Referral Coordinator

Santa Cruz Community Health• Santa Cruz, CA, US, CA

6d•$27 - $33•Onsite

About The Position

The Referral Coordinator (RC) is a day-to-day resource for the medical team, facilitating specialty referrals for Santa Cruz Community Health patients. The coordinator acts as an educator, health care resource, and patient advocate, and helps ensure care is coordinated and managed appropriately. The role processes referrals to specialty care providers, maintains current specialist lists, builds relationships with outside specialty offices, and communicates and documents care coordination with patients while keeping primary care providers informed of barriers to care. The RC tracks referrals in the electronic health record and works proactively with clinical staff to manage referrals from start to finish, obtain specialist reports for primary care providers, and support the Patient Centered Medical Home model. The position promotes a positive referral experience and follows clinical policies, modeling professionalism, respect, customer service, compassion, equity, and inclusion. This is a full-time, hourly, non-exempt, in-person clinic position. Hours vary and may include days and evenings. The role reports to the Clinic Manager. Compensation is $27.05–$33.25 per hour, depending on experience. English is required; bilingual English/Spanish is strongly preferred.

Requirements

At least two years of experience in a healthcare environment.
High school diploma or equivalent.
Proficiency in reading and writing, with cognitive abilities relevant to the job requirements.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Proven experience in a service-oriented environment using metrics and measurement tools to drive and evaluate performance.
Experience working across multiple healthcare service lines.

Nice To Haves

Bilingual English/Spanish ability; strongly preferred.
Experience working with under-resourced populations.
Medical Assistant certification or relevant training.
Familiarity with standard healthcare practices, policies, and procedures.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications.
Ability to navigate practice management and Electronic Medical Record (EMR) systems.
Knowledge of health insurance plans and coverage.
Understanding of healthcare terminology, procedures, and best practices.
Familiarity with HIPAA regulations and compliance requirements.

Responsibilities

Receive referrals; complete medical prior authorizations, scheduling, tracking, and follow-up; and inform the medical team that referrals have been received and will be addressed according to SCCH policies.
Arrange urgent or stat specialty appointments for patients.
Ensure patients have the information and preparation details necessary for specialty referrals, review expectations with them, and provide regular updates to patients and, where applicable, parents or guardians.
Send medical records to specialist offices and confirm receipt; obtain outstanding consult notes and reports, including through provider portals.
Track outstanding referrals in the electronic health record and maintain appropriate documentation to support team awareness, patient service, safety, and quality outcomes.
Identify, track, and resolve ongoing authorization-process problems, including advocating with insurance carriers for timely approval of necessary patient supplies or services.
Communicate regularly with medical teams about outstanding referrals and report referral status to the supervisor at specified intervals.
Complete and close assigned referrals and assist other referral specialists as needed.
Serve as a patient system navigator and single point of contact for specialty referrals, using cultural and community resources on patients’ behalf.
Establish and maintain relationships with community specialty providers and office staff; serve as a liaison between SCCH and outside health centers and provider offices.
Collaborate with the Quality Improvement department on referral tracking systems and process standardization and improvement, including evidence-based change practices such as PDSA cycles.
Support organizational policies, participate in designing and implementing workflows, attend or prepare for meetings and committees, and support staff training.
Train clinical support staff as needed on referral processes and workflows.
Participate in Access to Care meetings and report concerns about the program or specialty access to the Medical Assistant Manager and/or Site Operations Director.
Protect individually identifiable health information in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
Work independently, anticipate patient and clinic needs, share knowledge constructively, pursue skill development and job-related goals, and complete other administrative tasks as assigned.

Benefits

Employer-subsidized health, dental, vision, and life insurance for employees working 20 or more hours per week; coverage begins the first of the month after 30 days of employment.
Optional pet insurance and supplemental coverage.
Paid time off accrual beginning on day one.
Paid holidays.
Automatic 401(k) enrollment at 2% with a 2% company match.
License and certification fees covered.
Continuing medical education costs and days off covered.
Wellness reimbursement program.
Telecommuting stipend when applicable.
Monthly staff events and bi-annual company-wide celebrations.
Ongoing training opportunities.