Tribal Outreach Advocate - Sacred Peaks

Job description

Navajo Preference Employment Act
In accordance with Navajo Nation and federal law, TCRHCC has implemented an Affirmative Action Plan pursuant to the Navajo Preference in Employment Act. Pursuant to this Plan and corresponding TCRHCC Policy, applicants who meet the necessary qualifications for this position and (1) are enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe will be given preference in hiring and employment for this position, (2) are legally married to enrolled members of the Navajo Nation, Hopi Tribe, or San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe and meet residency requirements will be given secondary preference, and (3) are enrolled members of other federally-recognized American Indian Tribes will be given tertiary preference.
Overview
POSITION SUMMARY
This position is placed under the Patient Benefit Coordination Department located at Flagstaff Medical Center. A full array of inpatient and outpatient health care services including emergency services will be assisted by the PBC acting as a Tribal Outreach Advocate (TOA). The primary purpose of this position is to identify patients who are eligible for alternate resources within the Tuba City Service Unit and assisting them with the enrollment process. A TOA (Tribal Outreach Advocate) will also assist patients to return to his/her primary and/or follow-up healthcare services at TCRHCC and assist uninsured individuals in determining their eligibility; facilitate the selection of and apply for a Qualified Health Plan and provides educational services.
Qualifications
NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS
Education:
High school graduate or GED
Certification/Licensure:
• Must become Certified Application Counsellor (CAC) within 2 weeks from date of hire
• Must complete up to 30 hours of an HHS-developed training program and pass an exam within 2 weeks from date of hire

Experience:
One (1) year of experience working with alternative resources in a healthcare setting (AHCCCS/ALTCS, Medicare, State Programs, Social Security/disability, Marketplace/Medicare Part D, etc.)
Other Skills and Abilities:
A record of satisfactory performance in all prior and current employment as evidenced by positive employment references from previous and current employers. All employment references must address and indicate success in each one of the following areas:
• Positive working relationships with others
• Possession of high ethical standards and no history of complaints
• Reliable and dependable; reports to work as scheduled without excessive absences
• Ability to work under conditions of frequent interruptions and availability to work flexible schedule
• Possesses and employs an ability to communicate with patients and families during time of emotional and physical stress
• Good oral and written skills and computer literacy for online enrolment assistance
• Completion of and above-satisfactory scores on all job interviews, demonstrating to the satisfaction of the interviewees and TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Successful completion of and positive results from all background and reference checks, including positive employment references from authorized representatives of past and current employers demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC/FMC a record of satisfactory performance and that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Successful completion of fingerprint clearance requirements, physical examinations, and other screenings indicating that the applicant is qualified to be employed by TCRHCC/FMC and demonstrating to the satisfaction of TCRHCC that the applicant can perform the essential functions of the job
• Submission of all required employment-related documents, applications, resumes, references, and other required information free of false, misleading, or incomplete information, as determined by TCRHCC.

MENTAL AND PHYSICAL EFFORT
The physical and mental demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Physical :
Incumbent must ¾ of work day, have the ability to sit and maintain balance, stand, walk, twist and reach frequently; drive, bend, kneel and crouch, lift, push and pull up to over 100 pounds occasionally Incumbent must have ability of far vison, near vision, color vision, depth perception, seeing fine details, hearing normal speech, hearing overhead pages and telephone use. Must have ability of simple/firm grasping and fine manipulation of both hands as well as use of keyboard.
Mental :
Must be able to prioritize and use good judgment and have the critical thinking skills to problem solve and plan, identify and question issues and information in order to make appropriate assumptions, inferences, implications, and decisions. Must be able to effectively communicate with staff, providers, senior leaders, legal counsel, and external entities. Must be able to continuously cope with high level of stress, make decisions under high pressure, cope with anger/fear/hostility of others in a calm way, concentrate, handle high degree of flexibility, handle multiple priorities in stressful situation, work alone, demonstrate high degree of patience, adapt to shift work, work in areas that are close and crowded, and frequently manage altercations. Must accept a flexible schedule to meet unit needs.
Environmental :
Incumbent may continually be exposed to loud noises for prolonged period of workday infectious diseases frequently. Incumbent may be exposed to chemical agents, dust, fumes, gases, extremes in temperature or humidity, hazardous or moving equipment, unprotected heights occasionally.
Responsibilities
ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
• Incumbent will serve patients/visitors by welcoming and greeting them in person and/or the telephone; answering or referring inquiries; directing patients/visitors; documenting calls and visits; and recording and delivering messages to appropriate personnel.
• Provide participant advocacy services to assist participants in receiving needed services and to develop additional resources for services.
• Coordinate with other internal and external staff and programs so that opportunities for participants can be maximized.
• Maintain close professional relationships and liaisons with local service organizations in the target area. Make presentations regarding the services of assigned programs to ensure that appropriate referrals are made to appropriate programs, respond to agency inquiries concerning services to Native Americans.
• Develop and maintain a resource file of available social service agencies and assistance providers in the target area for use in referring customers for needed services.
• Maintain files and records of individuals served, services provided, outreach activities conducted, surveys completed, and other general reporting as assigned.
• Assist patients in completing applications for alternate resources (Health E Plus). Works closely with Patient Financial Services (i.e. Business Office), Purchased Referred Care (CHS) and FMC Case Management (Nurse), and other facility staff in identifying all alternate resources available. These resources are Medicare, Medicaid, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS), Department of Veterans Affairs, Bureau of Employment Compensation, Third Party Liability, Workers’ Compensation, Children’s Special Health Services, Aide to Families with Dependent Children, Affordable Health Care (Marketplace) etc.
• To assist patients by establishing and verifying eligibility for alternate resources, the incumbent must work closely with the Social Security Administration Offices (local and regional), Tribal Offices, Community Department of Welfare or Human Resources, Department of Social Services, Stat Medical Assistance Office, and other appropriate agencies.
• Provide information on rights and benefits of resources and tactfully advise patients of non-payment or denial of claims. If denials or other rejection of alternate resources occur, incumbent will intervene on patient’s behalf in disputing and debating the denial by third party sources.
• Follows up on all pending, denied and approved applications and works closely with families and agencies to see that the patient is not discriminated against because they are Indian Health Service (IHS) recipients. Performs a variety of patient representative functions including completion of applications for alternate resources, making home/hospital visits to interview patients, arrange transportation for patients to the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), and Social Security Administration Offices, and interpreting rules and regulations for alternate resources for patients.
• Provide continuous research and update information involving changes in rules and regulations for alternate resources.
• Perform outreach activities to inform the community of the availability of alternate resources.
• Performs other duties as assigned.