Patient Care Coordinator- Clinics

Eastern Plumas Health Care is a small, non-profit, critical access hospital district, providing comprehensive medical services to Plumas County since 1971. We operate a 9 bed acute care hospital at our main Portola campus, which includes a 24 hour, physician staffed, emergency room and ambulance service. In addition, three primary care medical clinics and a dental clinic offer residents a full spectrum of health care services in the Graeagle, Greenville, Loyalton, and Portola communities. There are also hospital-based Skilled Nursing Facilities in Portola and Loyalton.

Here's an exciting opportunity to be an integral part of the successful growth of our rural clinic and hospital. Surrounded by the Sierra Nevada Mountains with beautiful lakes and trails for hiking, biking, fishing and skiing, this facility is thriving and wants a highly motivated, innovative and experienced professional to join us in providing excellent care to our community.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Patient Care Coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the outpatient clinics are providing high quality care services to its patients. This position is responsible for planning, coordinating and facilitating patient care operations by addressing patient requests and needs in a professional manner, responding to patient concerns timely and ensuring patient satisfaction. This may entail both internal and external coordination and relationship building to facilitate seamless care for clinic patients. This position completes clerical tasks, data and quality analysis, schedules appointments, delivers with enthusiasm and empathy quality service to all customers, answers phones, provides answers to questions, collects co-payments, accurate record keeping, and obtains and verifies all demographic and financial information required for medical charting and billing as needed.

PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTABILITIES:

1. Consult with patients and family members as applicable to discuss their health problems.
2. Educate patients about their condition, medication and provide specific instructions at the providers direction.
3. Serves as a liaison between patients, their families and the health care providers.
4. Partners with providers to develop a care plan to address patients personal health care needs.
5. Check-in on the patient regularly and evaluate and document their progress.
6. Assist the care team with developing and assessing health interventions.
7. Consult and collaborate with other health care providers and specialists to set up patient appointments and treatment plans.
8. Coordinate and facilitate effective communication among providers and patients to track referrals to specialty care, social services and community-based resources, as well as follow-up on patients who have been referred, seen in the ER or who have not followed-up with their specialty or primary care provider.
9. Care coordination for managed care plan gaps in care and health maintenance items.
10. Attend ongoing training and courses to keep abreast of new developments in health care.
11. Participates in performance improvement activities as applicable.
12. Additional duties as assigned.

Professional Behavior:

1. Places the patients safety, comfort, dignity and convenience before all other considerations.
2. Behaves with courtesy and respect when speaking to patients, health professionals, and others.
3. Strives to develop and maintain mutually beneficial long-term relationships with patients, business partners, community leaders and coworkers.
4. Follows departmental operating procedures (neatness in work area, requesting time off, attendance, completing expense accounts, safety measures in office and field).
5. Displays flexibility and adaptability in responding to departmental and professional changes.
6. Demonstrates interpersonal relations, honesty, and ethical behavior of the highest standards.
7. Seeks to do the right thing with respect to every decision.
8. Seeks to understand and faithfully serve the needs of the community.
9. Strives for both the short and long term profitability of EPHC.
10. Applies recommendations for personal growth improvement.
11. Appearance is professional and complies with organizational dress code.

Quality Improvement:

1. Participates and adheres to department Quality Improvement activities seeking to provide the best care while looking for ways to be even better
2. Responds to patient concerns in an effort to problem solve.
3. Delivers care perceived by the patient/family to be personal, respectful, attentive, courteous, tactful, and professional.
4. Stays up to date and educated on compliance rules and regulations for all insurance types and patient populations served by the outpatient clinics.
5. Understanding and utilization of resources provided by external parties to better clinic performance and uphold quality of care standards.
6. Demonstrates support and follows the Mission & Values of EPHC at all times.
7. Corrects inaccurate work and reports consistent non-compliance to the Clinic Supervisor.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skills and abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE:

1. RN or Associates or bachelors degree in healthcare administration, social work or related field.
2. At least 2 years experience in care coordination or clinical practices. Experience in case management or quality assurance preferred.
3. Good verbal, written and interpersonal communications skills to communicate clearly to callers, visitors, patients, and staff members.
4. Strong computer skills and proficiency in Microsoft Office and/or Google Suite products.
5. Understanding of HIPAA and confidentiality issues as they relate to patient documents and communications.

SKILLS:

1. Interpret basic patient needs.
2. Customer service focused.
3. Can clearly explain health care needs and treatment plans to patients.
4. Excellent phone etiquette and ability to effectively communicate with and promote cooperation and collaboration between individuals, including patients, families, caretakers, physicians, nurses and other ancillary partners.
5. Must have excellent time management skills to develop organized work processes with rapidly changing priorities.
6. Ability to promote teamwork and to effectively function in teams.
7. Have a valid California drivers license, good driving record, and proof of insurance.
8. Operates basic office equipment: typing, faxing, copying, printing, and calculating.
9. Knowledge or proficiency in use of population health data analytics software.
10. Must be able to work under steady pressure with diverse stimuli and constant patient contact.
11. Must demonstrate reliability and punctuality.
12. Provide positive solutions and constructive strategies applicable to an office setting.

Abilities

1. Able to relate well with clinic and hospital support staff.
2. Able to assist with minor problem-solving and assisting with locating appropriate people to help.
3. Able to express empathy towards patients during demanding patient and organizational needs.
4. Able to orient and train new staff with kindness and patience.
5. Possesses an ability to prioritize assignments and responsibilities, and handle a wide range of duties.

Personal Characteristics

1. Demonstrates integrity and honesty.
2. Self disciplined.
3. A creative problem solver.
4. Communicates clearly.
5. Open to constructive criticism.

PHYSICAL CAPACITIES/EQUIPMENT OPERATED:

Must be able to lift 20 pounds from the floor to waist, and push at least 50 pounds (objects on wheels). Flexible arm movement associated with filing and/or stocking duties. Ability to reach above shoulder level. Must be able to sit for long periods of time.

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those required for any employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

Specific vision abilities required by this job include close and distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus. Clear speech is required for telephone communication, and communication with other employees and patients. Hearing is required for telephone, employee, and patient communication.

The work environment is an enclosed space. The noise level is moderately quiet, with occasional noise from medical and laboratory equipment, cast saw, patient and employee conversation, photocopiers, computer keyboards and printers, telephones, etc. There are odors associated with human bodies and bodily functions, cleaning and disinfectant solutions and other chemicals.

There are caustic chemicals present. There is occasional potential for exposure to blood-borne pathogens and biohazardous material.