Lead Patient Navigator Position Type Full Time Neighborhood Outreach Access to Health (NOAH) is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) that offers comprehensive, integrated, and affordable healthcare services to people in need. We serve over 40,000 neighbors with a variety of services, including medical, dental, behavioral health, nutrition, preventive health, eligibility assistance, and health education programs. At NOAH, we are dedicated to promoting the overall wellness of our employees by fostering a supportive and balanced work environment. We understand the importance of physical, mental, and emotional well-being, and we strive to create a workplace where our team members can thrive both personally and professionally. Join us in making a difference in our community while enjoying a fulfilling and rewarding career.
Job Summary:
The Lead Patient Navigator provides day-to-day support, peer guidance, and workflow assistance to Patient Navigators within the Patient Contact Center. This role serves as a subject matter expert for patient navigation workflows, incoming and internal referral management, patient outreach, appointment coordination, documentation standards, referral tracking, and referral loop closure support. The Lead Patient Navigator supports timely patient access by assisting staff with workflow questions, helping resolve patient access barriers, supporting nesting and workflow reinforcement in partnership with the Patient Access Trainer and leadership, and escalating issues to leadership when needed. This position also assists leadership with monitoring navigation work queues, supporting staff development, identifying process improvement opportunities, and promoting compliance with organizational policies, HIPAA, privacy requirements, and applicable healthcare regulations.
Lead Responsibilities:
Provide day-to-day guidance, workflow support, and peer assistance to assigned agents. Serve as a subject matter expert for patient navigation workflows, incoming and internal referrals, patient outreach, scheduling coordination, documentation standards, and referral tracking. Support onboarding and ongoing staff development by reinforcing approved workflows, answering process questions, providing peer guidance, and assisting with nesting support in partnership with the Patient Access Trainer and leadership. Assist leadership with reviewing workload needs, work queue status, patient outreach completion, referral tracking, and staff workflow questions. Identify workflow gaps, patient access barriers, quality concerns, training reinforcement needs, and process improvement opportunities; escalate recommendations to leadership. Provide feedback to the manager or director regarding team performance trends, barriers, and operational needs. Promote teamwork, professionalism, accountability, and consistent workflow adherence within the department. Ensure staff follow organizational policies, safety standards, HIPAA, privacy practices, compliance expectations, and applicable healthcare regulations.
Duties/Responsibilities:
Provide workflow support, peer guidance, and nesting assistance to agents in partnership with the Patient Access Trainer and leadership.
Assist with incoming and internal referral management, referral entry, tracking, patient outreach, scheduling coordination, documentation, and follow-up activities.
Support staff with complex patient navigation questions, missing information, scheduling barriers, referral routing concerns, outreach barriers, and workflow issues.
Review and route messages, referral documents, electronic faxes, work queue items, and other communication necessary for patient navigation workflows.
Help monitor patient outreach completion, referral tracking, appointment completion, documentation accuracy, progress notes, consult results, and referral loop closure requirements.
Assist with escalated patient, clinic, provider, referral source, or internal department concerns related to patient navigation.
Reinforce approved patient navigation workflows, outreach standards, documentation requirements, referral tracking expectations, and timeliness standards.
Support quality reviews, workflow audits, documentation review, and performance trend identification as requested by leadership.
Provide feedback on department workflows, job aids, scripts, procedures, and training materials when requested by leadership or the Patient Access Trainer.
Answer calls, respond to assigned messages, and assist with patient navigation or department needs as appropriate.
Attend and participate in required meetings, trainings, department activities, continuing education, and assigned initiatives.
Perform other related duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Required Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:- Strong knowledge of patient navigation workflows, incoming and internal referral processes, patient outreach, scheduling coordination, documentation standards, and referral tracking.
- Knowledge of patient access workflows, insurance-related access considerations, healthcare service lines, and referral loop closure expectations.
- Knowledge of HIPAA, privacy practices, patient confidentiality, compliance expectations, and healthcare regulations affecting the role.
- Ability to guide, support, and reinforce workflows with staff in a professional and consistent manner.
- Ability to identify workflow gaps, patient access barriers, quality concerns, training reinforcement needs, and process improvement opportunities.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to work effectively with patients, staff, providers, clinic teams, referral sources, internal departments, and leadership.
- Ability to handle escalated patient concerns professionally and escalate issues appropriately.
- Strong organization, time management, problem-solving, and follow-through skills.
- Proficiency with electronic health records, scheduling systems, referral systems, Microsoft Office, and other department technology.
- Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise discretion, and use sound judgment.
- Ability to speak English
- Bilingual - Spanish preferred.
Education and Experience:
High School Diploma or GED required.
Two or more years of experience in patient navigation, referrals, patient access, scheduling, customer service, call center, or related healthcare operations required.
Experience in an FQHC referral setting preferred.
Prior lead, mentoring, peer support, or workflow support experience preferred.
Other Requirements:
New Hires are required to pass pre-employment background check and drug testing (effective 11/1/2022).
