Patient Access Navigator

Ochsner Health; Louisiana; On-site; USD 42,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Ochsner Health in Baton Rouge seeks a patient-focused navigator to coordinate care and manage transitions. You will take incoming contacts via phone, chat, email, and text, determine the right care pathway, and collaborate with clinic partners to remove barriers to access.

The role emphasizes delivering first-contact resolution, building trust, and ensuring timely, comprehensive care through proactive follow-up and patient-centric solutions.

Qualifications

• This role requires a patient-focused approach with strong critical thinking.
• Experience in customer service and care coordination is essential.
• Ability to navigate multiple systems and manage stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Handle patient contacts via phone, email, text, and live chat to determine next steps.
• Coordinate with clinic partners to remove access barriers and ensure timely care.
• Provide first contact resolution and build trust with patients and providers.
• Maintain a high level of attention, follow-up, and outstanding customer service.
• Escalate issues to appropriate clinic partners to resolve patient concerns.
• Support preventive care screenings and annual wellness appointments.

Skills

Critical thinking

Patient-focused

System navigation

Interpersonal skills

Judgement/problem solving

Tech proficiency

Multitasking

Education

High school diploma

Bachelor’s degree (preferred)

Tools

CRM systems

EHR systems

Job description

Exceptional care starts with exceptional people.

For us, this is more than a job– it’s a calling. It’s waking up each day, looking for ways to make a difference with a compassionate, inclusive and talented team. Ochsner empowers you to discover your passion, reach your potential, and Pursue Your Purpose. Exceptional care starts with exceptional people and teams. Together we are leading the way.

This job welcomes and connects the consumer to the health system. Handles acquisition, front door navigation, care coordination and transitions of care. Delivers excellent care and meets the unique care needs for various segments of patient populations that interact with the health system. Takes incoming contacts (including but not limited to: calls, live chats, emails, texts), and determines correct pathway and next steps for patient. Coordinates with clinic partners if access barriers exist to get the patient what they need. Develops and fosters interpersonal relationships with stakeholders inside and outside of team by offering patient focused solutions and demonstrating an elevated level of attention, care and follow up to close customer service loop. Creates opportunities and options for patients by addressing preventive care screenings and annual appointments.

Job Description

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, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential duties.

This job description is a summary of the primary duties and responsibilities of the job and position. It is not intended to be a comprehensive or all-inclusive listing of duties and responsibilities. Contents are subject to change at the company's discretion.

Education

Required – High school diploma or equivalent.

Preferred – Bachelor’s degree.

Work Experience

Required – Four years of experience in customer service, appointment coordinator or another related field.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities (KSAs)

• Excellent critical thinking skills.
• Ability to maintain a patient/consumer focused approach in all interactions.
• Ability to solve potentially complex navigation problems.
• Proficient in navigating and managing multiple systems.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and ability to manage multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to use appropriate judgement on when to employ non-traditional, effective solutions to fully resolve stakeholders needs.
• Proficiency in technology applications and various software packages specific to role.
• Ability to prioritize, organize and coordinate multiple work assignments in a fast-paced environment.

Job Duties

• Maintains a patient/consumer focused approach in all interactions while engaging in holistic coordination of care for consumers by optimizing patient care setting and matching right setting/right time.
• Manages patient egresses, including but not limited to phone, email, text, live-chat, etc.
• Delivers first contact resolution provides the patient with right care outcome.
• Responds to patient and provider request with a focus on transforming experience by building trust and rapport.
• Provides timely and effective resolutions that exceed stakeholder expectations.
• Develops and fosters interpersonal relationships with stakeholders inside and outside of team by proactively offering patient focused solutions and demonstrating an elevated level of attention, care and follow up to close customer service loop.
• Navigates escalations to clinic partners with poise and skill to resolve patient issues.
• Navigates and flexes between the varying needs of patient segments to eliminate barriers to efficient delivery of care.
• Identifies system service delivery problems and potential solutions for effective patient management interventions.
• Serves as liaison with medical staff, nursing staff and ancillary department staff to eliminate barriers to ensure delivery of care.
• Serves as a subject matter expert and brand ambassador for our service line focuses on retention by creating opportunities and options for patients by addressing preventive care screenings and annual appointments.
• Performs other related duties as assigned.

The above statements describe the general nature and level of work only. They are not an exhaustive list of all required responsibilities, duties, and skills. Other duties may be added, or this description amended at any time.

Remains knowledgeable on current federal, state and local laws, accreditation standards or regulatory agency requirements that apply to the assigned area of responsibility and ensures compliance with all such laws, regulations and standards.

This employer maintains and complies with its Compliance & Privacy Program and Standards of Conduct, including the immediate reporting of any known or suspected unethical or questionable behaviors or conduct; patient/employee safety, patient privacy, and/or other compliance-related concerns.

The employer is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, or disability status.

Physical and Environmental Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an 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.

Sedentary Work - Exerting up to 10 pounds of force occasionally (Occasionally: activity or condition exists up to 1/3 of the time) and/or a negligible amount of force frequently (Frequently: activity or condition exists from 1/3 to 2/3 of the time) to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time, but may involve walking or standing for brief periods of time. Jobs are sedentary if walking and standing are required only occasionally and all other sedentary criteria are met.

Normal routine involves no exposure to blood, body fluid or tissue and as part of their employment, incumbents are not called upon to perform or assist in emergency care or first aid.

The incumbent has no occupational risk for exposure to communicable diseases.

Because the incumbent works within a healthcare setting, there may be occupational risk for exposure to hazardous medications or hazardous waste within the environment through receipt, transport, storage, preparation, dispensing, administration, cleaning and/or disposal of contaminated waste. The risk level of exposure may increase depending on the essential job duties of the role.

Are you ready to make a difference? Apply Today!

Ochsner Health does not consider an individual an applicant until they have formally applied to the open position on this careers website.

Please refer to the job description to determine whether the position you are interested in is remote or on-site. Individuals who reside in and will work from the following areas are not eligible for remote work position: Colorado, California, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Vermont, Washington, and Washington D.C.

Ochsner Health endeavors to make our site accessible to all users. If you would like to contact us regarding the accessibility of our website, or if you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact our HR Employee Solution Center at 504-842-4748 (select option 1) [e-mail]. This contact information is for accommodation requests only and cannot be used to inquire about the status of applications.

Ochsner is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any legally protected class, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.