Post-Mortem Care Coordinator - Decedent Affairs

Decedent Affairs Coordinator

Rotating - 08 Hour (United States of America)Allied HealthStanford Medicine Palo AltoStanford Medicine Children's HealthStanford Medicine Tri-Valley (remote support from the Palo Alto campus)

Why Join Allied Health with Stanford Healthcare?

Our Allied Health practitioners serve in areas including Pharmacy, Respiratory, Nutrition, Hospital Tech, Radiology and much more. Changing the Future of the Decedent Affairs Team: The Decedent Affairs Team serves patient populations including Stanford Medicine Children's Health, Stanford Medicine, and Stanford Medicine Tri-Valley. Allied Health team members serve on the front lines with opportunities for:

• Meaningful Impact During Critical Moments: Employees on this team provide compassionate support to families during one of the most vulnerable times in their lives. Coordinators play a vital role in guiding loved ones through the post-mortem care process with dignity, empathy, and clarity, making a lasting difference in how families experience loss.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Staff work closely with a wide range of departments including nursing, social work, chaplaincy, and pathology. This creates a dynamic environment where team members are constantly learning and contributing to a holistic approach to end-of-life care.
• Specialized Knowledge and Leadership Opportunities: The team offers unique exposure to hospital policies, legal documentation, and cultural sensitivity practices surrounding death and bereavement. Employees are the go-to experts in these areas and may lead initiatives to improve workflows or enhance family-centered care.

Be Part of a Tight-Knit Team: Our team is tight-knit, collaborative, and supportive as they provide top-tier care for patients. The Decedent Affairs Team in particular allows staff to build deep connections across departments, develop expertise in sensitive end-of-life protocols, and contribute meaningfully to the healing process for grieving families - helping them feel supported in and outside of their role.

Opportunities to Grow: Allied Health professionals in our Decedent Affairs Team have access to:

• Training and Extra Opportunities: Coordinators participate in in-service training sessions for hospital staff, focusing on legal documentation, cultural sensitivity, and donor network coordination. There are also opportunities to engage in continuous improvement initiatives within the Decedent Care Team, enhancing workflows and family support systems.
• Career Growth Paths: Employees in this role can grow into positions utilizing the foundational skills of communication, compliance, and compassionate care developed in Decedent Affairs.

Shift / Schedule: Full-time; 8-hour shift; expectations include weekend, swing-shift, overnight-shift, and rotating scheduling.

This is a Stanford Health Care job.

A Brief Overview

The Office of Decedent Affairs is the main entity managing the postmortem care, storage of, and release of remains of deceased patients across Stanford Health Care, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and Tri-Valley Pleasanton. Decedent Affairs Coordinators work within the clinical setting, liaising with, working side-by-side with, and supporting nurses and physician teams in the care of the patient. Decedent Affairs Coordinators provide compassionate and direct post-mortem care to patients by ensuring their dignity, respect, and personal wishes are honored after death. By offering emotional and logistical support to families and loved ones, Decedent Affairs Coordinators extend their care to patients in their final phase, helping to create a sense of closure and continuity of care even after life has ended. The Office of Decedent Affairs prime responsibility is to ensure continuity of care for all Stanford Heath Care, Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, and Tri-Valley Pleasanton patients by assuming responsibility for patients after death.

Locations

Stanford Health Care

What You Will Do

• Supports patients prior to death.
• Assists nursing and medical teams with all aspects of postmortem care.
• Works directly [in-person] with patients and families in complex and sensitive cases of fetal demise and perinatal loss.
• Serves as a vital part of the patient care team, providing expert guidance to patients, family members and hospital staff.
• Serves as primary point of contact for family and other associated parties during and after a patient's death for all issues related to disposition/ funeral home releases.
• Consults with Spiritual Care Services and refers families as needed for grief support and religious/cultural needs.
• Works closely with families and hospital staff to ensure that the deceased's unique preferences and cultural/religious practices are respected.
• Obtains valid consent for autopsy and provides follow-up after the exam.
• Collaborates with physicians, nursing staff, police, Santa Clara County Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office, Santa Clara County Clerk-Recorder's Office, Pathology Department, risk management, etc. to ensure timely disposition with the least liability to the hospital.
• Handles the disposition of all fetal remains in cases where families elect for hospital disposition.
• Manages patient transport teams following the death of a patient to transport patient to the morgue.
• Oversees the morgue and physical remains.
• Ensures that each deceased patient is properly identified and that all necessary documentation, such as death certificates and medical records, are accurately completed and maintained.
• Ensures bodies are stored in temperature-controlled environments that preserve their integrity. Monitors the conditions of the remains and morgue to ensure compliance with all health and safety regulations.
• Facilitates autopsies and organ donation.
• Acts as liaison between pathology departments, the autopsy team, and organ procurement teams such as Donor Network West to ensure their processes are completed with care, respecting the patient and families wishes, and legal requirements.
• Facilitates viewing of deceased patients.
• Prepares a body for viewing with the goal of ensuring that the deceased is presented in a dignified, respectful, and peaceful manner for their family and loved ones.
• Makes next of kin determination and communicates with families.
• Acts as the sole point of contact for families regarding the death of their loved one, next steps, and navigating complexities of funeral home selection.
• Reviews all death cases and provides pertinent and clear information to the family of the deceased.
• Provides consultation regarding autopsy, disposition, and social services.
• For patients who have no listed next-of-kin or emergency contacts, conducts a thorough next of kin search, notifies families of patient deaths as needed, and if no family is located, refers to the county Public Administrator as appropriate.
• Clerical functions.
• Performs EDRS/ FDRS entry of death certificate records, ensuring accurate and timely completion.
• Documents timely and accurate information to ensure complex case management.
• Manages the complex and sensitive case processes and communicates pertinent information to the necessary stakeholders.
• Acts as liaison between mortuaries and our hospitals.
• Coordinates Release of Remains documentation, autopsy and Donor Network West holds.
• Serves as the liaison with SOM Anatomical Gift Program and SHC Autopsy department and a decedent's legal next-of-kin researchers concerning procurement of tissue and specimens solely based on opportunities for scientific research.
• Education functions.
• Coordinators are subject matter experts in cause of death and provide "just in time" education for physicians, nursing staff, and families at the time of a patient's death.
• Supports staff and families surrounding all aspects of inpatient deaths.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field (preferred)

Experience Qualifications

• Minimum four (4) years of experience in healthcare or bereavement setting (preferred)
• Funeral home/mortuary/healthcare decedent care experience (preferred)
• Previous experience in patient satisfaction/customer service (preferred)

Required Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrated human relations and effective verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent problem solving and conflict resolution skills
• Attention to detail is critical
• Strong coordination and organizational skills required to prioritize deadlines
• Knowledge of medical terminology/bereavement training preferred
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team
• Ability to interpret and analyze clinical data and medical records
• Ability to navigate EDRS, FDRS