Overview of Position: The Care Navigator will provide direct and indirect services and support to patients who need advocacy, guidance, education and linkage-to-care in order to achieve optimal clinical and quality of life outcomes. This can be done in clinical and community settings.

Qualifications: A two- or four-year degree in human services, public health, social work, or a related field preferred. Experience in a healthcare, mental health, and/or substance abuse treatment setting, along with working knowledge of care coordination/case management principles and techniques, preferred.

Knowledge/Skills: Ability to take initiative and handle various tasks simultaneously while working efficiently, effectively, and independently without direct supervision. Knowledge of adult learning principles, management leadership principles, and community resources. Knowledge of policies, standards, regulations, and protocols. Knowledge of data bases i.e. Excel spreadsheets, EMR etc.

Essential Job Functions:

• Accountable for a designated patient caseload that is considered more complex and resources intensive
• Oversees this evolving caseload with the intention of engaging with the patient to motivate, educate, link to care and improve health outcomes
• Utilizes motivational interviewing to engage patients in care: as demonstrated by kept appointments, adherence with medication, access to community resources, improved symptoms related to diagnosis, and self-expressed improvement in overall well-being
• Responsible for creating and utilizing a patient-centered goals. This patient care plan will be unique to the patient’s current treatment needs
• Promotes collaboration and information sharing between service areas, providers and key staff members: participating in inter-disciplinary activities that lead to an efficient delivery of care and reimbursement of services
• Responsible for facilitating appropriate utilization of medical resources through education, linkage to resources and care, and addressing social determinants of health needs.
• Establishes and maintains relationships with community partners and points of referral
• Performs admissions process in a complete, consistent, and reliable manner; including but not limited to a review of HIPAA, patient rights, orientation to treatment, records review, and completion of consents
• Completes intake interviews that will determine the course of treatment; reviews therapist’s evaluations, treatment objectives, and plans
• Monitors cases by verifying patients’ attendance; observing and evaluating treatments and responses; obtaining additional resources; intervening in crises; providing personal support
• Maintains reports by collecting analyzing, and summarizing treatment and results data trends to be reviewed for completion of grant and subsidy applications
• Updates job knowledge by participating in educational opportunities; reading professional publications; maintaining personal and professional networks
• Enhances department and organization reputation by accepting ownership for accomplishing new and different requests from provider or management; exploring opportunities to add value to job accomplishments
• Adheres to strict boundaries and professional ethics in the care of others
• Attends a clinical staffing meeting each month (or as needed) and be actively involved in the case review and discussion process
• Improvement (CQI) activities, to include making recommendations for strategies to improve quality of care
• Other duties as assigned.

Physical Requirement: Hearing: Adequate to perform job duties in person and over the telephone. Speaking: Must be able to communicate clearly to patients in person and over the telephone. Vision: Visual acuity adequately to perform job duties, including reading information from printed sources and computer screens. Other: Requires occasional lifting and carrying items weighing up to 10 pounds unassisted in normal daily activities and up to 30 lbs. for other required work activities. Additionally, requires frequent bending, reaching, and repetitive hand movements (especially if keyboarding and writing), standing, walking, squatting, and sitting, with some lifting, pushing and pulling exerted regularly throughout a regular work shift.