Virtual Flex Clinical Exercise Physiologist, (Bakersfield, Valley, LA Metro area)

Job Summary:

In addition to the responsibilities listed below, this individual contributor role is also responsible for performing diagnostic and evaluative testing, including exercise, pharmacological, stress echocardiogram, and cardiopulmonary stress testing; assisting with test review and providing initial interpretation of advanced 12-lead ECG, dysrhythmia, and cardiopulmonary results; evaluating patients for cardiopulmonary rehabilitative services and providing recommendations related to exercise, education, and counseling; conducting exercise evaluations and preparing customized exercise prescriptions for patients with chronic diseases; developing and monitoring home exercise programs, including appropriate follow-up; communicating preliminary and final stress-test results to patients and consulting with physicians or mid-level providers to support interpretation; and creating individualized patient education and follow-up plans addressing cardiac risk-factor modification and other clinic needs.

This includes updating physicians and mid-level providers on patient progress and collaborating with them to develop follow-up plans; identifying and communicating patient problems, executing follow-up actions per provider direction, or independently evaluating and managing solutions within scope, with complete documentation; answering patient questions within scope regarding exercise, nutrition, cardiac rehabilitation, preventive testing, and related services; making referrals to multidisciplinary resources as appropriate; reviewing medical records and conducting patient interviews to confirm appropriateness of ordered testing; sharing knowledge with team members regarding exercise stress testing, emerging technologies, and clinical or educational updates; serving as a clinical resource for providers and staff; and performing other duties as assigned.

Essential Responsibilities:

• Pursues effective relationships with others by proactively providing resources, information, advice, and expertise with coworkers and members. Listens to, seeks, and addresses performance feedback; provides mentoring to team members. Pursues self-development; creates plans and takes action to capitalize on strengths and develop weaknesses; influences others through technical explanations and examples. Adapts to and learns from change, challenges, and feedback; demonstrates flexibility in approaches to work; helps others adapt to new tasks and processes. Supports and responds to the needs of others to support a business outcome.
• Completes work assignments autonomously by applying up-to-date expertise in subject area to generate creative solutions; ensures all procedures and policies are followed; leverages an understanding of data and resources to support projects or initiatives. Collaborates cross functionally to solve business problems; escalates issues or risks as appropriate; communicates progress and information. Supports, identifies, and monitors priorities, deadlines, and expectations. Identifies, speaks up, and implements ways to address improvement opportunities for team.
• Demonstrates clinical expertise by: staying up-to-date on industry developments and best practices; ensuring that departmental standards of care are aligned with evidence-based best practices; using comprehensive knowledge to provide advice, education, and training to members, families, caregivers, the health care team, and the health plan staff; and pursuing educational and clinical development opportunities to maintain and enhance knowledge of professional practice.
• Maintains a safe and compliant care practice by: ensuring that care is provided in compliance with federal, state, and local regulatory requirements and established departmental policies and procedures; supporting managers on the development of reports for administrative and regulatory purposes; identifying opportunities and promoting adherence to safety protocols that mitigate potential risks to patient safety; reporting safety hazards, accidents and incidents, and unsafe working conditions, implementing process improvements to avoid future incidents; and maintaining confidentiality of all patient, staff, and member records and information.
• Contributes to efficient and effective operations management by: promoting effective allocation of resources (e.g., equipment) to meet evolving patient needs while maximizing cost savings; taking inventory and stocking shelves, ensuring availability of necessary equipment and supplies; and recommending and implementing improvements for service delivery using data-driven solutions.
• Practices and/or coordinates patient care by: coordinating and/or conducting comprehensive assessments of patient condition and needs; developing care plans and monitoring patient services; identifying and addressing standard and non-standard patient needs, goals, and preferences; and working with interdisciplinary teams to optimize care delivery; leveraging comprehensive knowledge of patient safety practices to provide and/or ensure the provision of care related to medications, procedures, and/or infection prevention; applying standardized criteria to determine medical necessity and need for continued care based on rate of progress; advocating for patient needs and continuous assessment of treatment efficacy; supporting team members to evaluate response to treatment, identify changes in patient condition, and develop modifications to care plans as needed; and coordinating discharge processes and recommending patient education plans with interdisciplinary team when patients have reached established goals or received maximum treatment benefits.
• Ensures that patients receive the highest quality care by: ensuring the quality, safety, and efficiency of therapy services; resolving standard service/care issues, unusual occurrences (UOs), and patient complaints/grievances; working within and across teams to maintain a competitive position in the health care industry by maximizing access, improving efficiency, and maintaining quality outcomes of therapy services; facilitating cross-communication between appropriate service lines to enhance care coordination and patient experience; and contributing to the development of new products and services to meet member expectations within a competitive health care market.