Patient Care Navigator

Headlight; San Diego (CA); Hybrid; USD 34,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work schedule

Medical, Dental & Vision benefits

401(k) plan with company contribution

Paid Vacation, Sick, and Holiday

Job summary

Headlight is seeking a Care Navigator to move patients from behavioral health referrals to appropriate care. This non-clinical role supports navigation, reengagement, and escalation per protocol, enabling access to Headlight services and partner resources.

The position may work onsite, in a healthcare partner's office, or remotely in a hybrid setup. Strong communication and peer-support skills are essential to help patients feel heard and supported through their care journey.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required or equivalent experience.
• An Associate's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, or related field preferred.
• Certified Peer Specialist training or certification as required by Headlight, onboarding.
• Experience in healthcare, patient access, intake, care coordination, or navigation is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Serve as initial point of contact when a partner identifies a patient needing behavioral health support.
• Provide navigation onsite, virtually or via hybrid approaches.
• Receive real-time warm handoffs from clinicians and staff.
• Establish rapport and seamless transitions from referring provider to Headlight.

Skills

Verbal communication

Written communication

Empathy

Multitasking

Education

High school diploma or GED

Associate's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, or related field

Certified Peer Specialist training/certification

Tools

CRM systems

Healthcare IT systems

Job description

Join a team that’s transforming mental healthcare. Founded by psychiatrists, Headlight is more than a company: it’s a movement. A movement that exists on the front lines of the mental health crisis, transforming the way people access care and the way clinicians deliver it. In order to help people in their time of need and ensure that every person who comes to us has options, we are transparent about our capabilities, treatments, and coverage, we champion innovation, and we leverage our rich data to continuously implement better ways of delivering care.

Our highly skilled and principled clinical team enjoys autonomy and institutional support so they can put their focus where it should be: on improving patient outcomes. Our clinicians want to do more than help individual clients, so they work to affect the system as a whole, elevating standards of care so that their efforts reverberate far beyond what they could do in private practice.

As the most trusted behavioral health partner in the Western U.S., we’ve established deep relationships that give us unparalleled access, interoperability, and first-priority referrals. This exclusivity, combined with our best-in‑class coordinated care and feedback loops, results in superior outcomes and cost savings.

Our services are convenient, accessible, and expert, combining personalized client engagement with advanced technology to enhance, not replace, human connection. Indeed, we hold that human‑to‑human relationships are indispensable, so from the match to the session to the time between sessions, we provide whole person care so nobody falls through the cracks and there is a brighter path forward for all.

Position Summary

The Care Navigator is responsible for helping patients successfully move from a behavioral health referral to appropriate care. The role owns the non‑clinical navigation process between referral and connection, working proactively to resolve barriers, reengage patients, and prevent referrals from falling through the cracks.

Care Navigation is a non‑clinical role. Care Navigators facilitate access to care, provide peer‑informed support within the scope of their training, and follow established escalation protocols. Care Navigators do not diagnose, independently assess clinical acuity, provide treatment recommendations, deliver psychotherapy, or replace the judgment of licensed clinical professionals.

Care Navigators bring a patient‑centered, peer‑informed approach to every interaction. They help patients feel heard, supported, and connected throughout their journey. When Headlight is not the appropriate destination, Care Navigators help patients navigate onward to appropriate care through trusted providers, community resources or strategic partner.

Care Navigators may work onsite within a healthcare partner’s office, in a hybrid model or virtually. When working onsite, the Care Navigator provides real‑time warm handoffs and patient navigation within the partner environment. The role extends beyond the physical location and includes referral recovery, patient reengagement, referral quality, follow‑up, and continuous improvement.

Our Pillars

• Make things easier.
• Forge genuine connections.
• Elevate the standard.

Roles & Responsibilities

Patient Navigation & Warm Handoffs

• Serve as the initial point of contact when a healthcare partner identifies a patient with a behavioral health need.
• Depending on the partnership model, provide navigation onsite within a healthcare partner’s office, virtually or through a hybrid approach.
• Receive real‑time warm handoffs from physicians, clinicians, and other healthcare staff.
• Establish rapport quickly and create a seamless transition from the referring provider to Headlight.
• Mirror the language and tone used by the referring provider, so the patient does not feel as though they are being handed from one system to another.
• Understand the patient’s needs, preferences, and barriers to accessing care.
• Explain Headlight’s services clearly and in a patient‑centered manner.
• Support insurance verification, appropriate clinician matching, and scheduling of the patient’s initial appointment.
• Complete the navigation and scheduling process whenever possible during the initial interaction.
• Provide appropriate follow‑up when additional support is required.
• Recognize situations requiring escalation and follow established safety and clinical protocols.

