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What does a utilization review nurse do?

Updated January 8, 2025
8 min read
What does a utilization review nurse do

The primary role of an Utilization Review Nurse is to analyze the condition of each patient carefully and decide if the patient still needs to stay in the hospital or be sent home. They deal with patients' relatives, doctors, and people from insurance companies.

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Utilization review nurse responsibilities

Here are examples of responsibilities from real utilization review nurse resumes:

  • Monitor patients' status during surgery (circulate in operating room) and manage patients in PACU.
  • Case management for acute patients refer to LTC
  • Advise insurance carriers on recommend reimbursement for charges following automate bill audit utilizing ICD-9 and CPT codes.
  • Provide caregiver oversight relate to care, medication administration and emergency situations.
  • Identify inappropriate utilization of services/settings through the application of establish clinical criteria using InterQual and CMS guidelines for medical necessity.
  • Direct contact with IPA providers.
  • Used Microstation and Autocad to create drawings.
  • Staff nurse, admissions/discharges from hospital and LTC settings.
  • Lead clinical documentation improvement project to prepare for ICD-10.
  • Assist unit director with various assignments include the internal ICD-9 to ICD-10 conversion project.
  • Add and replace ICD-10 codes to make sure patient's are being bill correctly.
  • Review the clinical needs of potential patients to ensure consistency with InterQual criteria and hospital services.
  • Direct, coordinate and teach BLS and ACLS classes for medical/surgical residents, nurses and others.
  • Train new employees on HIPAA and OSHA regulations, instruct hand washing and infectious disease classes.
  • Develop and maintain good relationships with physicians and education on the benefits of LTAC's for their patients.

Utilization review nurse skills and personality traits

We calculated that 9% of Utilization Review Nurses are proficient in Medical Necessity, Patients, and Acute Care. They’re also known for soft skills such as Critical-thinking skills, Communication skills, and Compassion.

We break down the percentage of Utilization Review Nurses that have these skills listed on their resume here:

  • Medical Necessity, 9%

    Reviewed medical records of hospitalized patients/members of the Health Plan to determine medical necessity and appropriateness of admissions and continued stays.

  • Patients, 7%

    Review medical documentation submitted by physicians treating patients injured after motor vehicle accidents to determine if treatment is medically necessary.

  • Acute Care, 7%

    Reviewed clinical information submitted by acute care facilities to determine placement in a Skilled Care Facility for post hospitalization treatment.

  • Discharge Planning, 7%

    Maintained responsibility of interfacing with physicians, nurses, social services, and health equipment providers to ensure effective admission/discharge planning.

  • Utilization Management, 6%

    Document appropriately using established Utilization Management policy.

  • Utilization Review, 6%

    Provided ongoing customer service and education, specifically instructing on plan requirements for Utilization Review and directing customers to appropriate resource.

Most utilization review nurses use their skills in "medical necessity," "patients," and "acute care" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential utilization review nurse responsibilities here:

Critical-thinking skills. The most essential soft skill for a utilization review nurse to carry out their responsibilities is critical-thinking skills. This skill is important for the role because "registered nurses must assess changes in the health status of patients, such as determining when to take corrective action." Additionally, a utilization review nurse resume shows how their duties depend on critical-thinking skills: "utilize critical-thinking skills in the review and determination of coverage for medically necessary health care services. "

Communication skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling utilization review nurse duties is communication skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "registered nurses must be able to communicate effectively with patients in order to understand their concerns and evaluate their health conditions." According to a utilization review nurse resume, here's how utilization review nurses can utilize communication skills in their job responsibilities: "maintained communication with the medical director -daily report of inpatient acuity level per interqual criteria, reviewed and assessment of criteria. "

Compassion. utilization review nurses are also known for compassion, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to utilization review nurse responsibilities, because "registered nurses should be caring and empathetic when working with patients." A utilization review nurse resume example shows how compassion is used in the workplace: "provided home care nursing services to geriatric, hospice and terminally ill patients with dignity and compassion. "

Detail oriented. A big part of what utilization review nurses do relies on "detail oriented." You can see how essential it is to utilization review nurse responsibilities because "registered nurses must be precise because they must ensure that patients get the correct treatments and medicines at the right time." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical utilization review nurse tasks: "maintained detailed case records and monitored treatment throughout the entire patient care process. "

Emotional stability. A commonly-found skill in utilization review nurse job descriptions, "emotional stability" is essential to what utilization review nurses do. Utilization review nurse responsibilities rely on this skill because "registered nurses need emotional resilience and the ability to cope with human suffering, emergencies, and other stressors." You can also see how utilization review nurse duties rely on emotional stability in this resume example: "applied clinical criteria for coordination of inpatient services to the mental / emotional population. "

Organizational skills. Lastly, "organizational skills" is an important element of what a utilization review nurse does. Utilization review nurse responsibilities require this skill because "nurses often work with multiple patients who have a variety of health needs." This resume example highlights how utilization review nurse duties rely on this skill: "devise organizational methods to maintain utilization review records to ensure upmost efficiency. "

All utilization review nurse skills

The three companies that hire the most utilization review nurses are:

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Compare different utilization review nurses

Utilization review nurse vs. Nurse case manager

A nurse case manager's role focuses on providing advice and medication to patients in an outpatient clinic or hospital. Typically, their responsibilities revolve around conducting extensive assessments, discussing essential matters to patients and families, devising efficient health care plans, coordinating with health care experts to share patients' progress, determining the needed care, and performing follow-up services. There are also instances when a nurse case manager must adjust medication or treatment as needed, refer patients to programs that will support them on their financial and other needs, and implement policies and regulations.

