Health Access Navigator Jobs (NOW HIRING)

The Access Navigator serves as the connection between a patient's hospital or emergency department discharge and their next step in care. Operating within Patient Access under Digital Access & Capacity Management, the Navigator ensures that discharged patients receive timely, appropriate follow-up care, applying established urgency criteria and scheduling standards to prioritize time-sensitive cases. This is a high-touch, patient-facing role requiring strong communication skills, disciplined follow-through, and the ability to manage a dynamic caseload across multiple referral sources. The Access Navigator applies defined escalation pathways rather than making independent clinical determinations, partnering closely with clinical and operational teams across the hospital and ambulatory network to deliver consistent, high-quality patient experience. The role is performed primarily within the hospital's electronic health record system. Accurate documentation of every patient's interaction and a documented outcome for every case are core expectations of the position. This role supports the organization's care continuity, patient access, readmission-reduction, and patient experience goals.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities Includes the Following:

Patient Outreach & Care Coordination

1. Conduct timely outreach to recently discharged patients to coordinate follow-up care, prioritizing cases according to established urgency criteria and defined scheduling windows.

2. Coordinate scheduling across affiliated and non-affiliated practices, identifying appropriate providers based on patient need, insurance, and location.

3. Communicate scheduling outcomes, barriers, and escalations clearly and professionally to relevant care team members.

4. Refer patient concerns or complaints to the appropriate department and notify leadership as needed.

Caseload & Worklist Management

5. Manage an assigned caseload from intake through resolution, ensuring timely follow-through within defined service standards.

6. Monitor and work assigned referral queues, worklists, and communication channels, escalating incomplete, unclear, or time sensitive cases through established pathways.

7. Meet defined turnaround expectations, including timely case pickup and adherence to critical follow-up scheduling windows.

8. Ensure every case is closed with a documented outcome — scheduled, declined, or unable to reach — with no case closed silently.

Documentation & Closed-Loop Accountability

9. Document all patient interactions, scheduling actions, and case dispositions accurately and completely within the electronic health record.

10. Maintain data integrity across the worklist to support accurate tracking, reporting, and performance measurement.

11. Support closed-loop tracking of post-discharge follow-up in alignment with readmission-reduction and quality objectives.

Collaboration & Program Support

12. Partners with clinical and administrative teams across the hospital and ambulatory network to support coordinated, timely patient care.

13. Support day-to-day operational coverage as assigned, which may include intake management, outbound scheduling, and inbound patient communication.

14. Participate in team meetings, training, and coverage assigned to support consistent program operations.

15. Perform other related duties as assigned.

Work Schedule & Coverage

16. Schedule aligned to department hours of operation; may include evening, weekend, or holiday coverage based on operational need.

17. Coverage expectations will include on-site presence in the Emergency Department or ambulatory sites as assigned.

Education & Experience

Requirements Required Qualifications

• Associate's degree or equivalent healthcare experience.

• Minimum 1–2 years of experience in a healthcare setting — acute care hospital, access center, ambulatory practice, or related environment.

• Proficiency with electronic health record systems required or must be achieved within 90 days of hire.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.

• Prior experience in patient scheduling, referral coordination, or care navigation.

• Experience in a call center, concierge, or high-volume patient-facing environment.

• Working knowledge of insurance, referral, and network requirements.

• Bilingual (English/Spanish) strongly preferred.

Core Competencies

• Patient-centered communication — engages patients and families with clarity, empathy, and professionalism across all interactions.

• Sound judgment within defined criteria — applies established urgency and escalation standards consistently and recognizes when a case must be escalated rather than resolved independently.

• Attention to detail — consistent accuracy in scheduling, documentation, and disposition across a high-volume caseload.

• Adaptability — manages shifting priorities, changing workflows, and a dynamic referral environment without disruption to patient care.

• Collaborative mindset — works effectively across departments and with clinical, administrative, and operational partners at all levels.

• Composure under pressure — maintains professionalism and quality in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment with frequent interruptions.

• Strong written and verbal communication — documents clearly, communicate professionally, and follows up consistently.

• Tech proficiency — comfortable working in standard office and healthcare software systems.

• Confidentiality — maintains strict adherence to HIPAA and all patient privacy requirements in every interaction and system entry.

Physical/Mental Demands/Requirements & Work Environment

May be exposed to chemicals necessary to perform required tasks. Any hazardous chemicals the employee may be exposed to are listed in the hospitals SDS (Safety Data Sheet) data base and may be access through the hospitals Intranet site (Employee Tools / SDS Access). A copy of the SDS database can be found at the hospitals switchboard, saved on a disc • Ability to remain in stationary position 90% of the time • Must be able to work in an environment with continuous interruptions • Demonstrates ability to analyze multidimensional problems into component parts and sort out tasks in priority order to solve problems • Ability to use computer for extensive periods of time

White Plains Hospital Medical Center is an equal employment opportunity employer. White Plains Hospital Medical Center will recruit, hire, train, transfer, promote, layoff and discharge associates in all job classifications without regard to their race, color, religion, creed, national origin, alienage or citizenship status, age, gender, actual or presumed disability, history of disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic predisposition or carrier status, pregnancy, military status, marital status, or partnership status, or any other characteristic protected by law.