At Houston Methodist, the Transplant Recovery Specialist position is responsible for supporting the organ procurement services required for transplantation and maintains the peri-operative phase of recipient transplantation. Primary responsibilities for this position include logistics management, preservation, packaging and labeling of organs for transplantation; facilitating organ offer review and acceptance processes, recipient admission and pre-operative preparation for transplantation, and ensuring adherence to current Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network/United Network of Organ Sharing (OPTN/UNOS) regulations and allocation policies. The Transplant Recovery Specialist position communicates with all members of the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO), Houston Methodist recovery and transplant teams, and recipient candidate and family to ensure proper coordination of the organ recovery and transplant events.

PATIENT AGE GROUP(S) AND POPULATION(S) SERVED
Refer to departmental "Scope of Service" and "Provision of Care" plans, as applicable, for description of primary age groups and populations served by this job for the respective HM entity.

HOUSTON METHODIST EXPERIENCE EXPECTATIONS

• Provide personalized care and service by consistently demonstrating our I CARE values:
  • INTEGRITY: We are honest and ethical in all we say and do.
  • COMPASSION: We embrace the whole person including emotional, ethical, physical, and spiritual needs.
  • ACCOUNTABILITY: We hold ourselves accountable for all our actions.
  • RESPECT: We treat every individual as a person of worth, dignity, and value.
  • EXCELLENCE: We strive to be the best at what we do and a model for others to emulate.

• Practices the Caring and Serving Model

• Delivers personalized service using HM Service Standards

• Provides for exceptional patient/customer experiences by following our Standards of Practice of always using Positive Language (AIDET, Managing Up, Key Words)

• Intentionally collaborates with other healthcare professionals involved in patients/customers or employees' experiential journeys to ensure strong communication, ease of access to information, and a seamless experience.

• Involves patients (customers) in shift/handoff reports by enabling their participation in their plan of care as applicable to the given job

• Displays cultural humility, diversity, equity and inclusion principles

• Actively supports the organization's vision, fulfills the mission and abides by the I CARE values

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Communicates in an active, positive, and effective manner to all team members and outside organization partners while facilitating the critical events of recovery and transplantation. Collects the appropriate data necessary for decision-making regarding organ acceptance/rejection for transplant and communicates with the organ procurement agency and as well as the physicians/surgeons to relay donor and/or recipient information accurately and timely to support the transplant event. Participates in organ pumping/ perfusion per transplant center protocols.

• Identifies and responds to the psychosocial needs of the transplant candidate/ family/caregivers during the pre-operative and peri-operative phases of transplantation.

• Fosters teamwork approach in all interactions with peers and team members, offering assistance. Anticipates needs of other team members; proactively offering assistance. Contributes to meeting department score for employee engagement.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates in organ recovery process according to transplant center protocol. Ensures proper review of donor verifications (surgical time-out) prior to recovery with recovery surgeon. Facilitates transportation arrangements, assures availability of necessary supplies and equipment for recovery. Accompanies recovery surgeons to donor facility via applicable transportation. Assists in surgical recovery procedures as required. Assists in appropriate organ and tissue-specific preservation procedures. Ensures the organ packaging and labeling process per protocol are followed.

• Participates in organ transplant process according to transplant center protocol. Responds timely to initial organ offers, verifies all donor and recipient information, collects appropriate data necessary for decision making regarding organ acceptance/rejection for transplant and prepares a thorough report for the physician to review. Facilitates admission/transfer of recipient for transplantation and oversees pre-operative process. Coordinates timing of event with procurement team and OPO.

• Enters appropriate acceptance and denial codes via DonorNet in timely manner and alerts appropriate parties for any variances in allocation documentation immediately. Exhibits ability to timely remove transplant recipient from waitlist per OPTN/UNOS regulations.

• Participates in recipient waitlist management review forums as indicated and monitor appropriate communications affecting recipient's candidacy. Provide timely notifications at specified time-points throughout recovery and transplant process and ensure thorough hand-offs to team members if required. Contributes to meeting department and organ program targets for process and patient satisfaction measures.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Communicates effectively to ensure proper review of donor medical history and diagnostic data; allocation sequencing; and recipient medical information, current medical status, and crossmatch results if applicable with appropriate members of recovery and transplant team physicians/surgeons to determine eligibility for organ acceptance and recipient eligibility for transplantation.

