Care Navigator

Care Navigator

The Care Navigator supports Switchboard Health clients in two primary ways: Directly assisting patients seeking specialty care, and conducting outreach to clinician offices to determine appointment availability for new patients. This role helps patients connect with the right specialty providers (e.g., behavioral health, dermatology, gastroenterology, cardiology, and others) by providing resources, coordinating referrals, and scheduling appointments.

While the Care Navigator does not provide medical care, they play a critical role in ensuring patients have a smooth, timely, and supportive experience navigating the healthcare system.

Switchboard is a seed-stage startup, which means processes, priorities, and workflows evolve quickly. The ideal contractor is comfortable with ambiguity, adapts easily to change, and thrives in an environment where they may help build or refine processes as needs shift.

Type: Part-Time, 1099 Contract

Schedule: Flexible; hours vary based on patient referrals and client needs (typically 15–25 hours/week)

Duration: Ongoing engagement with no defined end date

This independent contractor role offers flexible, part-time work. Hours will fluctuate depending on patient volume, referral activity, and project needs. Contractors set their own schedule within agreed-upon availability windows and must maintain timely, reliable communication.

Key Responsibilities

• Engage with patients via phone, patient portals, text, and email to understand their care needs.
• Provide information and resources about available specialty services.
• Coordinate and schedule appointments with specialty care providers on behalf of patients.
• Ensure a seamless referral experience by communicating clearly with patients and provider offices.
• Do outreach to specialist offices to determine availability of appointment slots for new patients
• Maintain accurate and timely documentation in secure systems.
• Handle protected health information (PHI) in compliance with HIPAA and organizational privacy standards.
• Persistently follow up with specialty offices, clearly communicating timelines, escalating delays, and advocating for timely patient care.
• Collaborate with internal teams to support process improvements and patient experience initiatives.

Experience/Skills

• Prior experience in healthcare specialty care referrals, or patient access
• Experience submitting prior authorizations (preferred, not required)
• Comfort using EMRs, CRM tools, or referral platforms; ability to work across multiple platforms simultaneously
• Excellent verbal communication and customer-service mindset
• Able to assist patients who are in need of care and may not be familiar with referral navigation with compassion,
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Experience handling PHI and maintaining confidentiality

Other Requirements

• Reliable phone and internet connection
• Ability to work in a secure environment compliant with HIPAA standards (e.g., private space for patient calls)
• Preferred but not required: Fluent in Spanish

Compensation

• Hourly rate based on experience

Availability

• Available windows must be during Switchboard Health's operating hours (Monday-Friday 8AM-5PM MT)

Salary

$20 - $30 per hour