Patient Health Navigator

Family Health Centers of San Diego•San Diego, CA

About The Position

Family Health Centers of San Diego is seeking a Patient Health Navigator to provide direct and indirect patient/client navigation services under supervision. The role supports patients’ linkage to and ongoing participation in care, including completing internal and external referrals. Depending on the assignment, duties may also include quality improvement, retention efforts, and enabling services. The navigator works with a multidisciplinary team and a diverse range of patients, customers, visitors, and internal contacts, and may be assigned a patient/client caseload. For the Tiger team providing home-based medical services, the navigator coordinates and optimizes daily home-visit schedules, manages appointment changes and scheduling templates, and coordinates laboratory courier schedules as needed. The navigator gathers scheduling information, helps patients identify and address barriers to care, supports healthcare maintenance and treatment planning, and provides responsive assistance to patients and their families. The position also includes demographic updates in the electronic medical record, reporting, referral and follow-up support, prior authorization and Patient Assistance Program assistance, documentation, and general clerical work. The successful candidate will demonstrate a commitment to community medicine and culturally competent care for medically underserved populations. Some assignment-specific certifications or bilingual English/Spanish ability may be required or preferred.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED equivalent required.
Ability and means to travel as needed in a timely manner within San Diego County.
Active Class C California driver's license and proof of $100,000 liability insurance for the vehicle used.
Driving record requirements: no more than two points in the past 12 months; no moving-violation suspensions in the past two years; no DUI, reckless driving, or felony driving within five years; and no license revocation within seven years.
Meet any state or federal certification requirements applicable to the assigned duties.
Demonstrated commitment to community medicine and culturally competent care for medically underserved populations.

Nice To Haves

Two years of experience in health education or in a medical/health-related field is preferred.
Equivalent combinations of education and experience that provide the skills, knowledge, and ability to perform the essential duties may be considered, subject to applicable state or federal certification requirements.
Assignment-specific certifications may be required or preferred, such as California HIV Test Counselor or limited CPT certification for waived testing.
Bilingual English/Spanish ability may be required depending on assignment.

Responsibilities

Coordinate and schedule daily home visits for the Tiger team, creating effective schedules that maximize the number of visits and meet productivity targets.
Manage patient scheduling changes, including cancellations, and maintain, edit, and reschedule day-to-day schedule templates.
Gather appointment-scheduling information from patients and the Tiger team by phone, in person, or electronically.
Help patients assess barriers to care and identify and support steps to overcome them.
Provide assistance that anticipates and responds to the needs of patients and family members; collaborate with patients and the Tiger team on planning and decisions.
Develop, run, and distribute reports to identify patients requiring home visits and measure effectiveness and efficiency against Tiger team requirements.
Coordinate laboratory courier schedules with the Tiger team as needed to align with daily visit schedules.
Verify and update patient demographic information in the electronic medical record.
Provide excellent customer service to patients and the Tiger team.
Complete required documentation and reports accurately, thoroughly, and on time in accordance with department standards and applicable grant-funder and insurance requirements.
Work with medical providers to assist with prior authorization and Patient Assistance Program requests.
Serve as a liaison among patients/clients, FHCSD service staff, and external service providers to improve quality of care and service flow.
Collaborate with healthcare and program staff on retention, appointment completion, and identifying barriers to care, including through quality improvement projects and case reviews.
Interact with patients/clients by telephone and in person to identify and address needs, facilitate referrals and resources, and provide follow-up.
Assist with scheduling, organizing, and managing patients’ healthcare maintenance and treatment.
Perform assigned clerical tasks, which may include filing, paperwork processing, data entry, scanning, photocopying, agenda creation, minutes, encounter reports, and scheduling.
Use discretion to respond to routine and complicated questions, refer issues to the appropriate person, and handle confidential and routine information.
Perform other duties as assigned.