DANIELLE HUGHES, COTA, CLT
JACKSONVILLE
Summary
Healthcare professional with 14+ years of experience in skilled nursing and post-acute care, with progressive leadership responsibilities as a Lead Occupational Therapy Assistant and backup support for the Director of Rehabilitation. Experienced across skilled nursing, acute care, and home health, with a strong understanding of patient transitions, interdisciplinary care coordination, discharge planning, clinical documentation, patient and family communication, and post-acute care delivery.
Currently participating in Brooks Rehabilitation’s Internal Candidate Development Residency (ICDR) leadership development program, expanding expertise in healthcare operations, financial performance, revenue cycle concepts, data analysis, process improvement, quality initiatives, and organizational decision-making. Recognized for building strong relationships across clinical and operational teams, translating organizational initiatives into daily practice, developing staff, and identifying opportunities to improve patient experience, clinical outcomes, and operational effectiveness.
Seeking to leverage extensive post-acute care knowledge, leadership experience, interdisciplinary communication skills, and developing healthcare operations expertise in a post-acute admissions, care transitions, relationship management, or healthcare leadership role.
Overview
1
1
Certification
2027
2027
years of professional experience
Work History
ICDR-Leadership Development Program
Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
Jacksonville, Fl
2026 - Current
- Selected to participate in a leadership development program focused on expanding clinical leadership into broader healthcare operations and organizational strategy.
- Current Project: Home Health Documentation & Revenue Analysis
- Examining the relationship between admitting diagnoses, PDGM categories, clinical documentation, reimbursement, and revenue to better understand how clinical documentation and care delivery influence organizational financial performance.
- Areas of development include:
- Healthcare operations and organizational decision-making
- Revenue cycle concepts and financial performance
- Data analysis and interpretation
- Process improvement and operational efficiency
- Clinical documentation and reimbursement
- Cross-functional collaboration between clinical, operational, research, and financial teams
- ICDR Leadership Development Program
Lead Occupational Therapy Assistant
Brooks Rehabilitation, Skilled Nursing Facility
Jacksonville, Florida
01.2023 - Current
- Provide clinical leadership and operational support within a skilled nursing rehabilitation program while serving as a key resource for therapists, interdisciplinary team members, patients, and families.
- Support day-to-day therapy operations by coordinating staff coverage, addressing workflow barriers, and helping maintain appropriate productivity, quality, and patient-care standards.
- Provide backup leadership support to the Director of Rehab, including operational decision-making, leadership meetings, staff communication, and follow-through on department initiatives.
- Facilitate weekly programmatic and utilization meetings, helping translate operational and clinical issues into actionable strategies.
- Collaborate with nursing, physicians, case management, therapy leadership, and other interdisciplinary partners to support effective patient care and transitions.
- Communicate with patients and families regarding functional status, safety, discharge needs, goals of care, and recommendations for continued services.
- Identify barriers affecting patient progress and discharge readiness and collaborate with the interdisciplinary team to address them.
- Develop and deliver staff education and in-services based on identified clinical and operational needs.
- Participate in interdisciplinary falls and quality initiatives, including development and implementation of fall-prevention programming.
- Lead Tai Chi and fall-prevention programming designed to promote resident safety, participation, and quality of life.
- Conduct stay interviews and contribute to employee engagement, retention, professional development, and team culture initiatives.
- Mentor and cross-train staff while supporting development of emerging team leaders and clinicians.
- Help translate organizational and leadership initiatives into practical workflows, accountability measures, and day-to-day team execution.
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Brooks Rehabilitation, Acute Care, Skilled Nursing, Home Health
Jacksonville, Fl
2013 - 01.2023
- Provided occupational therapy services across acute care, skilled nursing, and home health, developing broad knowledge of the post-acute healthcare continuum.
- Managed a diverse caseload while coordinating care with physicians, nurses, case managers, rehabilitation leadership, patients, and families.
- Participated in interdisciplinary care planning and discharge coordination to support safe and appropriate transitions across healthcare settings.
- Educated patients and families regarding functional status, safety, fall prevention, home modifications, equipment, and strategies for maximizing independence.
- Identified functional and environmental barriers that could affect discharge disposition and communicated recommendations to the interdisciplinary team.
- Maintained timely and accurate clinical documentation using electronic healthcare documentation systems.
- Applied medical terminology, clinical reasoning, and knowledge of patient diagnoses to support appropriate treatment planning and care coordination.
- Developed strong working relationships with patients, families, healthcare providers, and interdisciplinary team members.
- Gained direct experience with the clinical and operational realities of acute-to-SNF, SNF-to-home, and home health transitions.
Education
Master of Arts - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Liberty University
LynchburgBachelor of Arts - Psychology
University of North Florida
JacksonvilleAssociate of Applied Science - Occupational Therapy Assistant
Keiser University
JacksonvilleSkills
- Skilled Nursing & Post-Acute Care
- Patient & Family Engagement
- Care Transitions & Placement Coordination
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration
- Skilled nursing transitions
- Physician & Healthcare Provider Communication
- Case Management Collaboration
- Discharge Planning
- Clinical Documentation & Medical Terminology
- Utilization Awareness
- Healthcare Operations
- Process Improvement
- Revenue Cycle & Reimbursement Concepts
- PDGM & Home Health Revenue Analysis
- Staff Leadership & Development
- Program Development & Implementation
- Patient Experience
- Relationship Building
- Microsoft Office & Electronic Documentation Systems
Certification
Florida Licensed Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), Certified Lymphedema Therapist (CLT), CPR/BLS Certified, CAPS Coursework Completed
ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL STRENGTHS
- Relationship Development: Builds trust with patients, families, physicians, nurses, case managers, therapists, and other healthcare partners.
- Leadership: Experienced in leading teams, supporting department operations, mentoring staff, facilitating meetings, and implementing organizational initiatives.
- Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to explain complex clinical information in a clear, approachable manner.
- Post-Acute Expertise: More than a decade of direct experience understanding the clinical needs, family concerns, operational considerations, and transition challenges associated with skilled nursing and post-acute care.
- Business & Operational Development: Developing expertise in healthcare finance, reimbursement, revenue cycle, data analysis, and process improvement through the ICDR leadership program.
Timeline
Lead Occupational Therapy Assistant
Brooks Rehabilitation, Skilled Nursing Facility
01.2023 - Current
Associate of Applied Science - Occupational Therapy Assistant
Keiser University
Bachelor of Arts - Psychology
University of North Florida
ICDR-Leadership Development Program
Brooks Rehabilitation Hospital
2026 - Current
Occupational Therapy Assistant
Brooks Rehabilitation, Acute Care, Skilled Nursing, Home Health
2013 - 01.2023
Master of Arts - Clinical Mental Health Counseling
Liberty University