Respiratory Therapist

Respiratory Therapy Services Job Responsibilities and Duties:

GENERAL PURPOSE: (Purpose and Function):

The Respiratory Therapist Service for Operations is responsible to assist with all but not limited to internal departmental communication and operations, facilitating, and coordinating patient care, quality assurance, census development and marketing of Respiratory Services in his/her facility.

1. Monitors financial performance of rehab department and effectively seeks methods to improve this performance while ensuring that the facility’s and CareRite Centers standards are consistently observed.

• Achieving and maintaining revenue, productivity and gross profit margin goals.
• Appropriate and effective utilization of nursing staff with respiratory treatments.
• Managing key operations and financial levers to achieve budget projections, including development and implementation of action plans as necessary.
• Completing mid-month and end-of-month billing timely and accurately.
• Accountable for implementing strategic plans and actively managing the operations of assigned area.Contributes to the overall planning for the area and serves as area leader.
• Creates business plans, designs new units, and monitors space utilization and patient flow.
• Plans and directs all daily clinical and non-clinical operations.
• Establishes and monitors tracking mechanisms for the review and analysis of patient volume, patient flow, types of tests performed, productivity and profitability.
• Plans, evaluates, and revises procedures and practices for accomplishing objectives.
• Accomplish respiratory therapy services goals regarding human resources by choosing, interviewing, hiring, assigning, training, and monitoring new staff, communicating, and enforcing rules and regulations amongst them, holding them accountable to clinic rules and regulations, regularly assessing and troubleshooting their job proficiency and outcomes and advising as to compensation specifics for everyone.
• Initiate organizational techniques that will improve respiratory therapy services outcomes and develop information, strategies, and changes for the overall department’s direction.
• Monitor the follow-up of staff to both functional and organizational objectives set by the department.
• Evaluate and assess health care trends to establish new patterns of service based on vital measurements, productivity statistics, quality control and customer satisfaction and outcome.
• Design operational care systems, monitor influx of resources, troubleshoot respiratory therapy services general issues, and implement appropriate change when necessary.
• Encourage positive financial habits by assessing prior year financial trends and variances and forecasting for current and future years to optimize monetary dealings, restructure finances as necessary and align resources with supply and demand and economic indicators.
• Educate medical care providers, such as staff and nurses, through seminars on critical respiratory care and increasing awareness of respiratory therapy health issues throughout the clinical community.
• Arrange educational opportunities for respiratory therapy services students, including organizing their clinical rounds, observing, and giving feedback on each of their performances, coaching them through assessments, recommending additional educational outlooks and engaging them with appropriate learning modalities.
• Act on medical care provider committees and boards with respiratory therapy-oriented projects inside and outside the clinical realm.
• Acknowledge, research, and install developing respiratory therapy services technology and equipment and aid in the regular restructuring of resources to improve health care outcomes.
• Maintain relevance by keeping up with professional journals, associating with professional organizations and networks and joining with continuing education advancements.

2. Respiratory Therapists assist with Development and maintains systems which build and enhance the facility’s reputation for being the unparalleled provider of rehab to the elderly and demonstrate the facility’s approach to interdisciplinary care.

• Completes assessments and implements Respiratory technique to maintain or rehab patient with many different Respiratory illness/diseases.
• Initiate therapies, maintain patient records, operate, check, and assemble equipment.
• Respiratory muscle training.
• Mechanical Ventilator, Airvo, and Cough Assist.
• Deep breathing and coughing.
• Nebulizer treatments .
• Cardio and pulmonary with collaboration.
• Complete a variety of bedside treatments.
• Complete in-services in collaboration with the nursing staff.
• Responsible for completing daily, weekly and monthly documentation.
• Experience with tracheotomy.
• Experience is a long term care setting.
• Follow procedure and protocol of facility.
• Performs related duties as required.
• Completes assessments and implements Respiratory technique to maintain or rehab patient with many different Respiratory illness/diseases.
• Initiate therapies, maintain patient records, operate, check, and assemble equipment.
• Knowledge of medical terminology.

• Knowledge of current payment system
• Knowledge and ability to carryout strategic operational plans
• Basic knowledge of Minimal Data Set
• Knowledge of respiratory disease and diseases that affect the respiratory system.
• Ability to use respiratory therapy equipment.
• Ability to exercise judgment and discretion in devising, installing and interpreting rules, regulations, policies, or procedures.
• Ability to supervise staff of professional, technical, and clerical subordinates in a manner conducive to full performance and high morale.
• Ability to express ideas and information, clearly, concisely, verbally and writing.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationship with superiors and officials of other departments.

• Uses chain of control to promptly address clinical issues, departmental operation concerns and unresolved difficult interaction with others.
• Assures initiation and follow-up of risk identification reports, patient/family or physician complaints and notifies Department Director in a timely manner.
• Appropriately identifies performance problems of staff members, performs counseling if appropriate and completes documentation as required.
• Serves as preceptor for new staff and clinical site students, assuring completion of all orientation and skills checklists, identifies learning needs and plans training.
• Works to resolve difficult interactions with physician, co-workers, visitors, patients or personnel from other departments.
• Administration of therapies as prescribed by a physician and according to the standard procedure described in the Departmental Policy and procedure Manual in these areas:
  • Oxygen therapy
  • Respiratory-Rehab Services
  • Lung expansion therapy
  • Bronchial Hygiene therapy
  • Respiratory muscle training
  • Aerosol therapy
  • Incentive Spirometry
  • Airway Clearance Techniques
  • Oro/Naso-pharyngeal suctioning
  • Tracheo-bronchial suctioning and tracheostomy care
  • Airway management/assessment
  • Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation
• Incorporates knowledge of patients functional and developmental age into patient care activities.
• Patient monitoring: must be able to identify side effects of therapy or life-threatening symptoms and take appropriate actions.
• Equipment monitoring: must be able to assemble, test prior to patient use and monitor equipment for proper function, report any defects. Must be able to perform calibration and sterilization of equipment.
• Documentation of patient administered therapies, side effects and or results. Compliance with facility’s policies, procedures, clinical standards, and protocols.

Compliance to documentation guidelines and regulatory requirements, including completion of monthly documentation audits.

Implementing new patient programs in accordance with facility’s and CareRite Centers policies.

In-services are conducted as required.

Communicating regularly with the administrator and regional support, determining the need for visits and assistance, and scheduling time with support for maximum effectiveness.

Timely evaluation and treatment of patients in the most efficient and effective manner possible.

Participation with nursing to meet PDPM and OBRA requirements.

Quality of data entry and clinical documentation.

Managing use of computerized systems to optimize data quality and maximize therapist efficiency.

Managing Medicare Medical Review and Denials Management process in conjunction with the Regional CareRite denials support and therapy staff.

Respiratory Therapy Services Director Skills and Qualifications

Registered Respiratory Therapist or Certified Respiratory Therapist

2 years proficiency with physiological and clinical skills