Addiction Medicine Care Navigator

The Addiction Medicine Care Navigator navigates patients and their families through the Hurtt Addiction Medicine and Chemical Dependency Program from initial contact through completion of their treatment. This position must understand that substance use disorders are chronic diseases that can affect patient’s mental and physical health, relationships, families, employment, and legal consequences. They will support and promote clinical quality of care programs and initiatives for substance use and addiction for HRSA and SAMHSA and act a liaison between the clinic and patients to ensure that treatment objectives are achieved. The Addiction Medicine Care Navigator provides education to patients and their families regarding substance use and addiction, develops and implements outreach to outside entities and health fairs, and works with clinical and operations staff to assist with communications and reporting for substance use disorder grants. In addition, this position includes significant administrative responsibilities, as indicated throughout the job duties.

Job Responsibilities & Duties

• Establish collaborative and supportive relationships with Physicians, staff, patients and interdisciplinary teams acting as a patient advocate and liaison to support the patient’s efforts to reach their healthcare goals.
• Collaborate with primary care clinicians, addiction medicine clinicians, therapists, psychiatrists medical assistants, front desk PSR staff and call center with helping patients establish care and maintain appointments and treatment goals.
• Follows up with patients that miss their appointments or are regularly late to their appointments.
• Coordinates care between all departments including but not limited to medical, addiction medicine, therapy, psychiatry, dental, chiropractic and nursing services.
• Develop and implement care coordination processes utilizing the electronic health record’s care coordination module to support patients with substance use disorders to and any co-occurring psychiatric disorders to ensure patient treatment objectives are established and achieved.
• Make entries into patient’s electronic health records to document outreach efforts and patient contact.
• Develops whole-person care coordination processes that addresses barriers to care and social determinants of health (SDOH) including care coordination initial visits and follow up visits that identify needs and provide resources or assistance navigating services.
• Provides basic education to patients and their families regarding substance use and addiction.
• Develop and implement outreach to outside entities (e.g. juvenile hall, jail, treatment programs, hospitals, shelters, schools, coalitions, etc.) and health fair events.
• Maintains and adds to the Hurtt patient resource directory with care coordination and addiction resources including but not limited to SDOH, housing, transportation, legal, disability, food insecurity, financial, immigration, mental health, domestic violence, health care, intensive outpatient program, residential program, detox program resources.
• Develops community relationships for patient referrals and tracks/maintains all logs for patient referrals.
• Attends and participates in MAT interdisciplinary clinic meetings, consultation groups, trainings and outside provider/collaboration meetings.
• Serves as the Hurtt Clinic clinical lead for its participation in the MATCONNECT project for the Coalition of Orange County Community Clinics, participating in training and meetings as scheduled.
• Make outbound calls and contact via mail to patients to encourage them to schedule appointments to receive healthcare services.
• Act as lead for identified MAT Grant Programs that require Care Navigator services. Assist clinical and operation staff meeting grant requirements and communicating and preparing reports to Grant programs.
• Obtain and enter into electronic health records for testing and consult notes for appointments completed with providers outside the clinic to document patient compliance.
• Follow-up with patient on results as directed by the Provider, including generating and provided data and reports.
• Link patients with other social services and community partners to support lifestyle changes.
• Provide positive problem solving resolutions to patient’s needs/demands.
• Schedules visits with patients on site and provides one-on-one education.
• Participate in all Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement meetings and provide reporting, update and project outlines as required
• Perform other duties as assigned.