Referral Specialist Lead: Elevate Access & Referrals

Northwest Human Services, Inc; Salem (OR); On-site; USD 60,000 - 78,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare insurance: Medical, Dental,

Group Life: Short-Term & Long-Term Dis

403(b) retirement plan with 2% contrib

Flexible Spending Account

PTO - 10 hours a month for FT

7 ½ Paid Holidays a year + 2 floating

Continuing Education & Training

Employee Healthy Living Program - Gym

Job summary

Northwest Human Services, Inc. is seeking a Referral Specialist Lead to mentor the Referrals team and coordinate complex referrals and authorizations.

You will collaborate with providers, patients, and insurance partners to promote timely access to care and improve the patient journey. In this role, you will serve as a technical resource, support onboarding, and optimize referral workflows while ensuring compliance and quality in patient care.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Minimum of two years of experience in clinic referrals.
• Minimum of six months of experience working at Northwest Human Services in any capacity using clinical systems.
• Proficiency in medical terminology.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day technical guidance, coaching, and support to Referral Specialists.
• Serve as a subject matter expert for referral processes, pre-authorizations, and department workflows.
• Assist with onboarding and training new Referral Specialists.
• Support team members with complex or escalated referral and authorization requests.
• Initiate and coordinate medical, mental health, and medication pre-authorizations with insurance companies and other third‑party payers.
• Facilitate timely patient referrals to specialists and external healthcare facilities.
• Coordinate patient appointments and interpreter services when needed.
• Communicate referral status, authorization requirements, and potential barriers to providers and patients.

Skills

Referral processes

Clinical systems proficiency

Medical terminology

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Job description

Northwest Human Services, Inc. is seeking a Referral Specialist Lead to mentor the Referrals team and coordinate complex referrals and authorizations.

You will collaborate with providers, patients, and insurance partners to promote timely access to care and improve the patient journey. In this role, you will serve as a technical resource, support onboarding, and optimize referral workflows while ensuring compliance and quality in patient care.