Bariatric Program Coordinator
Job Description
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JOB DESCRIPTION
POSITION: Bariatric Program Coordinator
DEPARTMENT: Administrative
REPORTS TO: Director of Surgical Services
JOB SUMMARY: The Bariatric Program Coordinator provides professional leadership in working with the bariatric practice staff, hospital personnel, referring physicians, and patients. Provides specialized care to the Bariatric patient population by effectively coordinating office activities. The goal is to optimize patient outcomes and improve the quality of life to the morbidly obese through efficient practice management and clinical and educational expertise.
EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE:
1. At least two years of medical practice experience, preferably within a bariatric surgery practice.
2. Clinical background required, Registered Nurse, preferred.
3. Demonstrable experience in practice development and expansion. Experience working in hospitals or ambulatory surgery centers desired.
4. General management expertise.
ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES:
1. Interpersonal/organizational skills to effectively coordinate staff and workflow in a busy Bariatric Surgery practice/program.
2. Superior interpersonal and communications skills.
3. Decisive leadership with above-average judgment.
4. Trustworthiness.
5. Able to effectively sustain multiple simultaneous tasks.
6. Attentive to detail and accuracy.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Responsibilities may include a variety of roles:
§ Clinical Coordinator
§ Team Coordinator
§ Patient Educator
§ Patient Care Coordinator
§ Patient Advocate
§ Support Group Facilitator
Following is a detailed description of each role:
§ Clinical Coordinator
The program coordinator is often the coordinator of efforts in the clinical setting. This may include duties such as management of staff and coordination of the surgical team members. Once the needs of the practice have been identified, the Coordinator is often an effective agent in the assessment, planning and implementation of modalities, which can be used to achieve the desired goals of the practice.
§ Team Coordinator
As team coordinator, the program coordinator can facilitate the process of interaction between the healthcare disciplines, thereby enhancing the communication process. Effective communication between team members will result in a high-level of patient care and an effective assessment and treatment model. Early identification of any potential or existing problems in the team process will likely prevent a breakdown of communication, and can only serve to provide a modality for continuous monitoring of and improvement in the delivery of patient care.
§ Patient Educator
The unique quality of the relationship between the patient educator and the patient lends itself to frequent, therapeutic encounters in the clinical setting. The program coordinator can often identify the “teachable moment” when a patient is most receptive to acquiring the requisite knowledge and skills necessary for self-modification of health behaviors. As one element of the chronic disease treatment model, patient education is hoped to result in the desired lifestyle changes necessary to achieve adequate weight loss and maintenance of that loss over a lifetime.
§ Patient Care Coordinator
The care of the morbidly obese patient requires an understanding of and sensitivity to the unique needs of this patient population. The clinical setting for the delivery of care should provide for these special needs, which includes the availability of equipment, which can accommodate the morbidly obese patient. The evaluation and treatment of these patients involves a comprehensive, multifaceted, and sometimes tedious process that requires reinforcement of information disseminated by all members of the team.
§ Patient Advocate
The program coordinator has traditionally helped to solve problems that may fall between the job descriptions of other health professionals. As patient advocate, the Coordinator can facilitate patient decision-making by providing knowledge, thereby helping the morbidly obese patient move from passivity to action on his/her own behalf.
§ Support Group Facilitator
Most bariatric practices offer a support group for their patients. The use of groups as a means of providing support for a specific segment of the general population has a longstanding history. The group setting provides an informal social network, which has been demonstrated to play a role in the mitigation of stress and the handling of dilemmas unique to the group. The support group provides a vehicle used by the program coordinator to assist obese individuals in meeting their needs for social support.
HIPAA Policy Regarding Use of Protected Health Information
For use of protected health information (PHI), the Practice will identify those persons or classes of persons in its work force who need access to a patient’s PHI to carry out their job-related duties. For each such person or classes of persons, the Practice will identify the category or categories of access to PHI they need in order to perform their jobs and any conditions appropriate to such access.
The Practice will make reasonable efforts to limit the access of PHI in accordance with these designations. These efforts will include annual employee training on the limitations of access and a requirement that every employee sign a confidentiality statement following this training.
Hospital Bariatric Coordinator
Primary Responsibilities:
1. Bariatric Surgery Center Of Excellence
a. Facility bariatric safety and maintenance
b. Clinical Pathways (Hospital)
c. Equipment
d. Sensitivity training (initial & annual)
e. Staff bariatric education (initial & annual)
f. Patient transfer and lift training (initial & annual)
g. Facility BOLD data entry (Surgery and D/C)
h. Performance Improvement projects
2. Coordinates and manages the patient support groups and recoup programs.
3. Coordinates and facilitates the monthly Bariatric Committee meeting
4. Staff education
a. BSM Consulting & Allergan Access
b. Total Care
c. Annual Sensitivity training
5. See post-op LAP-BAND patients
a. day of surgery (meet them in ASU/ OR holding) ambulate patient, I/S, answer questions)
b. POD #1 modified barium swallow
c. Perform D/C teaching and fill out Pt LAP-BAND ID card info
6. Assist with Fluoroscopy fills
7. Checks facility daily admissions and HFO for any LAP-BAND patients admitted
8. Hospital Marketing of Bariatric Program
a. General marketing
b. Health fairs
c. Community outreach
d. Referral base and office staff education
9. Represent the Bariatric Program for the hospital
Secondary Responsibilities:
1. Cross train with office bariatric coordinator and fill in as needed
2. Coordinates and assists with new patient seminars