime.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:   

None specified; however, must be sufficient to meet the standards for achievement of the below indicated license and/or certification as required by the issuing authority.

Minimum Experience: 

Minimum of two (2) years in a health related field is required.

Licensure Requirements: 

Licensed EMT, CNA, Medical Assistant, Paramedic, LPN or RN in the state of TN required.