The Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator & Surgical Clinical Reviewer (SCR) serves in a dual role supporting both the neurosurgical patient population and surgical quality improvement initiatives. This position works in close collaboration with Neurosurgery providers, Perioperative Services, and Quality leadership, and functions as an advocate, educator, coordinator, and guide for neurosurgical patients and their families throughout the surgical continuum. The role also supports surgical quality improvement through participation in the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS NSQIP).

The Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator is responsible for facilitating the patient experience by guiding patients across the continuum of care. The Navigator serves as the primary point of contact for patients and families and acts as an intermediary between the patient, care providers, and hospital resources. Responsibilities include patient education, care coordination, discharge planning, transition management, and post-treatment follow up.

In the Surgical Clinical Reviewer (SCR) role, the employee is responsible for the collection, abstraction, review, and submission of reliable surgical clinical data for ACS NSQIP participation and quality improvement activities. The SCR collaborates closely with surgeons, nursing staff, quality leadership, and interdisciplinary teams to support data integrity, identify opportunities for improvement, and support organizational quality initiatives.

This position consists of approximately 50 % Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator responsibilities and 50% Surgical Clinical Reviewer (SCR) responsibilities.Allocation of responsibilities may shift based on organizational priorities, patient volumes, ACS NSQIP program requirements, and service line needs.

Position Responsibilities:

The Neurosurgery Nurse Navigator & SCR will coordinate all aspects of care and quality review in a collaborative manner with members of the healthcare team to facilitate high quality, comprehensive patient care and surgical quality improvement. This role supports the organizational goals related to patient outcomes, surgical quality, patient experience, care coordination, and reduction of avoidable complications and readmissions

Responsibilities include:

1. Manage the transition of neurosurgical patients across the continuum of care and within specific clinical settings.

Related responsibilities may include:

• Initial and ongoing care coordination across all providers as patients transition through the surgical continuum.

• Ensure appropriate pre-operative preparation for every patient.

• Assist providers in coordinating patient care with other healthcare professionals and community resources when necessary.

• Follow up with patients and providers regarding patient response to treatment and recovery progress.

• Provide accurate, ongoing documentation of navigation and care coordination activities within the EHR.

• Provide pre-operative and post-operative education and educational resources to patients and families.

• Support patients and families in coping with the psychological and emotional aspects of neurosurgical diagnoses and procedures.

• Identify barriers to care including transportation, social determinants of health, caregiver support, and discharge planning needs.

• Coordinate post-discharge follow up and support patients through recovery to help reduce avoidable complications and readmissions.

2. Serve as the primary point of contact between the patient, family members, providers, and care team.

• Coordinate communication between inpatient units, provider offices, rehabilitation services, care management, ancillary departments, and external healthcare organizations.

• Maintain professional communication with provider offices, nursing units, ancillary departments, and coworkers.

3. Serve as a source of feedback and support for active review of program protocols, care pathways, and service offerings.

• Participate in program development and quality improvement initiatives related to neurosurgical care.

• Assist in identifying opportunities to improve patient experience, care coordination, and outcomes.

4. Assist in the collection, review, and analysis of clinical data, metrics, and quality information.

• Support program scorecards, quality dashboards, and performance improvement initiatives.

• Participate and/or facilitate, quality meetings and interdisciplinary discussions as requested.

5. Perform Surgical Clinical Reviewer (SCR) responsibilities in support of ACS NSQIP participation.

• Identify surgical patients for inclusion in ACS NSQIP utilizing established inclusion/exclusion criteria

• Collect pre-operative, operative, and post-operative clinical data utilizing hospital medical record systems.

• Ensure accurate and timely abstraction and entry of data into ACS NSQIP databases.

• Collaborate with surgeons, nursing leadership, quality staff, and ancillary departments to support surgical quality improvement efforts.

• Assist in preparation and presentation of surgical quality data and outcomes information.