The annual salary of nurse case managers is $3,036 higher than the average salary of utilization review nurses.Even though utilization review nurses and nurse case managers are distinct careers, a few of the skills required for both jobs are similar. For example, both careers require medical necessity, patients, and discharge planning in the day-to-day roles and responsibilities.

These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a utilization review nurse are more likely to require skills like "acute care," "outpatient services," "clinical knowledge," and "appeals." On the other hand, a job as a nurse case manager requires skills like "care management," "diabetes," "icu," and "excellent organizational." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.

Nurse case managers earn the highest salaries when working in the government industry, with an average yearly salary of $75,843. On the other hand, utilization review nurses are paid more in the health care industry with an average salary of $67,742.On average, nurse case managers reach similar levels of education than utilization review nurses. Nurse case managers are 0.2% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.2% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.

Utilization review nurse vs. Nurse coordinator

A nurse coordinator is primarily in charge of overseeing all nurses and their activities in a hospital or clinic. Their responsibilities include managing and rotating schedules, assessing nurse performance, organizing nursing programs, and developing strategies to optimize procedures. They may also assist patients and answer inquiries, studying their conditions to develop specific care plans to suit their needs. Furthermore, as a nurse coordinator, it is essential to lead and encourage teams to reach goals, all while implementing the facility's policies and regulations.

On average, nurse coordinators earn a $13,615 higher salary than utilization review nurses a year.A few skills overlap for utilization review nurses and nurse coordinators. Resumes from both professions show that the duties of each career rely on skills like "medical necessity," "patients," and "discharge planning. "

Each career also uses different skills, according to real utilization review nurse resumes. While utilization review nurse responsibilities can utilize skills like "acute care," "utilization management," "outpatient services," and "clinical knowledge," nurse coordinators use skills like "cpr," "customer service," "direct patient care," and "quality care."

Nurse coordinators may earn a higher salary than utilization review nurses, but nurse coordinators earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $80,569. On the other hand, utilization review nurses receive higher pay in the health care industry, where they earn an average salary of $67,742.In general, nurse coordinators achieve similar levels of education than utilization review nurses. They're 2.5% more likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.2% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Utilization review nurse vs. Nurse clinician

A nurse clinician is a health expert who provides care and assistance to patients in hospitals, clinics, or similar establishments. Among their responsibilities include preparing equipment and documents, administering medication, monitoring the patient's condition, maintaining charts, and regularly reporting to physicians. In some establishments, they may also perform administrative support tasks such as answering calls and correspondence, preparing and processing documents, and organizing records. Moreover, a nurse clinician must maintain an active communication line with fellow medical staff to provide optimal services to patients.

An average nurse clinician eans a lower salary compared to the average salary of utilization review nurses. The difference in salaries amounts to nurse clinicians earning a $266 lower average salary than utilization review nurses.utilization review nurses and nurse clinicians both have job responsibilities that require similar skill sets. These similarities include skills such as "patients," "discharge planning," and "home health," but they differ when it comes to other required skills.

There are many key differences between these two careers, including some of the skills required to perform responsibilities within each role. For example, a utilization review nurse is likely to be skilled in "medical necessity," "acute care," "utilization management," and "utilization review," while a typical nurse clinician is skilled in "patient education," "cpr," "emergency situations," and "patient outcomes."

Nurse clinicians earn the highest salary when working in the education industry, where they receive an average salary of $73,633. Comparatively, utilization review nurses have the highest earning potential in the health care industry, with an average salary of $67,742.Most nurse clinicians achieve a similar degree level compared to utilization review nurses. For example, they're 3.3% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.7% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.

Utilization review nurse vs. Clinical liaison

A clinical liaison's role is to promote health care and rehabilitation facilities to patients and their families. Their responsibilities revolve around devising strategies to reach sales targets, reviewing patient cases, having an in-depth understanding of the facilities and potential patients, assisting clients in filling up paperwork, maintaining records and data of all transactions, and addressing inquiries and concerns. Furthermore, a clinical liaison may perform clerical tasks such as producing reports, answering calls and correspondence, and arranging meetings and appointments with clients. Should there be any issues, it is essential to report to the managers or supervisors promptly.

Clinical liaisons typically earn higher pay than utilization review nurses. On average, clinical liaisons earn a $906 higher salary per year.According to resumes from utilization review nurses and clinical liaisons, some of the skills necessary to complete the responsibilities of each role are similar. These skills include "patients," "discharge planning," and "community resources. "

Even though a few skill sets overlap between utilization review nurses and clinical liaisons, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a utilization review nurse might have more use for skills like "medical necessity," "acute care," "utilization management," and "utilization review." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of clinical liaisons require skills like "customer service," "admission process," "business development," and "clinical assessments. "

The manufacturing industry tends to pay the highest salaries for clinical liaisons, with average annual pay of $79,480. Comparatively, the highest utilization review nurse annual salary comes from the health care industry.The average resume of clinical liaisons showed that they earn higher levels of education compared to utilization review nurses. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 7.0% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.8%.

Types of utilization review nurse

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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