Health Care Navigator

Job Summary

As a Health Care Navigator, you will engage people in emotionally powerful ways. Your ability to build trusting relationships and connections are foundational to improving health outcomes and making a positive difference.

The Health Care Navigator (HCN) is responsible for partnering with members and their families to understand, navigate, access community services/resources, and to promote the adoption of healthy behaviors. The HCN acts as liaison between patient, community resources, program staff and other KP providers. Your actions will directly promote, maintain, and improve the health of members and their families.

Provides continuity of care to patient by coordinating services and resources needed by patients with complex medical needs, who are frail/nearing end of life and or at high risk of readmission to the emergency room and/or hospital. Provides ongoing communication to providers and to other members of the multi-disciplinary team.

Essential Responsibilities

• Establishes and maintain trusting relationships with individuals, families, and providers to promote health, recovery, resiliency, and wellness. Communicates and collaborates with members and families to identify key health concerns and options for removing barriers that affect service delivery, member satisfaction, cost, and the communitys health leading to the overall improvement of coordination of care for the member. Utilizes effective communication skills such as motivational interviewing to gain agreement regarding member care plans.
• Tailors and delivers culturally appropriate health education and instruction on how to use the existing health care and social service programs. Delivering the information in a simple, helpful, and effective manner.
• Provides regular outreach, including meeting patients in a variety of settings to include, but not be limited to medical offices, hospitals, home visits and assisting with community events, as necessary.
• Provides care navigation: problem solving potential issues related to health care delivery, financial or social barriers (e.g., request interpreters as appropriate, arrange transportation services or prescription assistance). Provides education and referrals to both community and Kaiser Permanente resources as instructed by designated clinician on the team. Identifies potential risks upstream, communicates these risks in the medical record, and coordinates care with the right team member (or resource) at the right time.
• Works collaboratively with the complex care interdisciplinary team through active participation in routine meetings, interdisciplinary team meetings and use of technology.
• Creates and maintains documents related to patient care. Performs social health screenings regarding health risk factors and barriers to accessing appropriate care and makes appropriate referrals to licensed clinical staff, as indicated.
• Upholds Kaiser Permanentes Policies and Procedures, Principles of Responsibilities and applicable state, federal and local laws.
• May perform other related duties as required.