Discharge Planner
Lehigh Valley Health Network
Summary
The Discharge Planner facilitates safe, timely, and cost-effective transitions of care by coordinating all post-acute service and appointment needs for patients on the assigned unit. Working collaboratively with providers, care managers, and interdisciplinary team members, the discharge planner ensures that follow-up physician, laboratory, procedural, and financial appointments are accurately scheduled and linked to appropriate orders and payor requirements. This role communicates with third-party payers to secure authorization for inpatient and post-acute services. The Discharge Planner also assesses psychosocial and environmental factors affecting recovery, provides education and referrals to community resources, and supports patients and families in coping with the transition from hospital to home or another level of care.
Job description
Job Duties
- Coordinates safe and timely discharge by arranging necessary post-acute services including home health, DME, transportation, infusion services, specialty populations (dialysis, VBR, etc.) and community-based resources in collaboration with the inpatient care manager RN, MSW, Social Services Coordinator, or Social worker BSW.
- Obtains payer authorization for appropriate level of care, length of stay, and post-discharge services; ensures timely submission of clinical information and communicates payer determinations of denials to the care manager.
- Documents all discharge planning activities including authorizations, communications, and service arrangements promptly and accurately in the medical record to ensure regulatory and organizational compliance.
- Reviews and completes Medicare Notice of Hospital Discharge with inpatient and behavioral health hospital admissions for beneficiaries in hospital.
- Acts as a liaison between patients, families, healthcare providers, payers, and community agencies to support smooth transitions of care and ensure continuity post-discharge.
- Monitors and assists with intra-facility and acute care hospital transfers by collaborating with care management, utilization management and transfer center colleagues to initiate authorization, transportation and repatriation of medically stable patients.
- Communicates, escalates, and prioritizes transportation needs between care management colleagues and the transfer center
- Completes required delivery and documentation for regulatory documents.(Facility specific)
- Coordinates payer interactions with physician advisors when necessary.
- Completes admission assessments under the supervision of a inpatient care manager RN, MSW, Social Services Coordinator, or Social worker BSW.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in healthcare related field.
- 2 years of experience in healthcare related field or
- Less than 1 year as a new graduate.
- Knowledge of the techniques and the ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.
- Computer and EHR literate. Knowledge of patient appointment and procedure scheduling rules, insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), and medical terminology.
Preferred Qualifications
- Bachelor’s Degree in social work.
- Knowledge of discharge planning regulations, patient choice, and insurance authorization as needed,
- Familiar with electronic health records and documentation.
- Familiar with medical terminology.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s Degree in healthcare related field.
- 2 years of experience in healthcare related field or less than 1 year as a new graduate.
- Knowledge of the techniques and the ability to work with a variety of individuals and groups in a constructive and collaborative manner.
- Ability to manage multiple concurrent objectives, projects, groups, or activities, making effective judgments as to prioritizing and time allocation.
- Computer and EHR literate.
- Knowledge of patient appointment and procedure scheduling rules, insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, HIPAA, and medical terminology.
Company overview
Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is a major healthcare provider and hospital network based in Allentown, Pennsylvania, serving the Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania regions. Founded in 1899, LVHN operates as a comprehensive healthcare system with 13 hospital campuses, 28 health centers, numerous primary and specialty care physician practices, and multiple urgent care locations. The network's flagship facility, Lehigh Valley Hospital-Cedar Crest, is Pennsylvania's third-largest hospital and features the state's first Level One Trauma Center. LVHN provides a wide range of medical services including specialized institutes for cancer care, heart and vascular treatment, surgical excellence, orthopedics, and neuroscience. The network operates the third-largest heart surgery program in Pennsylvania, performing over 1,200 open-heart procedures annually, and maintains one of the state's largest cancer centers treating over 2,400 new patients each year. In August 2024, LVHN completed a merger with Jefferson Health, becoming part of a larger healthcare system with 32 hospitals and over 700 locations across Pennsylvania. Prior to the merger, LVHN was the largest employer in the Lehigh Valley metropolitan region, with approximately 20,000 employees dedicated to providing comprehensive healthcare services to the community.