PATIENT ADVOCATE – ANCHORAGE BASED
Full Time / Full Fringe
Located in Anchorage, AK
Summary: The Anchorage Based Patient Advocate connects KANA patients to appropriate resources; assists patients with questions or concerns while navigating through the ANMC and Anchorage systems; advocates on behalf of patients to ensure their health and social needs are met; and participates in customer service and patient relations initiatives.
Required Skills
Essential Duties and Responsibilities: The following duties are not intended to serve as a comprehensive list of all duties performed by this position.
- Support the organization’s mission and goals, quality standards, and patient-centered medical home philosophy. Embrace KANA’s culture of serving the whole person through our provision of services. Incorporate KANA’s core values of Courtesy, Caring, Respect, Sharing, and Pride in all activities and decisions.
- Uphold KANA’s Code of Ethics by conducting professional activities with honesty, integrity, respect, fairness, and good faith in a manner that reflects positively upon the organization.
- Provide a system to ensure patients, particularly Elders or other vulnerable patients, are supported while seeking health care services in Anchorage. Advocate on behalf of patients to ensure their health and social needs are met.
- Serve as a contact for patients, family members, and escorts who have a need while traveling to/from Anchorage. Assist patients with questions or barriers regarding coordination of travel or services at ANMC.
- Assist with arranging patient transportation and housing as needed. Maintain appropriate records and prepare reports as required.Refer patients to hospital financial department as necessary.
- Identify system-related problems and work collaboratively with providers, administration, and staff to resolve. Develop professional relationships with assigned programs and departments to build and sustain a patient-focused culture.
- Guide patients through the clinical process and help patients arrive at scheduled appointments on time and prepared. Facilitate interaction and communication between patient, family and/or escort, and health care staff and providers as needed.
- Visit KANA patients in the hospital and serve as a liaison between patients at ANMC and KANA. Participate on committees, work groups and other process improvement teams to enhance customer satisfaction.
- Serve as a resource for information concerning a patients' rights and responsibilities.
- Exhibit the highest degree of professionalism, friendliness, helpfulness, and customer service.
- Accurately document all inquiries and resolution.
Supervisory Responsibilities: This job has no supervisory responsibilities.
Required Experience
- High school diploma or general education degree (GED) and three years related experience; or equivalent combination of education and experience. Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work or related field preferred. Familiarity with federal, state and local resources available to meet the health and social needs of patients. Demonstrated ability to effectively advocate for and work closely with patients and the public. Effective communicator and listener possessing superior customer service skills with the ability to foster a patient-focused system of healthcare.
- Requires significant interdisciplinary collaboration, judgment, discretion and attention to confidentiality.
- Has an eye for opportunities to optimize the environment of care from the patient perspective and the goal to see those opportunities realized.
- Knowledge of Database and Spreadsheet software; Advanced knowledge with using the Internet.