Referral Coordinator

Brownsville Community Health Center; Brownsville (TX); On-site; USD 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

Brownsville Community Health Center seeks a Referral Coordinator Supervisor to oversee referral coordination, ensuring timely access to specialty care and services. You will lead staff, monitor workflows, and collaborate across clinical and administrative teams to promote continuity of care and a positive patient experience.

The role requires supervising staff, ensuring HIPAA compliance, and coordinating with payers for prior authorizations.

Qualifications

• Three years of referral coordination experience.
• One year of lead or supervisory experience.
• Proficiency with electronic health records.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish.
• Current BLS certification.
• Valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Supervise, train, and evaluate referral staff.
• Oversee full referral process: review, verifications, prior authorization, scheduling.
• Monitor referral queues, turnaround times, aging reports, denials, and outcomes.
• Ensure documentation accuracy in the EHR and related systems.
• Coordinate with providers, nursing, front-office, HIM, revenue cycle, and external specialists to remove barriers to care.
• Develop and maintain referral procedures, productivity standards, and quality-control processes.
• Prepare operational reports and corrective-action plans for leadership.

Skills

Referral management

Supervisory experience

EHR proficiency

Bilingual English/Spanish

Prior authorization

Microsoft Office

Education

Associate or bachelor's degree in healthcare administration

Current BLS certification

Valid driver’s license

Tools

Referral platforms

EHR systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

• Job Category Referrals, Healthcare
• Employee Type FT Non-Exempt
• Required Degree 2 Year Degree
• Manage Others No

Contact Information

• Name Human Resources
• Phone [phone] EXT 1022

Description

GENERAL PURPOSE

The Referral Coordinator Supervisor oversees referral coordination activities to ensure patients receive timely, accurate, and appropriate access to specialty care, diagnostic services, and other clinical resources. This position leads referral staff, monitors workflows and service standards, resolves escalated issues, and collaborates with clinical and administrative teams to support continuity of care and a positive patient experience.
The supervisor is accountable for staff coaching, workload distribution, referral tracking, documentation quality, payer and authorization follow-up, and performance reporting. The role promotes compliance with organizational policies, patient privacy requirements, payer guidelines, and applicable regulations.
Due to the nature of NHHC services, it may be necessary for the employee to work extended hours, or work schedules may be adjusted to meet operational needs, address urgent referral matters, or provide coverage during periods of high volume.

Reports to: Chief Operations Officer

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Supervise, train, coach, and evaluate referral coordination staff; assign daily work and maintain adequate coverage.
• Oversee the complete referral process, including order review, insurance verification, prior authorization, scheduling, records transmission, patient communication, and closure.
• Monitor referral queues, turnaround times, aging reports, denials, incomplete orders, and appointment outcomes; intervene when service standards are not met.
• Review documentation for accuracy and completeness and ensure referral activity is recorded promptly in the electronic health record and related systems.
• Resolve escalated patient, provider, payer, and vendor concerns with professionalism and timely follow-through.
• Coordinate with providers, nursing, front-office teams, health information management, revenue cycle staff, and external specialists to remove barriers to care.
• Develop, implement, and maintain referral procedures, job aids, productivity standards, and quality-control processes.
• Prepare and communicate operational reports, trends, and corrective-action plans for leadership.
• Protect confidential information and ensure compliance with HIPAA, organizational policy, payer requirements, and applicable regulations.
• Participate in Quality Improvement, Performance Improvement, required training, and departmental meetings.
• Performs assigned duties in accordance with established NHHC policies, procedures, and applicable regulations. Exercises independent judgment in managing day-to-day outreach operations while referring significant personnel, financial, strategic, compliance, partnership, grant-related, and programmatic matters to the Chief Operations Officer Director of Community Services and Grant Management for review and approval.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Working knowledge of referral management, managed care, insurance eligibility, prior authorization, and healthcare terminology.
• Demonstrated ability to supervise staff, organize competing priorities, monitor productivity, and meet deadlines in a high-volume environment.
• Proficiency with electronic health records, referral platforms, Microsoft Office applications, and standard office equipment.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, customer service, conflict resolution, and team-building skills.
• Strong attention to detail, analytical judgment, problem-solving ability, and commitment to accurate documentation.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality, exercise sound judgment, and work effectively with patients, providers, payers, and community partners.
• Bilingual English/Spanish communication skills required.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to provide compassionate care and support to patients
• Detail-oriented mindset, with the ability to maintain accuracy and completeness in documentation and record-keeping
• Exceptional problem-solving and critical-thinking abilities
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS AND EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS

Education

• Associate or bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business, or a related field required.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required.
• Bilingual English/Spanish required.
• Valid driver’s license required.

Experience

• Three years of experience in referral coordination, patient access, medical scheduling, managed care, or a related healthcare function required.
• At least one year of lead or supervisory experience required; experience supervising referral or patient-access staff preferred.
• Experience with electronic health records, insurance verification, prior authorization, and referral tracking are strongly preferred.