SCR Job Description

Scope of Position

The Surgical Clinical Reviewer’s chief responsibility is to collect and submit reliable data to the ACS NSQIP. This is accomplished through high-quality data compilation, documentation and entry into the ACS NSQIP database of all eligible surgeries for the hospital. The SCR also works closely with the members of the Department of Surgery to identify opportunities for clinical quality improvement and other special projects as may be identified.

Principal Duties and Responsibilities

Documenting Patient Care

• Data Collection and Reporting

Identifies surgical patients for inclusion in the program through the application of program inclusion/exclusion criteria and protocols.

Collects preoperative, operative, and postoperative data components for the program through the effective utilization of the hospital medical record systems.

Attends weekly Morbidity & Mortality conferences to ensure reliable data collection of postoperative occurrences.

Demonstrates applicability of the methodology and the reliability of definitions utilized by reviewers within the program through Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) testing.

Identifies streamlining and process improvement opportunities in the data collection process.

Demonstrates appropriate utilization of resources necessary to obtain valid, reliable data for entry into the Program.

Utilizes software applications for data collection and analysis.

Responsible for the accurate and timely entry of data into the program's database and meets the caseload accural requirement protocol.

Reviews weekly site accrual report on the database and responds to accrual report alerts.

Working Effectively with Patients, Families, and Staff

• Establishes effective working relationships with members of the hospital community, especially staff in the Surgery, Medicine, Nursing, Medical Records and the Information Systems departments whose support is necessary for the management and success of the program.
• Contacts patients and/or families via telephone and/or written communications post-operatively for the purpose of identifying possible occurrences associated with surgical procedures performed at the hospital.
• Serves as an educational resource on the ACS NSQIP for internal and external audiences by developing educational material and delivering presentations.

ACS NSQIP Participation

• Successfully completes the ACS NSQIP SCR Training/Certification Program.
• Participates in program teleconferences.
• Attends national conferences.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required. Ability to complete all pre-training, on-site training, and post-training modules and pass the training post test.
• RHIA, RHIT, LPN/LVN, RN, or BSN preferred but not required. Non-Nurses in the SCR position should have a mentor at the hospital that is accessible to help the SCR answer difficult clinical questions. The mentor should be an RN, BSN, MSN, NP, PA, or MD.
• Minimum one year experience in a hospital surgery department, surgery clinic, clinical research or medical records. Clinical chart review and abstraction experience required.
• Ability to build relationships and gain alignment for clinical support and be able to articulate questions to receive an appropriate level of support from superiors and peers.
• Ability to interact with all members of the surgical team and administrative staff in a professional and courteous manner.
• Computer and Internet experience required - familiarity and comfort with MS Office products is essential for success in this position (Word and Excel- required; PowerPoint and Access- preferred).
• Database data entry and/or management experience preferred.
• Basic statistical knowledge preferred.
• Quality improvement or patient safety knowledge and experience preferred.