Tribal Outreach Advocate - Sacred Peaks

Tuba City Regional Health Care Corporation•Flagstaff, AZ

About The Position

This position is placed within the Patient Benefit Coordination Department at Flagstaff Medical Center. The Tribal Outreach Advocate supports patients receiving inpatient and outpatient care, including emergency services, by identifying those eligible for alternate resources within the Tuba City Service Unit and assisting with enrollment. The role also helps patients return to primary and follow-up healthcare services at TCRHCC, assists uninsured individuals with determining eligibility, facilitates Qualified Health Plan selection and applications, and provides educational services. The position involves patient advocacy, coordination with internal staff and external agencies, maintaining community resource information and service records, helping patients navigate applications and eligibility decisions, and conducting outreach about available resources. The role requires communication with patients and families, including during stressful circumstances, and may include home or hospital visits and arranging transportation to government offices.

Requirements

High school graduate or GED.
One year of experience working with alternate resources in a healthcare setting, such as AHCCCS/ALTCS, Medicare, state programs, Social Security/disability, Marketplace, or Medicare Part D.
Become a Certified Application Counselor (CAC) within two weeks of hire.
Complete up to 30 hours of an HHS-developed training program and pass an exam within two weeks of hire.
Satisfactory performance in prior and current employment, supported by positive employment references addressing positive working relationships, high ethical standards and no history of complaints, and reliability and dependability without excessive absences.
Ability to work with frequent interruptions and maintain a flexible schedule.
Ability to communicate with patients and families during emotional and physical stress.
Good oral and written communication skills and computer literacy for online enrollment assistance.
Successful interviews demonstrating the ability to perform the essential functions of the job.
Successful background and reference checks, including positive employment references demonstrating satisfactory performance and ability to perform the essential functions.
Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screenings required for employment.
Submit all required employment documents, applications, resumes, references, and other information without false, misleading, or incomplete information.
Ability to prioritize, exercise good judgment, think critically, solve problems, plan, identify and question issues and information, and make appropriate decisions.
Ability to communicate effectively with staff, providers, senior leaders, legal counsel, and external entities.
Ability to cope continuously with high stress, make decisions under pressure, remain calm when others are angry, fearful, or hostile, concentrate, manage flexibility and multiple priorities, work alone, demonstrate patience, adapt to shift work, work in close and crowded areas, and frequently manage altercations.
Accept a flexible schedule to meet unit needs.
Physical ability to sit and maintain balance, stand, walk, twist, and reach frequently; drive, bend, kneel, and crouch; and occasionally lift, push, and pull more than 100 pounds.
Required sensory and motor abilities include far, near, and color vision; depth perception and seeing fine details; hearing normal speech and overhead pages; telephone use; simple and firm grasping; fine manipulation with both hands; and keyboard use.

Responsibilities

Welcome and greet patients and visitors in person or by telephone; answer or refer inquiries, direct visitors, document calls and visits, and record and deliver messages to appropriate personnel.
Provide participant advocacy to help individuals receive needed services and develop additional resources.
Coordinate with internal and external staff and programs to maximize opportunities for participants.
Maintain professional relationships and liaisons with local service organizations; present information about assigned programs, support appropriate referrals, and respond to agency inquiries about services to Native Americans.
Develop and maintain a resource file of social service agencies and assistance providers in the target area.
Maintain files and records of individuals served, services provided, outreach activities, surveys, and other assigned reporting.
Help patients complete applications for alternate resources, including Health E Plus, and work with Patient Financial Services, Purchased Referred Care, FMC Case Management, and other facility staff to identify available resources.
Work with Social Security Administration offices, tribal offices, welfare or human resources departments, social services departments, state medical assistance offices, and other agencies to establish and verify patient eligibility for alternate resources.
Explain resource rights and benefits and advise patients about nonpayment or denied claims; intervene on patients’ behalf to dispute or appeal denials and other rejections.
Follow up on pending, denied, and approved applications and work with families and agencies to help ensure patients are not discriminated against because they are Indian Health Service recipients.
Perform patient representative functions, including completing alternate-resource applications, conducting home or hospital visits to interview patients, arranging transportation to DHHS and Social Security Administration offices, and explaining alternate-resource rules and regulations.
Research and update information about changes to alternate-resource rules and regulations.
Conduct community outreach to inform people about the availability of alternate resources.
Perform other duties as assigned.