Referral Recovery & Patient Reengagement

• Take appropriate ownership of the navigation process when a patient encounters friction.
• Review referrals that have not successfully progressed to care and identify the barrier preventing connection.
• Follow up on missing insurance information, inaccurate or disconnected phone numbers, incomplete referrals, and other administrative barriers.
• Coordinate with referral sources and internal teams to obtain missing information or clarify next steps.
• Reengage patients who expressed interest in care but did not successfully connect.
• Work appropriate referrals through resolution rather than allowing an unresolved disposition to become a lost patient.
• Maintain a clear next step for referrals requiring additional action.
• When Headlight is not the appropriate destination, help facilitate connection to an appropriate alternative provider, community resource or strategic partner.

Referral Quality & Navigation Operations

• Maintain accurate, timely, and meaningful referral dispositions.
• Review referral queues for incomplete, inaccurate, ambiguous, aging, or unresolved referrals.
• Identify and resolve disposition discrepancies.
• Ensure referral information and patient interactions are accurately documented in Headlight systems.
• Identify patterns in referral barriers, patient drop‑off and unsuccessful connection to care.
• Conduct targeted call listening or interaction reviews when appropriate to identify opportunities to improve patient experience and navigation quality.
• Surface recurring issues or trends to the appropriate internal team.
• Support ongoing improvement of referral and navigation workflows.

Partner Collaboration

• Build strong working relationships with partner clinical and administrative staff.
• Develop familiarity with partner workflows, terminology, and operational needs.
• Provide timely and appropriate updates regarding patient connection and referral status.
• Follow established partner protocols while maintaining Headlight’s standards for patient experience.
• Surface partner workflow issues and opportunities to the Partnerships team.
• Help ensure the partner has confidence that patients referred to Headlight are being appropriately supported and connected to care.

Peer Support & Patient Experience

• Complete Certified Peer Specialist training or certification as required by Headlight and applicable state or program requirements, either prior to or as part of onboarding.
• Apply peer‑informed communication principles to build trust, reduce barriers, and help patients feel understood and supported.
• Use lived‑experience‑informed skills within the defined scope of the role and without representing the role as clinical treatment.
• Respond to patients with empathy, dignity, and respect, particularly when they are frustrated, anxious, or struggling to access care.
• Help create an experience in which patients feel genuinely cared for regardless of whether Headlight ultimately provides their care.

Continuous Improvement

• Participate in the development and refinement of Care Navigation workflows.
• Provide candid feedback about patient barriers, referral friction, and operational gaps.
• Help test and improve new workflows, tools, and processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve patient access and the overall referral experience.
• Share frontline observations that can inform the evolution of Headlight’s Care Navigation model.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required, Associate's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, or related field, preferred.
• Complete Certified Peer Specialist training or certification as required by Headlight and applicable state or program requirements, either prior to or as part of onboarding.
• Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, patient access, intake, care coordination, navigation, customer experience or related field.
• Experience interacting directly with patients or healthcare consumers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to establish trust and rapport quickly.
• Strong judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity, exceptions, and unexpected situations.
• Ability to manage multiple referrals, follow‑ups, and priorities independently.
• Comfort working across multiple technology systems.
• Strong problem‑solving skills and ability to identify the appropriate next step.
• Ability to work independently while recognizing when escalation is appropriate.
• Commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and patient‑centered care.
• Certified Peer Specialist certification or willingness and ability to complete certification as part of onboarding, where applicable.
• Spanish language skills preferred but not required.

Benefits

• W2 role with competitive hourly rate and an additional incentive‑based pay structure
• Medical, Dental and Vision on the first of the month after employment (based on FT hours)
• Paid Vacation, Sick, and Holiday time
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provides confidential counseling services, resources, and support to help you navigate personal or professional challenges.
• 401(k) plan with company contribution
• Hybrid work schedule
• Opportunity to work in a cutting‑edge healthcare technology environment
• Professional development opportunities and training
• Collaborative and supportive work culture
• Impactful role contributing to the enhancement of patient care and healthcare processes

$30 - $30 an hour

If you need any accommodations for your interview please email [e-mail] prior to scheduling.

Not meeting all the requirements? Research indicates that women, communities of color, and historically underrepresented individuals are often hesitant to apply for jobs unless they meet every qualification. We are committed to cultivating a diverse, inclusive, and genuine workplace. If you’re enthusiastic about this position but your previous experience doesn’t precisely match every qualification listed, we enthusiastically encourage you to submit your application. You could be the ideal candidate for this role or others!

Headlight is committed to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusiveness and seeks to create a working environment reflective of this commitment. We seek to provide a diverse clinician base to support the diversity of our clients. Headlight supports and respects diversity of people, culture, and ideas throughout our organization. Headlight thrives to be a welcoming, diverse and discrimination‑ and harassment‑free workplace.

By applying for this position, you consent to receive future communications from Headlight via email or text regarding this application and related employment opportunities. You may opt‑out at anytime by contacting us directly.

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