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What does a Clinical Liaison do?

A. Leverkuhn
A. Leverkuhn

A clinical liaison is an all-around asset to a medical facility or care provider, and handles many different tasks related to communications and general growth within a medical provider business. The duties of the liaison range from technical handling of new patient processes, to more general community outreach. A skilled liaison is a great addition to a hospital or other care provider.

This professional may have a significant role in evaluating patients, placing them within a health care context, and formally admitting or filling out file paperwork. The clinical liaison might engage in clinical assessments of patients. Record tracking may also be involved, and a liaison might help form future processes for dealing with patient data.

A clinical liaison will periodically meet with other medical care providers.
A clinical liaison will periodically meet with other medical care providers.

Another role that the liaison can be charged with is promoting the growth of a medical care business. The person might do a lot of networking out in the nearby community, going to public events and representing his or her employer. Other aspects of marketing, like telecommunications or market research, might also be part of what a liaison in a clinical environment does.

Many clinical liaisons are required to have a nursing degree.
Many clinical liaisons are required to have a nursing degree.

Other staff will often meet with the clinical liaison on a regular basis to give input into some of the processes that he or she assists with. The liaison might meet with the sales team, or even the team responsible for handling patient information on servers. The teams can discuss critical issues related to the work of the liaison and others, including how to handle regulatory requirements, how to secure data, or how to ramp up patient education initiatives.

Clinical liaisons have duties that range from technical handling of new patient processes, to more general community outreach.
Clinical liaisons have duties that range from technical handling of new patient processes, to more general community outreach.

Because of all of what a person in this position does, some stringent employment requirements may apply. Many medical businesses want the individual to have a nursing degree, along with a year of experience in a medical setting. The employer may also require computer skills, proof of financial knowledge, and experience dealing with private insurance companies or government health care entitlements. The nursing degree requirement often takes the place of any specific certification for a liaison job role in a clinical setting.

The job of clinical liaison is one of the broadest roles within a hospital or similar business. Those who are interested in this job title should understand that it often blends specific financial duties with clinical ones, many times requiring a multi-tasking approach and a broad base of knowledge. Understanding every aspect of a medical office, including government regulations, insurance handling, medical coding and much more can form the basis for a successful role as a clinical liaison.

Discussion Comments

whiteplane

My father passed away a few years ago and he had a long and painful stay in the hospital at the end of his life. I feel like I spent a thousand hours in that hospital at the end.

It was a very painful process obviously but it was made a lot easier because we were assigned a clinical liaison by the hospital. The doctors and nurses were great too but there was so much we were trying to figure out besides just my father's health. We needed info about medicare, hospice facilities and lots of other things that you don't think about until you are in a situation like this.

The liaison was an angel. He walked us through all the details, answered our many questions and did it all with an air of respect and sympathy that felt very genuine. If it hadn't been for his help I'm not sure how I would have gotten though it. I was upset and borderline irrational at a lot of times and the liaison helped me to do everything I possibly could for my father at the end of his life.

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    • A clinical liaison will periodically meet with other medical care providers.
      By: Gennadiy Poznyakov
      A clinical liaison will periodically meet with other medical care providers.
    • Many clinical liaisons are required to have a nursing degree.
      By: Rob
      Many clinical liaisons are required to have a nursing degree.
    • Clinical liaisons have duties that range from technical handling of new patient processes, to more general community outreach.
      By: AntonioDiaz
      Clinical liaisons have duties that range from technical handling of new patient processes, to more general community outreach.