Job Description

Job Purpose:

The Medical Social Worker is responsible for providing care/services to resolve social or emotional problems that are expected to be an impediment to the effective treatment of the patient’s medical condition or rate of recovery.

Supervisor: Clinical Manager

Qualifications:

1. A master’s degree from a school of social work accredited by the Council on Social Work Education.

2. One year of social work experience in a healthcare setting.

3. Licensed as a Medical Social Worker by the state in which practicing, if applicable.

Training:

Experience in home health care preferred.

Responsibilities:

1. Assesses the social and emotional factors related to the patient’s illnesses, their need for care, response to treatment, and adjustment to care.

2. Assesses the relationship of the patient’s medical and nursing requirements to the patient’s home situation, financial resources, and availability of community resources.

3. Obtain available community resources to assist in resolving the patient’s problem. Medicare does not cover the services of a medical social worker to complete or assist in completing an application for Medicaid.

4. Provides education to patients and families regarding community resources.

5. Provides counseling services if required by the patient and part of the plan of care.

6. Furnishes medical social services to the patient’s family members or caregiver on a short-term basis when the agency can demonstrate that a brief intervention by a medical social worker is necessary to remove a clear and direct impediment to the effective treatment of the patient’s medical condition or rate of recovery.

7. Prepares clinical and progress notes.

8. Participate in developing the patient's plan of care.

9. Maintains accurate and timely documentation of care/services provided.

10. Notifies the Clinical Manager or Registered Nurse when there are changes in the patient’s plan of care or clinical changes.

11. Communicate with other team members, as appropriate, regarding the patient’s plan of care, and updates team members when there are changes.

12. Attends and participates in staff meetings, case conferences, educational in-services, and committee meetings, as appropriate.

13. Report incidents and grievances/complaints (patients and/or personnel) to the Clinical Manager.

14. Provides education and information to the patient and/or family members as appropriate to their plan of care.

15. Evaluate the patient’s progress and effectiveness in meeting goals and outcomes.

16. Participate in the patient’s discharge planning.

17. Participate in the agency’s Quality Assessment and Performance Improvement (QAPI) program, as appropriate.

18. Provide staff education as requested by the Clinical Manager.

19. Adheres to the agency’s policies and procedures.

20. Maintains confidentiality of all aspects of job performance.

21. Practices proper infection control and utilizes PPE as indicated.

22. Complies with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations in the performance of job functions.

23. Performs other related functions as directed.

Physical Demands:

The physical requirements described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the essential functions in this job description successfully.

1. The employee is regularly required to stand, walk, and sit, as well as talk and hear.

2. The employee is required to use hands to operate vehicles and office equipment.

3. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 20 pounds.

4. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, and the ability to adjust focus.

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