Christiana Care Health System, a Magnet(r) health care organization with over 1,100 beds between its two hospitals (Christiana Hospital & Wilmington Hospital) and the only Level I trauma service on the East Coast corridor between Philadelphia & Baltimore, has been honored repeatedly as "One of America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report.

Primary function :

The Bariatric Program Manager is responsible for the planning, organization, management, coordination and implementation of all clinical and business improvement initiatives for the Bariatric Surgery Program. The Program serves patients by optimizing their health status of patients enrolled prior to surgical intervention, following their inpatient care trajectory, and supporting both safe discharge, recovery, and long-term follow up with minimized risk of complication. The Program Manager will provide the leadership required to execute projects of various size and complexity in congruency with the Metabolic Health Service's clinical and business objectives. The Bariatric Program Manager is the liaison between surgeons, direct to employer partners, inpatient and discharge planning caregivers, insurance carriers, and the patient/family to promote the highest quality, most cost-effective care.

Principal duties and responsibilities :

• Develops project plans to include: Scope, Schedule, Cost, Quality, Organization and Communications, Staffing, Risk and Issue Management, Test, Configuration, and Change Management
• Strategizes on continued business development of the bariatric surgery program as seen with direct to employer partnership
• Acts upon opportunities to improve existing processes while developing new methods for efficiency and improved quality
• Works collaboratively and serves as a clinical liaison between Christiana Care, patients, clinicians, and other healthcare providers.
• Reviews and coordinates patient's surgery schedule including all readmissions.
• Coordinates and oversees documentation of patients' care plans prioritized by patient need.
• Reviews clinical information before initial visit, anticipating needs and/or high-risk issues regarding the plan of care.
• Maintains up-to-date information on innovative and successful strategies to reach the target population.
• Assesses patient's/caregiver's learning needs and adapts teaching methods to provide a thorough understanding that will maximize successful clinical outcomes.
• Assesses support systems and sets realistic patient expectations for service delivery &/or initiation of the treatment plan.
• Reviews, evaluates and utilizes current research related to bariatric surgery
• Develops and conducts bariatric education programs on a variety of topics, in a variety of community and clinical settings.
• Ensures continuous compliance with MBSAQIP standards, maintaining relevant pathways, protocols, staff and patient education.
• Coordinates and participates in multi-disciplinary team meetings and patient care conferences.
• Responsible for all aspects of charting and maintaining patient records and reports in accordance with policies and procedures and in compliance with Joint Commission standards.
• Initiates and actively participates in performance improvement (PI) activities and quality assurance.
• Monitor outcomes data and collection and leads quality improvement initiatives for the Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence.
• Relates medical information and effectiveness of therapy, progress toward therapeutic goals, errors, patient reactions or complaints to appropriate personnel in a timely manner.
• Functions as an active member of the multi-disciplinary team; communicates/contributes, receives information, acts on decisions reached via the team conference.
• Performs other duties and responsibilities as directed.

Education and experience requirements :

• Licensed / Registered Nurse with minimum 5 years' experience in healthcare delivery.
• Bachelor of Nursing required
• Master's Degree required
• Prior experience in weight management programs required, with emphasis on Bariatric Surgery preferred.
• Experience in case management preferred.
• Certified Bariatric Nurse (CBN) preferred