• Ensures organs and tissues will be recovered, packaged, and transplanted to maximize utilization in accordance with OPTN/UNOS policies. Preserves organs and tissue according to OPO and national standards to ensure maximum viability for transplantation including pumping/perfusion of organs.

• Ensures adequate tissue typing material is recovered for each organ and tissue and archiving as well as inclusion of vascular grafts as required with packaged extra renal organs and tissue. Ensures proper documentation of extra-renal organ and tissue anatomy and abnormal findings and kidney anatomy, measurements, and abnormal findings.

• Operates within Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), OPTN, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) regulatory compliance throughout the recovery and transplant event processes. Maintains CMS and OPTN compliant documentation throughout the phases of the process including by not limited to logistics documentation, procurement and transplant verification forms, Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) requests, HM-required consents, organ donor disclosure, and recovery transplant reporting records. Contributes to meeting department and organ program targets for quality, compliance, and safety.

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Maintains and submits accurate data for hospital-based statistics and regulatory agencies such as UNOS/UNET, CMS, and Medicaid to ensure proper department financial management, compliance with all governmental reporting requirements, and proper quality outcomes monitoring. These data requirements include, but are not limited to units of service, recovery logistics tracking, recovery supply utilization, and UNOS TIEDI forms.

• Utilizes appropriate supply inventory to ensure supply costs are maximized. Follows protocol for transportation logistics to maintain expenses in alignment with quality management. Submits variances timely to management for proper billing management. Contributes to meeting department and organ program financial measures on department dashboard.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Participates and contributes in department initiatives for quality and process/performance improvement. Works in collaboration with team to provide solutions by participating in department projects and shared governance activities. Provides staff and community education in the areas of transplant and organ donation. Participates in department donor awareness events, educational opportunities, and community activities.

• Identifies and assumes responsibility of own learning needs, consults with healthcare team experts, and seeks continuing education opportunities to meet those needs. Ensures own career discussions occur with appropriate management. Completes and updates the My Development Plan on an on-going basis.

This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.

EDUCATION

• Associate degree or higher or a graduate from an applicable Health Care Technical program

WORK EXPERIENCE

• Three years of healthcare experience, one year which must be in direct patient care/contact or Organ Procurement Organization

• Transplant-related experience preferred

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - REQUIRED

• BLS - Basic Life Support (AHA)

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS - PREFERRED

• CST - Certified Surgical Technologist (NBSTSA) -- Health-related certification/registry/license AND
• CSFA - Certified Surgical First Assistant (NBSTSA) -- Health-related certification/registry/license

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations

• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security

• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles

• Skilled at managing complex caseload and ability to prioritize/triage multiple responsibilities with high level of critical thinking

• Extremely well-organized and detail oriented, self-directed

• Demonstrates knowledge of, and compliance with, CMS Conditions of Participation and OPTN/UNOS policies and listing requirements

• Working knowledge of Microsoft products

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs Yes
• Business professional No
• Other (department approved) No

ON-CALL*
*Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. DIsaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.

• On Call* Yes

TRAVEL**
**Travel specifications may vary by department**

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Since its founding in 1919, Houston Methodist Hospital has earned worldwide recognition. Houston Methodist Hospital is affiliated with the Weill Medical College of Cornell University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, one of the nation's leading centers for medical education and research.  In 2020, U.S. News & World Report named Houston Methodist Hospital to its top ranked Honor Roll for the fourth time and second consecutive year. 2020 also marked the ninth year in a row Houston Methodist Hospital has been named the No. 1 hospital in Texas. Houston Methodist Hospital directs millions of research dollars into patient care and offers the latest innovations in medical, surgical and diagnostic techniques. With 952 operating beds, 85 operating rooms and over 8,000 employees, Houston Methodist offers complete care for patients from around the world.

 

The same high-quality care for which Houston Methodist is known is available at several Emergency Care Centers in Houston and the surrounding areas.  These Emergency Care Centers house exam rooms, full digital radiography suite, low radiation dose 16-slice CT scan, ultrasound and a full on-site stat chemistry lab.