Clinical Navigator (RT)

Respire Homecare Services; Elmhurst (IL); On-site; USD 52,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401(k) match

Life insurance

Paid time off

Job summary

Respire Homecare Services is seeking a Clinical Navigator to guide patients and families from referral through onboarding, setup, and ongoing support in a homecare setting.

You will coordinate with a team of Sales Liaisons and healthcare providers to ensure smooth transitions, accurate documentation, and timely resupply, while maintaining a patient-centered approach and adherence to policy.

Qualifications

• Active Respiratory Therapist license (CRT or RRT) in the state of practice.
• At least two years of respiratory therapy experience.
• Hands-on knowledge of home respiratory equipment and vent/tracheostomy care.

Responsibilities

• Own the patient journey from referral to discharge or transfer.
• Engage families, verify demographics and insurance, identify barriers.
• Coordinate discharge planning, home evaluation, and equipment needs.
• Complete insurance verification and prior-authorization submission.
• Schedule home assessments and caregiver training, ensure readiness.
• Maintain Brightree records and timely communication with families and partners.

Skills

Clinical documentation

Payer workflows

Care coordination

Family engagement

Education

Active Respiratory Therapist license (CRT or RRT)

Tools

Brightree

Job description

Respire Homecare Services provides comprehensive, compassionate, and personalized home care services for patients and their families by fostering an environment that balances both the needs of our employees and the needs of the company through open communication, teamwork, trust, and mutual respect.

We embrace change and the opportunity it brings to establish and administer sound policies, rules and practices that treat employees with dignity and equality.

Our focus is on delivering patient centered home care services while being committed to recruiting, developing, rewarding, and retaining our most valuable resource – our employees.

ABOUT THE ROLE

From the moment a referral is accepted, the Clinical Navigator takes ownership of what happens next. As the family’s clinical guide, problem-solver, and consistent point of contact, the Navigator turns a complicated path, qualification, authorization, discharge planning, home assessment, equipment preparation, setup, follow-up, resupply, and recertification into one coordinated journey. The Navigator anticipates barriers, brings the right people together, and keeps every detail moving so families always know what comes next.

This is not traditional intake. It is hands-on clinical navigation for an RT who can teach and reassure a caregiver, troubleshoot respiratory equipment, engage physicians and referral partners with confidence, and drive action across every team supporting the patient. Assigned to 2 - 4 Sales Liaisons and their shared patient portfolio, the Navigator combines clinical judgment, relentless follow-through, and strong family advocacy to get patients home safely and keep them supported. This role reports to the Director, Patient Navigation.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own the journey: Manage an assigned patient portfolio from referral acceptance through onboarding, setup, ongoing support, resupply, recertification, and discharge or transfer.
• Engage families promptly: Introduce Respire and the onboarding process, explain service expectations and next steps, confirm demographic and insurance information, and identify immediate clinical, caregiver, access, communication, or financial barriers.
• Create a seamless handoff: Partner with an assigned team of 2 - 4 Sales Liaisons to honor referral commitments and coordinate discharge planning, home evaluation or assessment, documentation, equipment needs, and timing.
• Qualify and clear each order: Review clinical, documentation, and payer requirements; complete insurance verification and prior-authorization submission; and work with Sales, providers, payers, and families to obtain missing information, orders, and signatures.
• Coordinate the transition home: Align the family, hospital or facility team, prescriber, RT, warehouse, delivery, and internal support teams around required milestones, risks, and the planned setup date.
• Drive readiness: Schedule home assessments, caregiver training, equipment setup, and follow-up visits; confirm equipment, supplies, documentation, and clinical orders are complete and ready before the scheduled transition.
• Provide clinical support: Use RT expertise to educate patients and caregivers, troubleshoot respiratory equipment and therapy concerns, reinforce the plan of care, and route urgent or out-of-scope issues to the appropriate clinician or provider.
• Support field care when needed: Perform equipment setups and follow-up visits as staffing and patient needs require, in accordance with licensure, competency, policy, and the plan of care.
• Maintain continuity: Schedule and track protocol-based follow-up, proactive outreach, resupply, continued-need documentation, prior-authorization renewal, and recertification so service is not interrupted.
• Document and communicate: Maintain timely, accurate Brightree records, notes, tasks, workflow status, and handoffs; keep families, referral partners, and internal teams informed of progress and barriers.
• Resolve and escal­ate: Identify clinical, safety, caregiver, access, financial, service, or continuity concerns; take appropriate action within role scope; and track escalated issues through resolution.
• Represent the program: Participate in physician and referral-partner conversations, hospital or facility meetings, and Sales ride-alongs with clinical credibility and a family-centered approach.
• Improve the work: Participate in competency validation, team huddles, care coordination, complaint and incident review, audits, training, and process-improvement activities.

WHAT YOU'LL BRING

• Active, unencumbered Respiratory Therapist license (CRT or RRT) in the state of practice; RRT preferred.
• At least two years of respiratory therapy experience; HME or DME, home care, patient access, intake, case management, insurance verification, or authorization experience preferred.
• Hands-on knowledge of home respiratory equipment and ventilator and tracheostomy care required.
• Working knowledge of clinical documentation, medical necessity, payer requirements, insurance verification, prior-authorization, and patient-access workflows, or the ability to learn them quickly.
• Strong organization and follow-through, with the ability to manage a caseload, competing priorities, deadlines, and detailed documentation in a fast-paced environment.
• Clear, respectful written and verbal communication with patients, caregivers, referral partners, physicians, payers, and internal teams.
• Sound clinical judgment, resourceful problem-solving, and the ability to distinguish routine needs from urgent concerns requiring escalation.
• Confidence working in the field and with referral partners, paired with empathy, discretion, reliability, and persistent patient advocacy within policy and role scope.
• Comfort using electronic health records, payer portals, workflow systems, Microsoft Office, telephone systems, and other digital tools; Brightree experience preferred.

WHY YOU’LL LOVE WORKING HERE

• Mission-driven culture focused on whole-person wellness and dignity
• Opportunities for career growth within the company
• Competitive pay and comprehensive benefits package:
  • $38-$45/hr
  • Health, dental & vision insurance
  • 401(k) with employer match
  • Life insurance
  • Paid time off