Patient Care Navigator

The Patient Care Navigator provides comprehensive non-clinical support, guidance, and assistance for patients and their families as they navigate the health care system and help overcome barriers that prevent them from getting the preventative cancer screening care they need. The Patient Navigator will assume a pivotal role in this process, coordinating care, addressing social determinants of health, and mitigating barriers to care. Ultimately, these multifaceted efforts aim to bolster patient trust, satisfaction, and compliance, while reducing poor health outcomes and the necessity for higher levels of healthcare services.

This position is full-time with a schedule of Monday through Friday 8am to 5pm. All applicants must be bilingual in Spanish and English.

What You'll Do: 

Job Responsibilities & Duties

• Address patients’ social determinants of health and healthcare needs through intentional and ongoing contact (patient engagement), and by providing linkages to community and healthcare resources using Findhelp.org.
• Navigators will work with the medical care team to build patient trust, meet needs, and address any barriers to care to increase patient understanding and compliance around the need for preventive cancer screenings for cervical (pap/chlamydia), breast, and colon cancer with the goal of early detection.
• For patients with abnormal results, Patient Navigators will work with the medical provider to determine the pathway for timely, compassionate, and appropriate care.
• Patient Navigators in their role, HFHC will train and educate newly hired Navigators in trauma-informed care, motivational interviewing, mental health 101, medical terminology, and community and health services resources.
• Screen and assist patients with Medi-Cal, Medicare, Covering California, and other programs redetermination and enrollment.
• Determine patient eligibility for other programs and services (i.e. Cal-Fresh, etc.)
• Screen for other barriers to care such as transportation, housing, food, etc. and assist patient with appropriate referral to social service agencies
• Provide follow-up on all pending applications to ensure enrollment process is complete.
• Assure that patient eligibility is verified before any appointments
• Conduct outreach and education to patients regarding public benefits and services such as public insurance, county uninsured programs, and Medi-Cal
• Knowledge of all Hurtt uninsured programs including the Sliding Fee Scale program.
• Determine patients’ eligibility for appropriate programs and services and provide and promote health education to individuals and groups
• Coordinate and participate special events, health fairs, and community related activities
• Work with Medi-Cal, County Department of Health, and other state/local public office staff to ensure proper processing of patient benefit enrollment
• Provide reports to Hurtt leadership and ensure that Hurtt meets financial and grant goals
• Provide reports of the type of applications completed, number, and types of renewal forms completed and type of contacts by each staff member
• Attend and participate in meetings, committees, and training sessions as directed by supervisor
• Contact potential patients for enrollment and assist patients with completing registration forms.
• Make referrals to appropriate community or state resources and to appropriate follow-up to ensure services are received
• Will conduct new patient orientation session by scheduling new patients prior to their initial visit to Hurtt, train enrollment staff to do the NP orientation, contact patients and scheduling them for NP orientation, and attend meeting for the NP orientation committee
• Make recommendations to management for enrollment activities and new patient orientation
• Participates in staff and educational meetings.
• Maintains the privacy and security of protected health information, the confidentiality of all information and conducts all aspects of patient care in an ethical and professional manner in accordance with federal, state rules and regulations.
• Maintains a clean, safe and unobstructed workplace.

These duties are not exclusive and with consideration of the job requirements and employee skills, this job description can be added to or taken away from at the discretion of the employee’s immediate supervisor.