Our team members are the heart of what makes us better. At Hackensack Meridian Health we help our patients live better, healthier lives — and we help one another to succeed. With a culture rooted in connection and collaboration, our employees are team members. Here, competitive benefits are just the beginning. It’s also about how we support one another and how we show up for our community. Together, we keep getting better - advancing our mission to transform healthcare and serve as a leader of positive change. 

The Clinical Pre-Admission Coordinator is responsible for patient assessment for acute rehabilitation based on established criteria of the acute rehabilitation center and with compliance to CMS regulations. The primary role of the Clinical Pre-Admission Coordinator is to perform preadmission screenings, which is a detailed and comprehensive clinical assessment of the patient's condition, need for rehabilitation therapy and medical treatment to be provided in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Facility (IRF) setting.

A day in the life of a Clinical Pre-Admissions Coordinator at Hackensack Meridian Health includes:

• Appropriately assesses the patient's medical and functional status, the risk for clinical and rehabilitation complications, and other aspects of the patient's condition both medically and functionally to determine whether the patient meets the requirements for IRF admission. 
• Develops the detailed reasoning and justification for the IRF admission, with inclusion of the following documentation: - The patient's prior level of function; - The patient's expected level of improvement; - The expected length of time necessary to achieve the expected level of improvement; - An evaluation of the patient's risk for clinical complications; - Treatments needed (OT, PT, SLP, or prosthetics/orthotics); - The expected frequency and duration of treatment in the IRF; - The anticipated discharge destination; - Any anticipated post-discharge treatments; and - Other information relevant to the care needs of the patient.
• Conducts preadmission screening through medical record review and through in person visit(s) with the patient/family and the clinical staff involved in the patient's care and/or by telephone - from an outside referring source.
• Reviews the findings and results of the screening for all potential admissions with the rehabilitation physician for his/her concurrence.
• Completes ongoing re-assessments of patients and updates all documentation for the preadmission screening within 48-hours preceding IRF admission.
• Provides education to patient and/or family on admission criteria, financial eligibility/responsibility, rehabilitation levels of care, program outcomes, and specific facility programing.
• Partners with Case Management/Social Work at the referring site to facilitate timely transition of care.
• Provides education to referral sources (physicians, case managers, social workers, therapists, nurses, etc.) on patient admission criteria, program eligibility, and facility outcomes.
• Provides weekend on-call coverage to perform urgent assessments.
• Other duties and/or projects as assigned.
• Adheres to HMH Organizational competencies and standards of behavior.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required:

• Graduate of an accredited nursing, rehabilitation therapy program, or social work program.
• RN/PT/OT/SLP and a minimum of 3 years of experience in the rehabilitation field or LCSW and a minimum 5 years of direct experience in the rehabilitation field.
• Ability to perform clinical assessments.
• Experience with CMS rehabilitation regulations and guidelines.
• Ability to educate clinical and non-clinical stakeholders on admission criteria.

Education, Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred:

• Clinical work experience in the acute rehabilitation setting.
• Knowledge of insurance benefits.
• For nursing, BSN, or ability to obtain within two years of hire.

Licenses and Certifications Required:

• NJ State Professional Registered Nurse License or Physical Therapist License or Occupational Therapist License or Speech Language Pathology License or NJ Licensed Clinical Social Worker.

Licenses and Certifications Preferred:

• CPR/BLS Certification or ability to obtain upon hire.