DC Primary Care Association’s (DCPCA) member health centers provide comprehensive primary care to 1 in 4 Washington D.C. residents, reaching a total of over 1 million visits a year. DCPCA’s Quality Improvement (QI) team provides member health center staff with the training and tools to strengthen and improve access to care, operational excellence, and health outcomes. Our member health centers provide high-quality, efficient, comprehensive, affordable, culturally-competent medical, dental, and behavioral health care.

Position Summary

DC Primary Care Association (DCPCA)’s Quality Improvement (QI) department is expanding its navigation program, building and expanding best practices gained through several years of testing and innovation. The focus of this program is prevention and treatment of colorectal, cervical, breast, and lung cancer. Patient Navigators at community health centers identify patients in need of screenings and provide individualized assistance to connect patients to cancer screenings (either in-house or external) and as needed, diagnostic and treatment services.

The Patient Navigator will be employed by DCPCA, however the position will be based at a community health center in D.C., fully embedded as part of the care team at the health center. Currently the position will be largely remote due to the public health emergency.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who is passionate about patient care, equitable health care access, and who works well in a dynamic position with a high degree of independence and flexibility. The successful candidate will be a self-starter with a passion for improving health outcomes for patients. Strong communication skills are required, with the ability to easily communicate with diverse patients and medical staff. Ideally the candidate will have a background in public health or social work with direct experience with primary care centers or direct service organizations. This professional will possess a customer service orientation, with enthusiasm for finding solutions for patients. The candidate will be experienced working in multicultural settings and will bring a commitment to racial equity.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

Patient support, coordination, and education

• Facilitate and schedule patient appointments/referrals with appropriate provider(s) for cancer screening, diagnostics, and treatment.
• Make confirmation calls/emails to patients regarding future appointment dates and assist patients in arriving to scheduled appointments on time and prepared.

• Respond to patient inquiries and assist patients with the completion of paperwork.

• Educate patients on care processes and provide counsel to reduce anxiety and fear.

• Identify patient barriers to care (clinical and non-clinic) such as transportation, housing instability, insurance, and language barriers, and refer patients as needed to additional resources and support services.

• Coordinate with specialists and hospitals to share information and coordinate care.

• Adhere to clinic departmental policies and procedures, which include Joint Commission (JC) standards, Patient Safety initiatives, Patient Rights, and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy standards

Clinic quality improvement and program monitoring

• Develop relationships with health care providers within and outside the community health center.
• Collaborate with clinical staff to drive clinical quality improvement (QI), improving cancer screening workflows and referral processes. This includes directing Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) change cycles.
• Using Electronic Health Record (EHR) system, track navigation services, record messages from patients, and contribute to clinic tracking workflows.  
• Run data reports to monitor patient-level quality outcomes and monitor progress and evaluate impact.

Knowledge sharing and development of best practices

• Attend relevant stakeholder and advisory meetings, including the District-wide Patient Navigators for Cancer Peer Group, to support overall program implementation and evaluation.
• Attend external trainings and learning opportunities that expand content knowledge and best practices.
• Share best practices with other health centers and care providers in the community.
• Other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications

• Passion for helping people improve their health
• Associate or Bachelor’s degree or experience equivalency
• 1-2 years of experience with health care clinic operations or at a community-based organization
• Interest in and knowledge of community health care and primary care
• Ability to work collaboratively with physicians, staff, and external organizations
• Commitment to addressing health disparities and barriers posed by social determinants of health
• Strong communication skills with diverse populations
• Solid relationship-building and interpersonal skills
• Excellent time management and coordination skills, with the ability to set priorities given multiple work assignments
• High degree of independence, flexibility, initiative, and commitment
• Demonstrated awareness and value of cultural competence
• Familiarity with electronic health records (EHR)
• Proficiency with Microsoft Word and Excel
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to collect and interpret data

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in or with a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or another health center

Compensation:

DCPCA offers competitive salary based on experience and skills of employees. Additionally, DCPCA provides a comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 403b match, ancillary benefits, access to Flexible Spending Accounts, and generous leave benefits.

ADA Specifications:

The Patient Navigator will be employed by the DC Primary Care Association. The position will be located primarily remotely in light of the COVID-19 public health emergency, although ordinarily this position would be based in a health center in Washington, DC. This position is primarily sedentary. The position may require some bending and lifting.