International Patient Liaison I - Spectrum Corporate Offices - Full-Time - Variable Shift

Job Title

Responsible for ensuring coordination of care and related services for Sharp International and Global Patient Services (GPS) patient populations.

The stated pay scale reflects the range that Sharp reasonably expects to pay for this position. The actual pay rate and pay grade for this position will be dependent on a variety of factors, including an applicant's years of experience, unique skills and abilities, education, alignment with similar internal candidates, marketplace factors, other requirements for the position, and employer business practices.

What You Will Do

Work as an effective team member to ensure each patient is supported throughout the continuum of care beginning with inquiry on available services at Sharp Healthcare (SHC) through returning to home. Serve as a liaison with multiple internal and external personnel and organizations including, but not limited to, SHC hospitals, clinics, outside health care facilities, providers, governmental agencies, insurance companies, cruise lines, air and ground ambulance companies. Assist with coordinating all financial processes involving domestic and international insurance companies, third party administrators, patients, SHC financial and contracting departments to facilitate patient care and proper reimbursement to SHC.

Required Qualifications

• H.S. Diploma or Equivalent
• 2 Years experience in an acute care hospital setting in a position with direct patient and medical staff contact.
• Driver's License - CA Department of Motor Vehicles -REQUIRED

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in healthcare related field.
• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) - California Certifying Board for Medical Assistants -PREFERRED
• Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) California Certification - National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians -PREFERRED

Other Qualification Requirements

• Utilizes reliable transportation and possesses adequate personal insurance coverage. Demonstrates clean driving record in accordance with requirements of the employer DMV pull notice program and Sharp HealthCare Driver Guidelines.

Essential Functions

• Functions as liaison between patients, families, payors, external case managers and interdisciplinary team. Responsible for facilitating effective communication and assistance to achieve desired outcomes with case management, social work, physicians, business services, patients and their family members, other department staff and other internal and external customers. Responsibilities extend beyond the episode of care to encompass coordination of care across the continuum of care beginning with inquiry and intake to returning home, whether in the US or abroad. Interact with patients, family members/companions, and hospital staff to assist coordination of hospital and outpatient care requests and needs. Travel between hospitals and clinics to meet with patients and staff in-person. Accurately communicate appropriate finance/billing information to applicable finance departments and billing personnel and obtains payment authorizations when applicable. Attend hospital based and outpatient interdisciplinary team meetings on an ongoing basis.
• Provides internal and external customer service Coordinate medical evacuations to a SHC hospital following departmental and organizational guidelines. Coordinate inpatient admissions, procedures, and outpatient care, while adhering to referral algorithms and personal/cultural needs of patients and families. Coordinate any special needs or goods for the patients and their family members to meet culturally diverse populations. Respond to any identified patient and family requests for identified needs and services in a culturally sensitive manner. Remain in regular contact with patients, family/companion, hospital and clinic staffs, and other relevant business partners to ensure the patient is receiving services as requested and ascertain any additional needs or concerns to assure delivery of The Sharp Experience. Identifies individual cultural needs for each patient and assists with modifying any specifications in order to maintain cultural sensitivity while adhering to organizational policies, procedures and guidelines. Coordinate transportation for patients and families to and from the airport and to and from appointments surrounding hospital admission, hotel and outlying clinics. Assist in arranging special equipment needs, such as a wheelchair, walker, oxygen concentrator, etc. Collect complete medical records, including radiology CDs, and provide to patient on day of discharge or prior to departing San Diego. Obtain signed release of medical records form completed prior to patient's discharge or prior to the release of medical records. Coordinate appointments with patients' personal physicians prior to discharge and follow up after returning to their home. Identify patient/family needs related to education and discharge planning to assist them in making informed choices about their continuing care needs.
• Effective self-direction and time management skills Demonstrate effective self-direction and time management. Maintains documentation in GPS SharePoint site in accordance with departmental guidelines. Complete and submit required documentation for travel assistance companies and domestic payers.
• On Call responsibilities Share after hours, weekend, and holiday on-call responsibilities with GPS team members.
• Completes other duties as assigned Participate in process improvement efforts to ensure that GPS patients receive appropriate, superb, quality services. Assist with clerical functions as needed. Participate in events, seminar and other marketing efforts for GPS business development and educational programs.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Bilingual Spanish/English preferred.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills with the ability to interact and collaborate as an effective member of an interdisciplinary team.
• Ability to work independently in a continually changing environment.
• Ability to organize, prioritize, and manage time effectively.
• Must be able to work variable shifts including after hours, weekends and holidays.
• Ability to relate to patients from varied countries and backgrounds, and to respond to their needs demonstrating a great deal of cultural awareness and sensitivity.
• Ability to be on call after business hours, on weekends and holidays.
• Working knowledge of medical terminology, insurances, billing, collections and patient registration.
• Proficiency in all Microsoft Office programs, On Base, Cerner, and Centricity.
• Ability to type 50 words per minute.
• Unrestricted ability to work in hospitals and clinic.
• Ability to read, speak, and write clearly in English.

Sharp HealthCare is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, status as a protected veteran, among other things, or status as a qualified individual with disability or any other protected class.