Reports To: Patient Care Manager
Provides Direction To: Hospice clinical staff as delegated by the Patient Care Manager
Collaborates With: Administrator, Hospice Physicians, Patient Care Manager, RN Case Managers, LPNs, Hospice Aides, Social Workers, Chaplains, Volunteers, and Business Office personnel
General Summary
The Assistant Patient Care Manager is a hybrid clinical leadership position responsible for supporting the Patient Care Manager (PCM) with the day-to-day operations of the hospice clinical department while also providing direct patient care and field-based clinical supervision.
This position is designed to provide flexibility based on census, patient needs, staffing levels, branch operations, and organizational priorities. The employee will generally function approximately two (2) days per week in the Assistant Patient Care Manager role in the office and three (3) days per week in the field providing direct patient care and back-office tasks. The specific days and allocation of responsibilities may vary from week to week and may be adjusted by the Patient Care Manager or Administrator based on branch needs, staffing availability, patient acuity, admissions, call-offs, and operational demands.
The Assistant Patient Care Manager serves as an extension of the Patient Care Manager and provides leadership, clinical support, accountability, and guidance to the hospice clinical team while maintaining a strong presence in direct patient care.
Essential Functions
I. Assistant Patient Care Manager Responsibilities
When functioning in the Assistant Patient Care Manager capacity, the employee will assist the PCM with the daily management and coordination of hospice clinical operations.
Daily Clinical Operations
1. Assist the PCM with oversight of daily clinical operations.
2. Review daily census reports, pending referrals, admissions, deaths, transitional visits, recertifications, and face-to-face visit requirements.
3. Assist with identifying patients requiring increased clinical oversight.
4. Monitor patient assignments and assist with balancing caseloads.
5. Assist with coordinating coverage for call-offs, PTO, unexpected staffing shortages, and increased patient needs.
6. Help ensure patients receive timely and appropriate visits.
7. Participate in morning clinical meetings and daily staff communication.
8. Serve as a clinical resource for staff when the PCM is unavailable.
9. Assist with coordinating communication between disciplines.
Clinical Oversight
1. Assist clinical staff with complex patient-care situations.
2. Review changes in patient condition and assist staff with appropriate clinical follow-up.
3. Help ensure physician orders and individualized plans of care are followed.
4. Monitor appropriate utilization of hospice services.
5. Assist with identifying changes in level of care or increased service needs.
6. Assist with coordinating admissions, transitional visits, PRN visits, and other clinical needs.
7. Escalate significant clinical concerns to the PCM, Administrator, or Medical Director as appropriate.
Staff Support and Accountability
1. Provide day-to-day coaching and support to clinical staff.
2. Reinforce hospice policies, procedures, standards of care, and expectations.
3. Monitor staff completion of required duties and documentation.
4. Address minor performance concerns through coaching and follow-up.
5. Communicate significant employee performance concerns to the PCM.
6. Assist with orientation and onboarding of new clinical employees.
7. Assist with competency evaluations and skills validation.
8. Help identify staff education and training needs.
9. Promote teamwork, professionalism, communication, and accountability.
Hospice Aide Oversight
1. Assist with oversight of hospice aide services.
2. Monitor aide assignments, visit frequency, missed visits, and care-plan compliance.
3. Review aide documentation for completeness and consistency with the plan of care.
4. Assist with supervisory visits and aide competency monitoring.
5. Follow up on concerns reported by patients, families, facilities, nurses, or other disciplines.
6. Provide coaching and feedback to hospice aides as appropriate.
7. Communicate significant aide performance concerns to the PCM.
Documentation and Quality
1. Assist with routine clinical record reviews.
2. Monitor timely completion of clinical documentation.
3. Identify documentation deficiencies and communicate concerns to appropriate staff.
4. Assist with QAPI activities and performance improvement projects.
5. Assist with monitoring compliance with hospice regulations and organizational policies.
6. Assist with preparation for regulatory surveys, audits, and medical record reviews.
7. Track and follow up on identified clinical or documentation concerns.
II. Field-Based Clinical Responsibilities
When functioning in the field, the employee will maintain a clinical presence and provide direct patient care while supporting the clinical team.
Direct Patient Care
1. Provide routine hospice nursing visits as assigned.
2. Provide PRN and urgent visits based on patient needs and staffing availability.
3. Assist with hospice admissions when needed.
4. Perform comprehensive nursing assessments and reassessments.
5. Evaluate changes in patient condition and communicate appropriately with the interdisciplinary team.
6. Provide symptom management and patient/family education.
7. Reinforce the hospice plan of care with patients and caregivers.
8. Coordinate care with physicians, facilities, pharmacies, DME providers, and other members of the interdisciplinary team.
