Northwestern Medicine · 3 weeks ago
External Transfer Coordinator - Bed Assignment Full-time Nights
Chicago, IL
Full-time
Onsite
Entry, Mid Level
2+ years expNorthwestern Medicine is a leader in the healthcare industry, committed to a patient-first approach. The External Transfer Coordinator is a registered nurse responsible for facilitating patient transfers, ensuring optimal bed assignments, and managing communications between healthcare teams to provide quality care.
Emergency MedicineHealth CareHospitalMedicalNutritionRehabilitation
Responsibilities
Intake coordinator for all external transfers including spinal cord/trauma transfers
Ensures that NMH physician will accept patient and that communication with sending hospital is complete
Integrates and Coordinates the complex communication that occurs between NMH physicians and the sending physician/hospital to the nursing unit receiving the patient
Follow the appropriate established guidelines for a Spinal Cord Transfer vs. External Transfer accepted by an Attending physician
Assimilates information from multiple sources and determines appropriate bed placement to provide safe, quality care
Assures safety and security of patients and staff
Demonstrates clinical competence
Demonstrates cost effective approach to bed assignment in terms of equipment, supplies and all other resources
In all areas of clinical practice follows established polices and procedures
Assesses and intervenes in critical situations involving patient assignments, staff, visitors, and consults with manager, director, or hospital administrator for guidance as needed
Provide clinical explanations to bed assignment staff if RC must change a patient’s room assignment based on a clinical issue
When faced with two requests for one bed on a given unit, assures that the more clinically complex patient is placed on the 'home' unit: the less clinically complex patient is overflowed to an appropriate unit
Able to identify questionable diagnosis, and asks additional clinical questions so that the patient is assigned to the most appropriate unit and room type (negative airflow, isolation requirements, ICU vs. general care unit assignment, telemetry)
Performs pre-admission utilization management functions in accordance with established procedures
Masters the use of the utilization management medical necessity criteria to determine appropriate level of care upon admission
Monitors and assures clinical appropriateness of services and efficient use of the various levels of care and resources by working closely with members of the health care team, including the attending physician, house staff, and physician advisers on cases which do not meet established criteria
Communicates/collaborates with external case managers and payers by providing accurate clinical information as needed
Assists in the collection and reporting of financial indicators including LOS, avoidable days, resource utilization, discharge barriers, cost per case, readmission rates, denial and appeals
Uses data to drive decisions and plan/implement performance improvement strategies related to case management for assigned patients/units, including financial, clinical, quality and patient satisfaction data
Collects data for discharge delays, over-utilization of resources, avoidable days and other data for specific performance and/or outcome indicators
Participates in the development, implementation, evaluation and revision of case management tools in collaboration with healthcare team
Participates in department/divisional or hospital committees/task forces
Exemplifies a professional image in appearance, manner, and presentation
Upholds the Northwestern Memorial Hospital policy on patient confidentiality
Is an advocate for patients and their significant key other, co-workers, the community, and the nursing profession
Consistently demonstrates accountability
Champions collaborative practice with co-workers and other disciplines and departments
Dynamic representation of the nursing profession in internal and external forums
Integrates theoretical knowledge base and clinical expertise in decision making
Assumes responsibility for meeting mandatory requirements
Assumes responsibility for personal development plan and education related to clinical specialty area
Ensures that the environment is clean, attractive, safe and free from hazards for staff
Analyzes patterns of daily activities and recommends operational/program changes as needed
Coordinates and manages scheduling and assignments for department
Anticipates staffing needs for subsequent shifts and assists manager in making necessary arrangements for coverage
Functions as a role model for 'Patients First' standards in all encounters
Facilitates effective interdepartmental communication of incidents with appropriate personnel (manager, division, and department)
Promotes philosophy and objectives of hospital, division, and department
Provides a milieu conducive to communication and cooperation among patients, staff, and visitors
Identifies and communicates key issues and trends to managers and makes recommendations for improvement
Provides input to manager on budget issues, particularly staffing and cost containment strategies
Establishes relationships across departments and divisions to optimize patient care
Qualification
Required
Current license as Registered State of Illinois Professional Nurse or eligible for licensure in the State of Illinois
Bachelor's Degree in Nursing and 2 years minimum experience in the acute care setting
A high level of interpersonal skills to affect positive External Transfer outcomes
Organizational skills necessary to prioritize and manage multiple external transfers at the same time
Self-direction required for daily work
Analytical skills necessary to independently collect, analyze, and interpret data, resolve problems requiring innovative solutions and to negotiate in sensitive situations
Preferred
Specialty Certification
3 to 5 years previous experience in a variety of clinical areas
Basic computer skills and spreadsheets
Benefits
Tuition reimbursement
Loan forgiveness
401(k) matching
Lifecycle benefits
Company
Northwestern Medicine
Northwestern Medicine is the collaboration between Northwestern Memorial HealthCare and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine around a strategic vision to transform the future of health care.
10001+ employees
H1B Sponsorship
Northwestern Medicine has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (75)
2024 (66)
2023 (70)
2022 (78)
2021 (35)
2020 (39)
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageTotal Funding
$25M2018-06-26Grant· $25M
Leadership Team
Howard Chrisman, MD
President and CEO
John A. Orsini, CPA
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
Recent News
2026-01-13
Near North Health
2025-12-01
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