Care Support Coordinator - Desoto

Position Summary: This position will proactively guide patients through and around barriers in the healthcare delivery system to minimize fragmentation and coordinate care.  The position will assist with navigating patients and families to Supportive Care disciplines within West Cancer Center as well as the community.  

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Initiates contact with cancer patients who are at high risk of poor outcomes, loss to follow-up, on-compliance with appointments, and unplanned ER visits and hospital admissions.
• Works with patients and caregivers to identify potential barriers to care and potential opportunities for assistance from other Supportive Care disciplines.
• Works with the Care Support team and other Supportive Care personnel to minimize barriers and fragmentation of care.
• Contacts patients to follow-up on referrals and opportunities for assistance.
• Identifies and maintains a comprehensive list of resources for patients within the clinic and the community.
• Provides assistance to patient or family when indicated in handling insurance, forms, etc. required for financial and other means of assistance. (Note: This position does not maintain primary responsibility for these services; however, will be available to assist patient and family if lack of such assistance would result in delayed or missed care.)
• Works closely with financial assistance personnel to ensure that patients are enrolled in assistance programs.
• Collaborates with physicians, physician staff and other departments in the West Cancer Center to identify patient issues and concerns.
• Addresses Social Determinants of Health that are identified through PROs with referrals and resource information. The SDOH identified are transportation issues, access to healthy food and clean water, lack of a social support system, secure housing and utilities.
• Assists with internal patient transfers to ensure for optimal patient satisfaction.
• Works with outside transportation companies to provide the documentation for scheduling patient rides and reimbursement for gas to appointments.
• Provides education on signing up and accessing the patient portal.
• Works with outside agencies to help patients manage their transportation issues to prevent missed appointments and non-compliance.
• Maintains appropriate documentation in the EMR of all interactions with patients and families.
• Is flexible with work schedule and work location.
• Respects the dignity and confidentiality of patients.
• Maintains a good attendance record and reports for work on-time.
• Maintains a professional attitude and appearance.
• Complies with clinic safety policy and procedures.
• Possesses good communication skills that lend to a team-oriented work environment.
• Attends staff meetings as scheduled.
• Assists with training and orientation of new employees as assigned.
• Possesses the ability to make good decisions, maintains confidentiality, and demonstrates excellent communication and documentation skills.
• Performs all other duties, as assigned.

Qualifications/Experience:

Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work with experience in the healthcare setting preferred, but not required.

At least two years of healthcare experience working directly with patients is required.

Must have excellent organizational and follow-up skills; excellent verbal and written communication skills; excellent problem-solving skills; the ability to prioritize work assignments in a fast-paced environment; the ability to analyze situations and respond in a timely manner; the ability to work independently; the ability to participate in multi-functional teams; the ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships within The West Clinic; proficiency in computer applications including EMR, word processing and e-mail.  Additional hours may be required.

Work Environment/Physical Demands/Travel:

• Typical clinical environment with moderate noise level.
• Ability to stand, walk, reach, climb or balance, stoop or crouch, hand/wrist use, talk, see, and hear for extended periods of time.
• Ability to read and understand documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, procedure manuals, correspondence. Ability to write routine correspondence.  Ability to speak and present information small groups of customers, suppliers, or employees of the company.
• Ability to read and understand simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos. Ability to write simple reports.  Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one or small group situations to supervisors, customers, and/or other employees of the company.
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, fractions, and decimals. Ability to compute rate, ratio, and percent and to interpret bar graphs.
• Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions given in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving few concrete variables in routine situations.
• Ability to lift up to 50lbs.
• Travel to satellite offices may be required.