9. Complete timely and accurate clinical documentation.
10. Complete on-call shifts as scheduled.
Clinical Field Supervision
1. Serve as a field-based clinical resource for assigned nurses and aides.
2. Conduct supervisory visits as assigned.
3. Assist staff with difficult or complex patient situations.
4. Provide real-time clinical guidance and coaching.
5. Observe staff performance in the field when appropriate.
6. Identify opportunities for additional education or support.
7. Follow up on patient and family concerns.
8. Monitor consistency between patient needs, the plan of care, and services being provided.
9. Communicate concerns to the PCM and assist with development of corrective actions when needed.
Patient and Family Relations
1. Respond to patient and family concerns in a professional and timely manner.
2. Assist with resolving service concerns.
3. Promote patient dignity, comfort, autonomy, and quality of life.
4. Maintain strong relationships with facility staff and community partners.
5. Ensure patients and families understand available hospice services and whom to contact when needs arise.
III. Hybrid Role Expectations
Because this is a hybrid position, the employee must be prepared to transition between administrative/leadership responsibilities and direct patient care based on organizational needs.
The typical schedule may consist of:
Approximately 2 days per week:
Assistant Patient Care Manager responsibilities, including clinical coordination, staff support, documentation oversight, scheduling, quality activities, and administrative duties.
Approximately 3 days per week:
Field-based responsibilities, including patient visits, admissions, supervisory visits, clinical support, and staff management.
Important: The two-day/three-day division is a general guideline and is not a fixed schedule. The schedule and assignment of duties may change based on:
1. Patient census
2. Patient acuity
3. Admissions and referrals
4. Staff availability
5. Employee call-offs
6. PTO
7. Open positions
8. Branch coverage needs
9. On-call needs
10. Transitional care needs
11. Facility needs
12. Regulatory or quality requirements
- Other operational needs identified by the PCM or Administrator
The employee is expected to maintain flexibility and understand that the needs of the branch will determine how their time is allocated.
IV. Leadership Expectations
The Assistant Patient Care Manager / Clinical Field Supervisor is expected to model the standards expected of all clinical employees.
The employee will:
1. Demonstrate strong clinical judgment.
2. Maintain professionalism and confidentiality.
3. Promote a positive team culture.
4. Communicate concerns promptly.
5. Hold staff accountable while maintaining a supportive leadership approach.
6. Lead by example in patient care and documentation.
7. Demonstrate reliability and flexibility.
8. Support organizational policies and leadership decisions.
9. Maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
10. Promote the hospice philosophy of compassionate, high-quality patient-centered care.
11. Help ensure patients and families are "left better than found."
The Assistant Patient Care Manager is not the final decision-maker for disciplinary action, termination, significant personnel matters, or major clinical/operational decisions unless specifically delegated by the PCM or Administrator.
V. Communication and Escalation
The Assistant Patient Care Manager / Clinical Field Supervisor is expected to communicate significant concerns to the Patient Care Manager promptly.
Concerns requiring escalation may include (but are not limited to):
1. Patient safety concerns
2. Significant changes in patient condition
3. Medication or treatment concerns
4. Suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation
5. Serious patient/family complaints
6. Regulatory concerns
7. Significant documentation deficiencies
8. Employee misconduct
9. Repeated performance concerns
10. Staffing concerns that cannot be resolved at the field level
11. Potential adverse events
12. Any situation requiring administrative intervention
VI. Qualifications
1. Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in the state of Illinois.
2. Hospice, home health, hospital, long-term care, or comparable clinical experience preferred.
3. Previous leadership or supervisory experience preferred.
4. Hospice experience strongly preferred.
5. Strong clinical assessment and critical-thinking skills.
6. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
7. Ability to work independently while functioning effectively as part of an interdisciplinary team.
8. Ability to manage changing priorities and work in a fast-paced environment.
9. Valid driver's license, reliable transportation, and appropriate automobile insurance.
- Ability to travel throughout the organization's service area.
VII. Physical and Environmental Requirements
1. Ability to perform the essential functions of an RN position.
2. Ability to travel to patient homes, facilities, and branch locations.
3. Ability to sit, stand, walk, bend, lift, and assist with patient care as required.
4. Ability to work in a variety of patient-care environments.
5. Ability to respond to changing clinical and operational needs.
VIII. Performance Expectations
Performance will be evaluated based on the employee's ability to effectively perform both components of the hybrid position.
Key performance areas include:
1. Quality and timeliness of patient care
2. Clinical judgment
3. Documentation compliance
4. Staff support and accountability
5. Patient and family satisfaction
6. Timely response to clinical concerns
7. Effective communication
8. Caseload and visit management
9. Hospice aide oversight
10. Team collaboration
11. Compliance with hospice policies and regulations
12. Flexibility in responding to changing branch needs
- Ability to effectively transition between leadership and field responsibilities
Position Flexibility Statement:
Town Square Hospice reserves the right to modify the allocation of administrative and field-based responsibilities based on patient census, staffing availability, patient acuity, branch needs, and operational priorities. The Assistant Patient Care Manager / Clinical Field Supervisor is expected to remain flexible and perform duties within their scope of practice as assigned by the Patient Care Manager and/or Administrator.
Disclaimer:
The above is intended to describe the general content of a requirements for the performance of this job. Is it not to be constructed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities, or requirements.
Statement of Understanding:
I have read the above job description. I understand and agree to carry out these responsibilities as assigned. I understand and acknowledge that nothing contained in this job description may be constructed as limiting the employer’s right to discipline or terminate my employment at any time for failure to perform satisfactorily.
Pay: $87,000.00 - $95,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Disability insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
