Patient Navigator (MassHealth Enrollment)

General Definition and Scope of Job

A Patient Navigator is a public health outreach professional who applies his or her unique understanding of the experience, language and/or culture of the populations he or she serves in order to carry out one or more of the following roles:

• Providing health benefits and enrollment counseling, education and advocacy.

• Providing culturally appropriate health education, information and outreach in community-based settings, such as homes, schools, clinics, shelters, local businesses, and community centers;

• Barrier identification and reduction; bridging/culturally mediating between individuals, communities and health and human services, including actively building individual and community capacity;

• Assuring that people access the services they need; and

• Providing direct services, such as informal counseling, interpreter services, support and follow up for health benefits counseling, advocacy, social support, care coordination and health screenings; and advocating for individual, family, and community needs as appropriate.

Minimum Skills, Experience and Educational Requirements

• Undergraduate degree, preferred;

• Knowledge of client advocacy, resources and the local community;

• Basic computer skills;

• Knowledge of MassHealth, Health Safety Net, Connector Care, SNAP preferred;

• Bi-lingual language skills preferred in one or more of the following languages: Portuguese, Spanish, Cape Verdean Creole, Haitian Creole, Vietnamese, Arabic, and Chinese dialects including Cantonese, Mandarin, and Taiwanese as appropriate

• Must have certification as a navigator or certified application counselor. Language certification not required.

• Must be able to work Nights and Saturdays, and Sundays if needed;

• Formal medical interpreting training required as appropriate

• Satisfactory knowledge of medical terminology-Preferred

• Excellent organizational skills, the ability to set priorities, report on activities and outcomes, and problem solving skills.

• Must have reliable means of transportation.

Core Responsibilities

• Enable care and health care access via skills in health benefits counseling and advocacy as appropriate

• Assist community residents and patients with access to a full range of services and helps individuals and families navigate the health care system as appropriate.

• Educate, process, update individuals/families for their sliding fee plan coverage in the PMS as well as the applicable electronic storage application.

• Work with Billing and Patient Accounts team.

• Working a part of a Care Team that includes Nurse Care Managers, and Providers, help patients and their caretakers to manage individualized care plans toward improved health outcomes. As appropriate.

• Provide face-to-face interpreting and some telephonic interpreting as needed for health care encounters for all of the Manet sites and programs as appropriate.

• Attend, plan and help identify community events and serve as a liaison for Manet.

• Acts as a Cultural broker and informs providers and patients of relevant cultural issues to assist providers in delivering culturally competent patient care. Maintains and improves expertise through appropriate continuing education as appropriate.

• Assists in performing office support duties, which may include answering phone calls, retrieving messages from voice mail, email, financial counseling tasks, writing down requests for interpreters and making phone calls to fill such requests, gathering, ordering, printing and selecting supplies for outreach events and activities, as well as follow-up calls. Provides office assistance as needed.

• File accurate statistical data of encounters by documenting all interpreter encounters for the program's statistical purposes and store in our electronic system. As part of a team, offers linguistic knowledge for occasional translation and proofreading of translations as requested;

• Refers inquiries and suggestions for improving services and care to appropriate personnel according to established procedures;

• Must have utmost discretion and have the ability to maintain patients' and employees' confidentiality;

• Promotes understanding and commitment to the Manet's Mission and Values and assists in strengthening the level of patient satisfaction.

• Participates in activities that increase the Manet market share by identifying v recruiting, and/or educating the community and community residents about our programs and services.

• Assists in the coordination of care by booking new and follow-up appointments for patients as appropriate.

• Helps patients and doctors to navigate through the health care system by booking referrals to Hospitals, and outside providers as appropriate.

Critical Demands of the Job

• Manage multiple requests, a variety of locations, and prioritize appropriately.

• Customer service

• Ability to function in a faced paced setting with a variety of patients and staff.

• Attention to details and prompt follow up.

• Includes walking and standing for long periods of time, sitting for short periods of time, hand dexterity, clear hearing and speaking ability. Must be able to lift a maximum of 1/3 of their body weight.

• Excellent organizational and interpersonal skills.

Working Conditions

• Works in well-lighted environment with comfortable surroundings.

• Stressful at times due to competing demands, including attention to multiple patients and staff.

Required Availability

May be required to work a rotating schedule as the department requires. This includes evenings, holidays and weekends.

May be required to travel

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: $22.00 - $25.00 per hour

Expected hours: 40 per week

Benefits:

• 401(k)
• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Professional development assistance
• Retirement plan
• Vision insurance

Application Question(s):

• What are your salary expectations?
• Are you a Certified Application Counselor, Certified Navigator or SHINE Counselor?

Work Location: In person

Salary : $22 - $25