What are the responsibilities and job description for the Kidney Care Options Educator, Care Coordinator position at US Renal Care?
USRC's greatest strength in being a leader in the dialysis industry is our ability to recognize and celebrate the differences in our diverse workforce. We strongly believe in recruiting top talent and creating a diverse and inclusive work climate and culture at all levels of our organization.
SUMMARY
Promote and deliver the USRC Kidney Care Options Program to nephrology offices, hospital case managers, community partners, and USRC staff. Build and maintain internal and external clinical relationships, educate patients with advanced CKD and ESKD, coordinate care in preparation for initiation of or navigation between dialysis modalities, and support home therapy growth. Track and report program metrics and maintain documentation and communication across teams.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities include the following. Other duties and tasks may be assigned.
Optimal Start and Relationship Management:
- Strategically promote the Kidney Care Options Program to nephrology offices, hospital case managers, and USRC staff to drive patient referrals, expand home therapy pipelines, increase optimal access starts for in-center patients, improve transplant rates, and advance program awareness.
- Develop and sustain strong relationships with external and internal physicians/hospitals. Provide follow-up to Nephrologists regarding education provided to their patients.
Options Education:
- Plan, schedule, and deliver group and individual Kidney Care Options classes for CKD Stage 4 and 5 patients and their families to support optimal management and modality decision-making.
- Under direct RN supervision, deliver Kidney Care Options education to all incident in-center patients within 90 days of admission. Collaborate with the in-center team to provide routine home therapy assessment and ongoing education for established patients.
- Conduct follow-up with educated patients at a prescribed cadence (dependent on CKD progression) to maintain engagement and ensure smooth transition to therapy.
- Participate in USRC team member training and events to ensure team-wide knowledge of the Kidney Care Options Program.
Care Coordination:
- Monitor and track patients through the Kidney Care Options Tracker platform. Maintain communications throughout to in-center staff, home staff, and physicians on patient status. Report metrics to leadership at an established cadence.
- Serve as patient liaison to coordinate care needs including dialysis access placement, transplant referral initiation, insurance resource navigation, and transition planning to USRC facilities.
Partnership:
- Collaborate with Value Based Care for optimal start of treatment modalities where applicable.
- Partner with Administrators, Social Workers, Home Therapy Registered Nurses, Regional Vice Presidents, Business Development, and Home Therapy Leadership to identify and pursue home growth opportunities.
- Lead and/or participate in strategic outreach events with physicians and community partners.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- Documentation Adherence: Maintain compliance with required documentation standards.
- Patient Education: Complete prescribed number of KCO Education sessions
- Physician Engagement: Touchpoints with referring nephrologists, hospital case managers, or physician office staff.
Qualifications:
Qualifications/Requirements:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Requirements include:
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience.
- Five years of experience in a healthcare organization working with patients and/or physicians in a clinical setting
- Knowledge of nephrology, End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), dialysis treatment or related field required.
- 1-year patient education and/or 1-year sales experience preferred.
- Bi-lingual preferred.
- Must demonstrate excellent customer service skills and ability to communicate effectively, both verbally and in writing.
- Must have intermediate computer skills, including Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Power Point, Outlook and web-based tools); proficiency in USRC applications required within 90 days of hire.