Patient / Donor Counseling Specialist - Versiti, Inc.

Versiti is a fusion of donors, scientific curiosity, and precision medicine that recognize the gifts of blood and life are precious. We are home to the world-renowned Blood Research Institute, we enable life saving gifts from our donors, and provide the science behind the medicine through our diagnostic laboratories. Versiti brings together outstanding minds with unparalleled experience in transfusion medicine, transplantation, stem cells and cellular therapies, oncology and genomics, diagnostic lab services, and medical and scientific expertise. This combination of skill and knowledge results in improved patient outcomes, higher quality services and reduced cost of care for hospitals, blood centers, hospital systems, research and educational institutions, and other health care providers. At Versiti, we are passionate about improving the lives of patients and helping our healthcare partners thrive.

The position exists to manage donor eligibility status and to perform processes that follow from that status resulting in a critical layer of safety between unsuitable donations and recipients. Objectives include counseling donors regarding all aspects of eligibility, processes of health history deferral management, resolution of eligibility issues, post donation information, abnormal test follow up, lookback, recipient tracing, and re-entry, and donor incident (injury/reaction) follow up. A near perfect degree of completeness and accuracy is expected, as well as attention to detail, self-motivation, and prioritization skill sets. The incumbent works individually, but also within a group to coordinate the accomplishment of all daily tasks; and participates in peer-review second checks.

• Counsel donors regarding the significance of their infectious disease testing results as well as their reason for health history deferrals; i.e., positive test results for HIV, HCV, HBV, Syphilis, HTLV, Chagas, West Nile Virus, Babesia, etc.; high risk behaviors for relevant transfusion transmitted disease, and other testing and pertinent health history issues related to donor and recipient safety.
• Process daily health history deferrals as well as deferrals stemming from recruitment, website, donor calls, ineligible appointment reports, apheresis, special collections, etc. If not automated, deferral entry or termination, including code selection, accurate time frames, succinct entry of reason comments if needed, and additional donor notification/education as needed.
• Initiate and complete post-donation-information cases resulting from daily health history deferrals, donor callbacks, or other sources which encompass donor acceptability and donation suitability tasks, including taking control of available products, lookback, and recall to interdict unsuitable components ensuring these products are properly disposed and not made available for patients.
• When called upon by other departments, assist with obtaining or clarifying health history to establish release or discard of collected donations and donor eligibility for donation
• Perform duties related to abnormal test findings: monitoring/updating deferrals, succinct entry of reason comments, ordering, monitoring for and entry of additional test results if needed, lookback for potentially available prior products, required notifications to donor/MD/Health department, recipient tracing, etc. Tests include standard infectious disease panel, hemoglobin screening, rare red cell donors, red blood cell antibodies, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) antibody screening, abnormal platelet and white blood cell counts, etc.
• Request testing and perform reentry of donor with prior non-confirmed test results when eligible.
• Perform duties related to donor incident follow up including contacting donors, advising on suitable follow up, entry of data into appropriate software, etc. Escalating case to Supervisor of Donor Incidents or medical director when needed.
• Ensure donors are eligible or deferred, and products are released or discarded according to regulations, donor eligibility, and Versiti policy when performing deferral, post donation information, quarantine disposition, test result lookback, reentry and transfusion investigation tasks.
• Other duties as assigned, such as electronic case work entry, investigating returned mail, record management, filing, copying/faxing/emailing etc.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned which are reasonably within the scope of the duties in this job classification
• Understands and performs in accordance with all applicable regulatory and compliance requirements
• Complies with all standard operating policies and procedures

Education

• Bachelor's Degree In science/allied health field, nursing, or medical technology required
• or; Associates Degree in related field, plus an additional 2 years experience in health-related field working with donors/patients/clients in lieu of required degree

Experience

• 1-3 years in health-related field working with donor/patients/clients required
• 1-3 years Direct health care experience or infectious disease education/counseling required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong verbal and written communication skills in English. Strong interpersonal and effective written and oral communication skills. Ability to document events utilizing medical terminology as related to the treatment of injury/reaction. Able to be assertive without being autocratic to solve problems. Interacts with donors, staff, customers, etc. via phone, email, letter, and in-person. Provides an exceptional experience to donors and other customers. required
• Must have basic mathematical aptitude such as adding and subtracting multi-digit numbers; multiplication and division; money; and time. required
• Strong assessment and problem-solving skills. Ability to apply judgement to detailed written or oral instructions and to deal with problems involving variables in work including frustrated, distraught donors and their family. Ability to collect and document pertinent details, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions. required
• Requires ability to maintain concentration for long periods of time despite interruptions, and have good cognitive, analytical, prioritization, and memory abilities. Is willing to seek assistance appropriately from supervisors and/or director. Is able to accept constructive feedback and consistently apply to improve performance. Able to organize work to provide productive workflow when multi-tasking and with multiple work priorities. required
• Fosters and maintains a professional, inclusive environment. Initiates work independently, efficiently, and with minimal supervision with all levels of management, staff, and health care professionals, internally and externally. required
• Ability to interact with others to build relationships in a confidential manner. Maintains confidentiality regarding sensitive, and HIPAA required, donor and associate information. Ability to effectively tailor messages to audience with tact, empathy, and professionalism. Ability to acknowledge and recognize verbal and non-verbal cues and respond appropriately. Strong listening and verbal communication skills including the ability to convey factual information, ensuring understanding while remaining compassionate. Ability to interact calmly and professionally in adverse situations. required
• Follows universal precautions and protective measures required by Versiti and outside regulatory agencies. Incumbent may be exposed to blood or body fluids or be in areas which contain these items. required
• Maintains knowledge of and observes all applicable regulatory requirements and practices, including current Good Manufacturing Practices; e.g. AABB, FDA, State/County Departments of Health, and Versiti policies and procedures. required

Tools and Technology

• Personal Computer (desktop, laptop, tablet) required
• General office equipment (phones, computer, printer, fax, copy machine, etc.) required
• Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) required
• Virtual meeting technologies required
• Reporting and statistic software by Versiti insurer(s) required
• Cell phone for on-call and reading company emails required
• Ability to learn and navigate efficiently: Various computer programs/systems of Versiti and needed websites, etc. required

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