Health Facilities Surveillance Nurse

Position Overview

The Illinois Department of Public Health is seeking a highly motivated individual to conduct surveys, investigations and monitoring visits for persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities to determine compliance with State Licensure requirements and/or Federal Medicaid certification regulations. This individual prepares licensure and certification survey/investigation forms, memoranda and reports of findings and conducts on-site monitoring visits at non-compliant facilities.

Job Responsibilities

Travels and conducts surveys of intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities, facilities for medical complicated individuals with intellectual disabilities, and community living facilities to determine level of compliance with State Licensure regulations and Federal Medicaid (Title XVIII) certification standards.
• Prepares federal certification and State Licensure Survey reports and related compliance documents as required by State Licensure and Federal Certification Survey Policies to document survey findings.
• Conducts complaint and incident report investigations at regulated facilities pursuant to the requirements of the ID/DD Community Care Act and Medicaid standards.
• Conducts early morning and/or evening observations.
• Participates as a team member during the conduction of Inspection of Care (IOC) surveys, ensuring that the IOC review process, including completion of documentation, for facility conformance is completed in accordance with State rules and regulations.
• Serves as a team leader or member as assigned.

Prepares licensure and certification survey/investigation forms, memoranda, and reports of findings as required.
• Documents survey/investigation findings in accordance with the mandated federal principles of documentation.
Reviews contents and significance of survey with various operating and management personnel of the facility or agency.
• Keeps supervisor advised of status and progress of survey documents.
• Submits survey package with all required documentation within the prescribed time limits.
• Appears as a witness in Department or non-department hearings or court actions pursuant to survey findings documented.

Conducts on-site monitoring visits at non-compliant facilities pursuant to the monitoring requirements established by the ID/DD Community Care Act.
• Prepares monitoring reports and makes recommendations to supervisor regarding the status of the health and safety of resident at monitored facilities.
• Conducts on-site investigations in response to incident reports of facilities emergencies or disasters that impact the health and safety of facility residents.
• Keeps supervisor advised of stats and progress of monitoring visits and emergency incident report investigations.

Participates in staff meetings and training sessions designed to improve survey performance.
• Assists with orientation of newly employed health facilities surveillance nurses.

Performs other duties as required or assigned within the scope of the responsibilities enumerated above.

Minimum Qualifications

• Requires graduation from an approved nursing education program resulting in an Associate or a Diploma Degree in nursing and three years of professional nursing experience or, a bachelor’s degree in nursing and two years of professional nursing experience or, a master’s degree in nursing.
• Requires licensure as a Registered Nurse in the State of Illinois.

Preferred Qualifications

• One year experience working with persons with intellectual or developmental disabilities.
• Three years professional nursing experience.
• Two years experience participating in the survey process for completion of all survey functions including but not limited to annual recertification, licensure, follow-ups, complaints and incident investigation surveys.
• One year experience preparing complex written and oral reports.
• One year experience in Microsoft Word, processing, and spreadsheet applications (i.e., Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Ability to exercise judgment, discretion and maintain confidentiality during the conduct of the survey process.

Conditions of Employment

• Requires physical, visual, and auditory ability to carry out assigned duties.
• Requires ability to travel.
• Requires a valid driver’s license.