Patient Navigator - Medicine

University Hospital•Newark, NJ

10d

About The Position

About the Role The Patient Navigator is a patient advocate and will guide patients through the health care system, ensuring appropriate appointments are given in a timely manner through guidelines agreed upon with the Medical Director of the Practice/Department. The Patient Navigator will assist with access issues, develop relationships with referring health care providers and ensure the complete and efficient management of all referrals, including the acquisition of necessary patient-care materials and medical records. This individual will work with community groups to increase health awareness and provide health education. In addition, the Patient Navigator will track all new patient requests, provide monthly statistics and referring patterns. The Patient Navigator works closely with the patient care team and assists in the coordination of patient care by removing barriers that would otherwise prevent patients from receiving health care services.

Requirements

Bachelor’s Degree in a relevant field, plus two (2) years of work experience in a healthcare environment dealing directly with patients, required.
Technical clinical experience and/or experience in the area of the practice (e.g., OB/GYN, Oncology, etc.) a plus.
Candidates must be experienced and competent in a patient advocacy and/or customer service role.
Familiarity with medical terminology required.
Computer literacy with competence in Microsoft Office required.
Years of experience and/or navigator training may be substituted for the degree requirement on a year-for-year basis.
Must possess excellent communication skills, strong organizational skills and be detail oriented.
Must be able to work independently and as a member of a team and work flexible hours.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual skills (English/Spanish) a plus.
Some experience in an outpatient setting preferred.

Responsibilities

Receives phone calls from new patients, referring Physicians, and other programs.
Provides information about Clinical Services offered at UH and their assigned service area.
Works to establish relationships and collaboration with other departments and resources within the community to facilitate patient access.
Strong patient advocate: guides assigned patients through the health care system; helps patients arrive at scheduled appointments on time prepared.
Actively identifies and addresses barriers to care that might keep the patient from receiving timely and appropriate treatment.
Connects patients with resources and social support systems.
Helps patients identify and access financial services to pay for health care needs.
Works with Investigators and other members of the Clinical Research team to identify patients as potential research subjects for available clinical trials.
Networks and cultivates relationships with hospital and community services.
Provides culturally appropriate health education to community groups and individuals.
Collaborates and educates providers and co-workers about available resources for patient care and provides updates as changes occur.