Patient Navigator for GAC Services (Regional)

Planned Parenthood Keystone (PPKey) serves 37 counties in Pennsylvania, home to over half of Pennsylvania residents. We have administrative offices in the Lehigh Valley, Harrisburg, Warminster, and York. We operate 9 medical centers that serve over 22,000 patients annually and offer comprehensive sexuality education that reaches thousands of young adults.
Planned Parenthood Keystone is looking for individuals who are committed to supporting our shared goal of strengthening and enhancing our awareness and commitment to advancing the cause of racial & social justice in our organization.
Planned Parenthood Keystone is looking for a full-time (35 hours/week), non-exempt, Patient Navigator (Regional*)

• Position Locations:
• Region 1: Allentown, Bensalem, Quakertown, Warminster, Wilkes-Barre
• Region 2: Harrisburg, Lancaster, Reading, York

The Patient Navigator for GAC Services is a patient-centered service delivery intervention based on the goal of improving health outcomes, increasing provider-patient connectedness, and eliminating barriers to care that can occur across the care continuum for our most vulnerable populations. The Patient Navigator will have a primary focus on PPKeystone’s Gender Affirming Care services. ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBLITIES:

• Attends staff, department, and individual meetings and trainings and participates as required.
• Demonstrates flexibility and teamwork; understands the intersections between this position and others with whom the position works directly and indirectly.
• Contacts patient prior to initial visit: Confirm patient plan to keep schedule appointment, discuss Informed Consent model, advised patient they can bring support person to appointment, bring recent lab work, and answer questions about financial services for self-pay patients.
• Provide care coordination as needed; act as advocate with external partners as needed.
• Establish procedures for and provide support to Center Teams regarding insurance coverage, eligibility and prior authorizations. Investigate prior authorization requirements from insurance companies. Advocate on patients’ behalf to facilitate coverage for medical care and pharmaceuticals
In collaboration with the Director of Outreach
• Sustain and expand resource and referral lists. Gathers community resources, builds referral network, and maintains up-to-date materials related to gender affirming services, care, and needs in our service area
• Ensures patients have access to resources they need (resources for name and gender marker changes, insurance billing advocacy, etc)
• Establish, build, and maintain relationships with partner agencies including those that serve hard-to-reach or underserved persons; utilize data to guide relationships with partner agencies.
• Participate in community advocacy activities (ex. Pride festivals). Attend applicable local health conferences as deemed applicable to the job duties of the Navigator.
• Advocates on behalf of the health centers and patients by conducing outreach to inform key communities about PrEP, PEP, gender affirming care and all health care services provided by PPKeystone
• Help create and organize results of patient satisfaction survey.
In collaboration with Patient Services leadership
• Collaborate with Director of Marketing to ensure all gender affirming medical and mental health resources are current on the PPKeystone website
• Maintains Keystone’s Welcome Packet content. Review and revise new patient welcome letter and resources as needed.
• Ensure updated forms and Patient Welcome Packets are available for distribution at all sites
In collaboration with Director of Clinical Services
• Assist patients and providers to prepare legal letters for gender marker change. Goal: all requests for letters will be processed within 3-5 days and competed within 10 days.
• Share document templates with patients; assist in completing paperwork when requested
• Coordinate with CMs for provider signatures and accompanying official documentation required
Serve as the main point of contact for:
• Health Center management, Clinicians, and support staff to develop systems and establish procedures to support the success of the GAC Services including, but not limited to patient communication, workflow, optimal utilization of EHR, patient experience, auxiliary services, and monthly case review with the Clinical team.
• Patients to report positive or negative experiences with outside providers and internal providers and follow-up with appropriate staff (contact person for our Trans patients to trust and contact with any problematic interactions).
• Call center if available appointments do not work for patient, or if demand increases (i.e. need for waitlist, etc), or ability to overbook templates.
• Billing Department (if pt receives payment rejection, issue with gender marker, etc.)
• Oversees GAC services phone line; ensure return of all phone calls from patients and non-patients regarding gender affirming resources and services, and appointments. Task any clinical needs directly to clinicians. Task and education requests to the Director of Education. Goal: all patient calls will be returned within 24-48 hours.
• Ensure a culture that embraces diversity, equity, and inclusion of all persons
• Supports efforts of the agency’s diversity program to provide services that are culturally and linguistically competent; takes initiative to develop own awareness and knowledge of diversity matters.
• Stay current with PPKeystone’s Gender Affirming Health Services as well as general trends in transgender health care by attending appropriate training, conferences, reading relevant journals, and otherwise ensure ongoing education in the field of gender affirming care.
• Ensure completion of required annual training
• Adhere to all HIPAA and patient privacy regulations
• Serve as an Ambassador for the organization to inspire support and connection with the mission and services provided by the affiliate
• As assigned

The above essential functions are not an exhaustive list of required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this job description may be amended at any time.

VALUES AND COMMITMENTS:

• Commitment to Planned Parenthood’s mission and conviction to health equity and access to sexual and reproductive healthcare
• Understanding of racism and commitment to racial & social justice
• Awareness of multiple group identities and their dynamics, bringing a high level of self-awareness, empathy, and humility to interpersonal interactions; building of trust across diverse groups of people
• Demonstrated ability to communicate and hear effectively across differences and reflect and act on feedback related to identity and equity with the aim to learn
• Commitment to Planned Parenthood’s In This Together service ethos, workplace values, and service standards

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE:

• Required:
• Completion of an accredited high school program or equivalent is required
• Experience in community based medical/health or social service settings; social work, counseling, nursing, public health, or other health education
• Ability and willingness to travel regionally (see above) 75% of the time. Reliable means of transportation
• Computer literacy, including competency in affiliate email, Microsoft suite, internet, and electronic health record system, if applicable to job
• Good interpersonal, problem solving, and communication skills
• Ability to read and interpret documents such as policies and procedures
• Ability to write precise well-written documentation
• Ability and willingness to work a flexible schedule including nights and weekends
• Computer literacy, including competence in affiliate email, Internet, and patient management systems software
• Strong commitment to quality healthcare and excellent customer service
• Preferred:
• 1-2 years of experience with progressive responsibility in the reproductive health or general healthcare industry (ies).
• Spanish language skills desirable
• Demonstrated leadership ability
• Experience with NextGen or similar Electronic Health Records (EHR) system
• Experience working with transgender and gender non-conforming individuals or connection to the transgender and gender non-conforming communities.
• Experience with transgender and gender non-conforming individuals in a medical/health or social service setting
• Knowledge of Eastern PA’s resources and referral processes for transgender and gender non-conforming individuals
• Demonstrated expertise in health education/counseling and/or patient advocacy

SALARY AND BENEFITS:

• Compensation for this position starts at $19.25 per hour
• Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage options for you and eligible dependents
• Short Term Disability (paid for by organization)
• Life/AD&D and Long Term Disability policy voluntary coverage options
• Generous vacation, leave, and holiday benefits

Planned Parenthood is an equal employment opportunity employer. We comply with all applicable laws prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, gender and gender expression/identity, age, ethnicity, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, uniformed service member/veteran status, marital status, medical condition, pregnancy, sexual orientation, citizenship status, genetic information, as well as any other category protected by federal, state, or local. We are committed to building an inclusive workplace that values racial & social justice. We strongly encourage all persons to apply, including people of color and members of the LGBTQ community.