Patient Navigator - August 2024
Position Status
Site
NHC Position Type
Position Summary
During the patient's visit, the NHC member would be a milieu manager – guiding the patient through their medical visit, serving as a liaison between patient and clinic staff, ensuring they follow through with tasks and scheduling follow-up visits. The NHC member will also assist the patient with enrolling in text messaging (for high-risk groups), filling out the Mental Health Assessment on an iPad, enrolling in the MyUPMC app, assisting patients with completing organ donation information, confirming vaccination status, and assisting in scheduling appointments. The NHC member will then follow-up with the patient after the visit (for new patients) to ensure they had a good encounter with PACT and reeducate on the importance of bloodwork and following up with the clinic.
Major Duties and Responsibilities
- Providing educational support to patients on how to use technology to connect to care, including how to use remote monitoring equipment, how to participate in a telehealth visit, and how to use their patient portal.
- Helping patients to set-up and test devices and technology.
- Working with health center staff to identify patients considered a high priority due to a lack of digital access, health conditions, and/or participation in specific remote monitoring programs.
- Attending meetings and patient huddles.
- Conducting phone outreach as assigned by leadership.
- Assisting in care coordination and resource referrals.
- Conducting outreach to patients via phone/letters.
- Conducting extensive and continuous research on social services.
Characteristics of an Ideal Candidate
- Familiar with health equity-related issues.
- Multi-tasker; able to balance.
- Able to build strong relationships.
- Comfortable speaking with others, individually or in groups.
- Able to communicate effectively with individuals of diverse backgrounds and identities.
Knowledge Required for the Position
- Knowledge of AmeriCorps/Health Corps member requirements.
- Skill with Microsoft Office or other software for a variety of data processing operations involving a range of problem solving, record keeping, correspondence, and service tracking options.
Supervision
- Member uses initiative in carrying out recurring assignments following set procedures, and does so independently.
- The supervisor assigns service activities, advises on changes in procedures, and is available for assistance when required.
- The supervisor assigns service activities in terms of project objectives and basic priorities and is available for consultation in resolving controversial issues.
Review
- The service activities are reviewed for accuracy through spot checks, complaints from customers, and observation of the member while serving.
- The member independently plans and carries out the projects and selects the approaches and methods to be used in solving problems.
- Completed projects are reviewed very generally to determine that objectives have been met and are in compliance with policies and regulations.
Guidelines
- Written and oral guides provide specific instructions for doing service.
- Most instructions are easily memorized and require little interpretation,
- Guidelines are generally applicable, but the member independently makes adaptations in dealing with problems and unusual situations.
Complexity
- Member has to develop, analyze, or evaluate information before the service position can progress.
Special Considerations
- Health screening or service required as part of this position.
Language Proficiency Requirements
- Proficiency in a language other than English not required for this position.
Criminal History Check Requirements Beyond NHC Standard Checks
In addition to NHC Standard Checks, all NHC Pittsburgh members are required to complete and pass criminal history checks for Great Lakes Behavioral Research Institute/Diversified Care Management (DCM). Great Lakes/DCM is a third party vendor contracted with the Allegheny County Health Department (operating site for NHC Pittsburgh) to distribute NHC Pittsburgh member stipends. NHC Pittsburgh members are onboarded to Great Lakes/DCM system only when the checks have been completed and the member has passed those checks. Along with these checks, select Host Sites require their members to be Vaccinated against COVID-19.
The checks that all NHC Pittsburgh members would be required to complete and pass for Great Lakes/DCM are the following: 1) Act 33 (Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance), 2) National Sex Offender Registry Clearance, 3) Act 34 (Pennsylvania Criminal History Clearance, and 4) Act 73 (FBI Criminal History Clearance - ONLY completed via Identogo PA).
NHC members do not have to pay for the completion of these checks. Great Lakes/DCM will distribute payment codes for the Act 33 (Pennsylvania Child Abuse Clearance) and Act 73 (FBI Criminal History Clearance which is conducted through Identogo PA ( PA FBI fingerprinting agency). The National Sex Offender Registry Clearance and Act 34 (Pennsylvania Criminal History Clearance) will be completed by Great Lakes/DCM upon receiving requested information that members will be asked to submit.