Discharge Planner/Social Work

Title: Discharge Planning/Social Work

Position Summary:

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is seeking a Discharge Planner to support our acute medical units. This role is essential in ensuring safe, timely, and coordinated discharges by collaborating with physicians, nursing, utilization review, social work, patients, and families. *Position supports coverage during a planned leave and ongoing department needs. Opportunity for extension based on operational needs and performance. This position is not benefit eligible. *

The Discharge Planner plays a critical role in reducing length of stay, preventing readmissions, and ensuring continuity of care through effective planning and communication.

Key Responsibilities:

-Coordinate discharge planning for patients admitted to acute medical units

-Assess post-acute care needs including home care, DME, rehabilitation, SAR, and long-term care

-Collaborate daily with physicians, nursing, utilization review, and interdisciplinary team members

-Initiate and track referrals to post-acute providers and follow up on placement status

-Communicate discharge plans clearly with patients and families, addressing barriers and concerns

-Ensure timely completion of discharge documentation in the electronic medical record

-Participate in daily interdisciplinary rounds and care coordination meetings

-Identify and escalate complex discharge barriers (insurance, placement delays, social determinants)

Qualifications required:

-Bachelor’s degree required (Social Work, Nursing, or related field)

-Experience in hospital discharge planning, case management, or acute care coordination

-Strong communication, organization, and time-management skills

-Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced hospital environment

Preferred:

-Bachelors of Science, Masters of Social Work, RN

-Prior experience in acute medical/surgical units

-Knowledge of post-acute care systems, insurance authorizations, and utilization review

Schedule & Position Details:

-Day shift, Monday–Friday

-On-site hospital role

Benefits Include:

Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) Program

Extended Illness Bank

Competitive hourly rates

Group Life Insurance

Supplemental Short-Term Disability

Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance

Employee Assistance Program

403(b) Retirement & Savings Plan

Job-related Tuition Reimbursement Program

Who We Are:

Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center is the only full-service hospital in Niagara County. The facility offers a 171-bed regional medical center with extensive inpatient and outpatient services, including a full-service Medical & Psychiatric Emergency Room, The Heart Center of Niagara featuring an on-site Cath Lab, Niagara Wellness Connection Center, The Wound Center of Niagara, OB/GYN Center and UBMD Orthopedics & Sports Medicine. We also offer a comprehensive range of surgical services.

The first hospital in Niagara to be designated a stroke center by the New York State Department of Health, we operate several satellite facilities, including the Summit Healthplex, Tuscarora Health Center, primary care offices in Niagara Falls, Wheatfield, and the Town of Niagara. Schoellkopf Health Center, a 120-bed skilled nursing facility that specializes in short-term rehabilitation and elder care. Like the medical center itself, Schoellkopf features 100-percent private room accommodation.

Niagara Falls Memorial's Child Advocacy Center of Niagara enjoys national accreditation. Our community health advocacy efforts coupled with extensive and productive community partnerships make us one of Western New York's most consistently innovative providers of community-based health outreach.

As one of the Greater Niagara region's largest employers, we pride ourselves on playing an active role as an economic engine and a catalyst for community growth.

Through growth and change, we remain faithful to our core mission: Improving the health of the Greater Niagara Region with a passion for excellence.

Job Types: Full-time, Temporary

Pay: $53,530.47 - $64,466.80 per year

Work Location: In person