Clinical Health System Navigator

VITAS Healthcare•Sacramento, CA

About The Position

The Clinical Health System Navigator coordinates care and communication among members of an assigned health system, VITAS teams, and community or post-acute entities. The role supports hospice referrals, admissions, discharge processes, readmissions, and hospice revocations, while helping patients and families navigate the admission process. The Navigator serves as a subject matter resource on the Medicare Hospice Benefit, VITAS services, disease-specific clinical criteria, and evidence-based medicine. The role works collaboratively with hospital and facility staff, VITAS admissions and sales teams, physicians, managers, and other disciplines to support care transitions and referral relationships. It also addresses customer feedback, uses educational materials and devices, completes required training and administrative tasks, and maintains current professional knowledge. Duties are performed in accordance with VITAS policies and applicable contractual and governmental requirements; other related duties may be assigned.

Requirements

At least three years of experience in direct customer service or the healthcare industry.
Excellent presentation, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
Clinical knowledge to support effective care transitions to VITAS for hospice-eligible patients.
Experience participating in a team environment involving individual accountability and teamwork; driven and results-oriented.
Ability to demonstrate critical thinking and develop solutions.
Strong customer service, urgency, and problem-solving skills.
Time-management and organizational skills.
Ability to collaborate with a team to support the market, build relationships, and educate to generate access to hospice care through long-term business partnerships.
Strong interpersonal skills across all levels of an organization.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Ability to work outside normal business hours (8–5), including evenings and weekends as needed.
Proficiency in Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and iOS devices.
Integrity, ethical and moral conduct, and a patient/customer focus.
Reliable transportation.
Must be a registered nurse, licensed vocational nurse, medical social worker, chaplain, or counselor.

Nice To Haves

Past military service.
Experience with a volunteer organization.
Evidence of exceeding goals or expectations in a project or previous job.

Responsibilities

Serve as a subject matter expert on the Medicare Hospice Benefit, VITAS service offerings, disease-specific clinical criteria, and evidence-based medicine.
Coordinate care and communicate patient status among assigned health system members, VITAS teams, and community or post-acute entities, including referral, discharge, readmission, and hospice revocation processes.
Collaborate with the sales department to ensure hospital referral performance metrics are met.
Gather information and document findings for Pre-Admit Evaluations while supporting patients, families, and admission nurses through the admission process.
Facilitate hospice presentations and initiate Pre-Admission Evaluations when needed.
Immediately escalate clinical concerns to the Director of Admissions.
Guide patient and family conversations by acknowledging, clarifying, answering, confirming, and transitioning discussions to direct them appropriately.
Coordinate care with the VITAS team for accounts, patients, and families who readmit to a hospital or emergency room following a VITAS hospice revocation.
Develop and sustain consultative relationships with assigned accounts and potential referral sources through effective customer contacts and customer service.
Investigate customer feedback, identify development opportunities, develop solutions, prepare reports, and collaborate with program management on resolutions.
Use educational tools on provided devices as visual aids and learning resources, and maintain knowledge of sales visual aids.
Complete Admissions and Sales training and apply training, tools, and resources when executing customer strategies with urgency.
Maintain professional and technical knowledge by reviewing publications, establishing professional networks, and keeping current with healthcare changes.
Receive and proactively apply coaching feedback from the direct manager to improve skills.
Collaborate with facility case managers, discharge planners, floor staff, and VITAS teams and disciplines; attend team meetings at least twice per quarter.
Complete expense reports, payroll entry, and other administrative duties by required deadlines.
Communicate effectively in professional verbal, written, and electronic formats.
Perform other job-related duties as assigned.