Patient Navigator

Description

Primary purpose

To guide women’s health patients through the health care system to help reduce late-stage breast and cervical cancer diagnoses. This role supports access to care, builds relationships with service providers, and tracks interventions and outcomes.

Essential job functions

Promote the mission, vision, and values of FoundCare. Guide patients through the health care system; assist with appointment confirmation to ensure compliance and appointment readiness. Utilize interventions and strategies that are appropriate to the population, based on culture, language, age, gender, and background. Facilitate internal and outgoing referrals for mammogram screenings to the Promise Fund Mammography Screening Center at FoundCare and outside outpatient diagnostic sites. Work with the Care Team to communicate with patients upon learning they have an abnormal mammogram, biopsy, pap smear, or a positive finding. Connect patients to community and social support services. Facilitate interaction and communication with health care staff and providers, including physicians, nurses, radiology staff, social services staff, radiation oncology staff, and hematology/oncology clinic staff, and offer information to Community Health Center practitioners about the navigator role and services provided, and encourage referrals. Provide women’s health education to individuals and groups. Build relationships with other patient navigators in the Promise Fund Patient Navigator Network. Assist women’s health patients in finding ways to pay for their breast and cervical health care. Assist with arranging for patient transportation where needed. Track interventions and outcomes. Identify the underinsured and uninsured target population by utilizing community service data, for women at high risk for underutilization of breast and cervical health services. Establish community relationships by visiting churches, synagogues, schools, libraries, and other local organizations. Use culturally and linguistically appropriate strategies based on each patient’s age, language, gender, and background. Work flexible evening and weekend hours as needed and contribute to achieving monthly and annual program goals. Maintain a log of outgoing referrals and ensure appropriate authorizations are acquired prior to patient visit. Update Promise Fund Record daily to facilitate reporting requirements and grant deliverables. Perform other duties as assigned.

Requirements

Required knowledge, skills and abilities

Ability to communicate effectively verbally, with or without an interpreter. Ability to communicate clearly in writing in English, with or without auxiliary aids or services. Ability to navigate electronic health record systems. Ability to review, understand, and apply information from training programs, conferences, and professional literature. Ability to educate individuals on safe sex practices, including topics that may involve explicit language, printed materials, and descriptions of sexual activity, as part of the agency’s HIV prevention mission. Ability to interact and work with diverse populations. Ability to handle difficult situations involving patients, providers, or others, professionally.

Physical requirements

Ability to endure short, intermittent, and/or long periods of sitting and/or standing in performance of job duties. Full range of body motion required. Position requires reaching, bending, and handling objects with hands and/or fingers, talking and/or hearing, and sight. Ability to lift and carry objects weighing 25 pounds or less. Use standard office equipment and technology, including computers, telephones, and clinical equipment and systems, in the course of daily duties. Ability to travel to other FoundCare locations and perform job duties. Ability to travel to other locations to attend meetings, workshops, and seminars, plus travel to other FoundCare departments and FoundCare conference rooms.

Professional requirements

Maintain a professional appearance consistent with FoundCare’s dress code standards. Demonstrate reliability and punctuality in all scheduled duties and commitments. Maintain patient confidentiality at all times. Represent FoundCare in a positive and professional manner at all times. Comply with all organizational policies and standards of care. Participate in performance improvement and continuous quality improvement activities. Mandatory attendance at all staff training and in-services. Complete all required competencies and maintain skill level.

Minimum Qualifications

High School diploma or GED. Related on-the-job experience. Ability to use Microsoft Office software, Excel, and Word with proficiency. This role is not eligible for visa sponsorship.