Patient Navigation Specialist

Beth Israel Lahey Health; Needham (MA); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 95,000; Full time

Job summary

Beth Israel Lahey Health in Needham, MA seeks a Patient Navigation Specialist to provide coordinated support for patients navigating the healthcare system. The role requires collaboration with clinical teams and philanthropy partners to ensure timely access to care and a positive patient experience.

Ideal candidates have 5–7 years in healthcare or care coordination, strong interpersonal skills, and proficiency with Epic and Microsoft 365.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree preferred.
• 5–7 years of healthcare, patient services, or care coordination experience.
• Experience with Epic, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint; familiarity with philanthropy CRM.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary resource for patients, providing responsive support via phone, email, and in person interactions.
• Coordinate and expedite appointments, referrals, transfers, and access to specialty care across BILH and its community hospitals.
• Collaborate with the Divisional VP to support navigation needs across multiple sites.
• Help patients and families understand care pathways, next steps, and available resources.
• Promote communication between patients and care teams, upholding values of dignity and equitable access.
• Attend meetings, trainings, and events as directed by the AVP, Patient Navigation.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Discretion & empathy

Verbal & written communication

Organizational skills

Calm under pressure

HIPAA compliance

Microsoft 365 proficiency

Education

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Epic

Outlook

Excel

PowerPoint

CRM familiarity

Job description

Patient Navigation Specialist

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you’re making a difference in people’s lives.

The Patient Navigation Specialist supports Beth Israel Lahey Health (BILH) and its Community Hospital Division by providing coordinated, responsive assistance to patients who require enhanced support navigating the healthcare system. This includes individuals with complex medical needs, sensitive circumstances, or institutional relationships such as board members, community partners, supporters, and other stakeholders.

The Specialist works closely with clinical teams, administrative leaders, and philanthropy partners to ensure timely access to care and a positive, informed patient experience. This position requires exceptional judgment, discretion, and adherence to HIPAA regulations.

This is a hybrid position based in Needham, MA, with the ability to travel to other BILH locations as needed. The role requires three days onsite per week during the initial phase of employment, with flexibility based on operational needs.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• 1. Serve as a primary resource for patients seeking assistance, providing responsive and compassionate support via phone, email, and in person interactions, where appropriate.
• 2. Coordinate and expedite appointments, referrals, transfers, and access to specialty care across BILH and its community hospitals.
• 3. Collaborate closely with the Divisional Vice President, Community Hospital Division, to support navigation needs across multiple sites.
• 4. Support patients and families in understanding care pathways, next steps, and available resources.
• 5. Promote communication between patients and care teams, upholding BILH values of dignity, respect, and equitable access.
• 6. Address sensitive or complex patient concerns with professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment.
• 7. Maintain accurate documentation, manage patient navigation databases, and prepare reports as needed.
• 8. Assist with operational processes such as referral programs, parking coordination, and other systems that support patient navigation and the overall patient experience.
• 9. Participate in initiatives to enhance the tone, efficiency, and overall quality of the patient experience across BILH and its community hospitals.
• 10. In collaboration with AVP, BILH, educate staff, clinicians, and leaders on the purpose and services of the Patient Navigation program.
• 11. Attend meetings, trainings, and events as directed by the AVP, Patient Navigation.
• 12. Support departmental and systemwide projects, including technology transitions (e.g., Epic) and cross functional BILH initiatives.
• 13. Participation in the on-call rotation will be expected once familiar and comfortable in the role. During assigned on-call periods, the Specialist must be available 24/7 to respond remotely to urgent patient needs and time-sensitive issues as they arise.
• 14. Additional onsite presence may be required during urgent situations, on-call periods, or for meetings and events across BILH and its community hospitals.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor’s degree preferred.

Licensure, Certification & Registration: None required; HIPAA training required upon hire.

Experience:

• 5–7 years of related experience in healthcare, patient services, care coordination, or a high touch service environment.
• Experience working with clinical teams, senior leaders, or individuals in sensitive or high visibility roles preferred.
• Experience with systems such as Epic, Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint; familiarity with philanthropy-based CRM.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities:

• Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust and communicate effectively across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to manage sensitive situations with discretion, empathy, and sound judgment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to clearly and effectively convey complex information to diverse audiences, ensuring accuracy, understanding, and strong collaboration across teams.
• Strong organizational and problem-solving abilities, with demonstrated capability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously, effectively prioritize tasks, and proactively address challenges to maintain efficiency and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to remain calm and effective in urgent or stressful situations.
• Commitment to providing respectful, inclusive, patient-centered support.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality and handle sensitive information with discretion, ensuring full compliance with HIPAA regulations and organizational privacy standards.
• Experience with core systems such as Microsoft 365 (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) is required.
• Prior familiarity with a philanthropy-based CRM and Epic is strongly preferred.

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

• Experience supporting patients with complex needs and/or navigating multi-site health systems, with demonstrated ability to coordinate across departments or locations, manage competing priorities, and ensure timely, accurate, and compassionate support throughout the care continuum.
• Background in patient relations, care coordination, and/or philanthropy, with experience building relationships, facilitating communication, and supporting patient or donor engagement in a healthcare or mission-driven environment.
• Working knowledge of hospital operations, clinical workflows, and interdisciplinary care environments.

Pay Range: $70,000.00 USD - $95,000.00 USD

The pay range listed for this position is the annual base salary range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time. Actual compensation is determined based on several factors, that may include seniority, education, training, relevant experience, relevant certifications, geography of work location, job responsibilities, or other applicable factors permissible by law.

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.

More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled