Health Coach/Virtual Group Visit Coordinator

Mass General Brigham•Revere, MA

7d•Remote

About The Position

The HLP Health and Wellness Coach (HWC)/ Virtual Group Visit Coordinator (VGVC) role will transform the clinical care to patients in primary care. The HWC/VGVC will work closely with primary care providers and patients to set behavior change goals both in a group setting and with patients 1 on 1. This role includes patient follow up, providing educational materials to patients, collaborating on workflows, and assisting patients with scheduling appointments. The MGB Division of General Internal Medicine (DGIM) Health Lifestyle Program (HLP) is an innovative primary care delivery model focused on healthy lifestyle change. The HLP offers patients a variety of virtual shared medical visit (a.k.a. group medical visit) opportunities to better understand and control chronic diseases and conditions– such as obesity, diabetes, hypertension, stress, and insomnia – through diet, exercise, stress reduction, and sleep. Patients with a primary care doctor at MGH are eligible to participate in HLP Virtual Group Visits (VGVs). The HLP Health and Wellness Coach (HWC)/ Virtual Group Visit Coordinator (VGVC) role will transform the clinical care to patients in primary care. As the HWC for MGB DGIM HLP, the incumbent will provide a critical service for patients planning to make healthy lifestyle changes. The HWC will supplement physician- and nurse practitioner-led VGVs with high-impact individualized coaching plans as well as coaching visits for motivation and behavior change. The HWC will meet with patients from diverse backgrounds who are participating in the program. The incumbent will develop ongoing relationships with patients and support them as they work toward behavior change to improve their health and wellbeing, and will use coaching methods to build patients’ capacities for sustainable lifestyle change, including increased engagement, self-awareness, motivation, mindfulness, knowledge and skills, confidence, and resilience. The incumbent will play a key role in their achievements and health outcomes and the overall success of the HLP VGV program. A portion of the role will function as a Virtual Group Visit Coordinator (VGVC). The VGVC will serve an essential role in expanding and implementing VGVs at MGH in Primary Care. As the MGB DGIM Healthy Lifestyle Program VGVC, the incumbent will provide critical support to MGH providers focused on educating and empowering patients to make healthy lifestyle changes through VGVs. The VGVC will be responsible for providing patients with a high-quality experience in VGVs and will help train new MGH providers to run VGVs. The VGVC meet with patients from diverse backgrounds who are participating in the program. The incumbent will develop ongoing relationships with providers and support staff in various departments and practices. The incumbent will play a key role in the success of VGVs and the overall success of the Healthy Lifestyle Program. This role will report directly to the HLP Program Manager and Medical Director. Patient groups and coaching with patients are conducted virtually utilizing Zoom or telephone including all meetings. At this time, this position is 100% remote with occasional in person meeting. This will be reevaluated over time.

Requirements

Bachelor's Degree in a Related Field of Study
National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coaching (NBC-HWC) Certification
Experience in health promotions/education setting, counseling on health topics such as nutrition, exercise, cholesterol, hypertension, stress, and diabetes.
Excellent customer service skills.
Excellent listening skills.
Outstanding communication skills in all formats - virtual, phone, electronic, in-person.
Strong clinical and analytical skills in assessing patient health needs, including medical, social and behavioral health aspects.
Ability to multitask and change priorities to best meet patients’ and teams’ needs.
Proven ability to handle sensitive information in a discrete manner.
Proven ability to work independently and as part of a team.
Proven ability to perform well under pressure and in an ever-changing environment.
Self-starter; ability to organize and prioritize tasks.
Ability to innovate, think outside of the box and improve processes.
Competent with Zoom as well as Microsoft Office desktop applications; familiar with database management software
Competency using the Internet to conduct research as needed.
Proven level of professionalism to interact effectively with all levels of administration.
Basic knowledge of chronic diseases, especially hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and pre-metabolic syndrome.
Poise to represent the MGH well externally via virtual meetings, phone, written communications and in person.
Ability to learn and understand medical terminology and organizational departments and divisions to effectively collaborate with clinical colleagues and schedulers to facilitate the appropriate medical appointments

Nice To Haves

2-3 years experience in health promotions/education setting, counseling on health topics such as nutrition, exercise, cholesterol, hypertension, stress, and diabetes.
Knowledge in fitness and nutrition preferred, and will potentially work with a nutritionist and physical therapist to assist in care plans.

Responsibilities

Establishing a strong relationship with Virtual Group Visit (VGV) providers and assisting in conducting VGVs.
Collaborating with VGV providers during VGV to support relevant patient behavior change and assist with patient goal setting.
Developing and providing patient education materials regarding Zoom and chronic conditions. This will include a sign-up process for future VGVs and sharing materials with patients electronically following each VGV.
Securing and facilitating appointments and reminders for patients, including helping patients and providers access VGVs.
Supporting and assisting patients in accessing Zoom and Patient Gateway to join in VGVs.
Assisting in process improvement recommendation to reduce potential barriers for engagement in VGVs for patients and providers including accessing Patient Gateway.
Communicating with patients by patient messages and phone calls to increase engagement in HLP VGVs, provide educational material, and share health updates and newsletters.
Leading a protocolized training program that will educate new providers and practices on how to run and implement VGVs, including managing timelines for various training steps, observing, and providing feedback to new VGV provider trainees, and ensuring practices are set up for success after the training process is complete
Employing strategies to best meet the service and healthcare needs of all patient referrals.
Developing and tracking appropriate metrics for measuring VGV progress and outcomes.
Working towards developing rapport and a strong working alliance with VGV team members.
Maintaining and coordinating ongoing communication among VGV team members, Healthy Lifestyle Program staff, and Primary Care physicians regarding VGVs through Zoom, phone, electronic messaging, and in-person meetings (as needed).
Facilitating and assisting special projects, as required.
Assessing patients’ age, culture, and environmental situations as well as emotional, social, and physical well-being to ensure appropriate interventions.
Using a coaching framework to help patients set concrete health goals and collaborating with patients to update their goals and care plans, as needed.
Providing a judgment free space for patients to explore and create meaningful goals.
Supporting patients in assessing both potential barriers and strengths towards achieving health goals.
Communicating with patients through video calls, telephone calls, and electronic messaging.
Utilizing appropriate motivational interviewing techniques & other evidence based coaching techniques.
Providing approved patient education regarding chronic conditions, including hypertension, diabetes, depression, and sleep disorders as well as related treatments and medications.
Leading group coaching sessions for multiple patients at the same time to increase awareness of and excitement about HWC in HLP
Maintaining communication regarding patient needs to appropriate care team members in a timely and accurate manner, within the guidelines of patient confidentiality.
Scheduling regular touch points and reaching out proactively if clients are not tracking towards their goals.
Developing and tracking appropriate metrics for measuring patient progress and results.
Working towards developing rapport and a strong working alliance with employees/patients and care team members.
Acquiring and maintaining comprehensive knowledge of services provided by MGH/MGB.
Developing and maintaining strong relationships with MGH professionals, MGH ancillary services and affiliated hospitals to expedite coordinated care for patients and clients.