Patient Care Navigator

Our Pillars

• Make things easier.
• Forge genuine connections.
• Elevate the standard.

Roles & Responsibilities

• Serve as the initial point of contact when a healthcare partner identifies a patient with a behavioral health need.
• Depending on the partnership model, provide navigation onsite within a healthcare partner’s office, virtually or through a hybrid approach.
• Receive real-time warm handoffs from physicians, clinicians, and other healthcare staff.
• Establish rapport quickly and create a seamless transition from the referring provider to Headlight.
• Mirror the language and tone used by the referring provider, so the patient does not feel as though they are being handed from one system to another.
• Understand the patient’s needs, preferences, and barriers to accessing care.
• Explain Headlight’s services clearly and in a patient-centered manner.
• Support insurance verification, appropriate clinician matching, and scheduling of the patient’s initial appointment.
• Complete the navigation and scheduling process whenever possible during the initial interaction.
• Provide appropriate follow-up when additional support is required.
• Recognize situations requiring escalation and follow established safety and clinical protocols.

• Take appropriate ownership of the navigation process when a patient encounters friction.
• Review referrals that have not successfully progressed to care and identify the barrier preventing connection.
• Follow up on missing insurance information, inaccurate or disconnected phone numbers, incomplete referrals, and other administrative barriers.
• Coordinate with referral sources and internal teams to obtain missing information or clarify next steps.
• Reengage patients who expressed interest in care but did not successfully connect.
• Work appropriate referrals through resolution rather than allowing an unresolved disposition to become a lost patient.
• Maintain a clear next step for referrals requiring additional action.
• When Headlight is not the appropriate destination, help facilitate connection to an appropriate alternative provider, community resource or strategic partner.

• Maintain accurate, timely, and meaningful referral dispositions.
• Review referral queues for incomplete, inaccurate, ambiguous, aging, or unresolved referrals.
• Identify and resolve disposition discrepancies.
• Ensure referral information and patient interactions are accurately documented in Headlight systems.
• Identify patterns in referral barriers, patient drop-off and unsuccessful connection to care.
• Conduct targeted call listening or interaction reviews when appropriate to identify opportunities to improve patient experience and navigation quality.
• Surface recurring issues or trends to the appropriate internal team.
• Support ongoing improvement of referral and navigation workflows.

• Build strong working relationships with partner clinical and administrative staff.
• Develop familiarity with partner workflows, terminology, and operational needs.
• Provide timely and appropriate updates regarding patient connection and referral status.
• Follow established partner protocols while maintaining Headlight’s standards for patient experience.
• Surface partner workflow issues and opportunities to the Partnerships team.
• Help ensure the partner has confidence that patients referred to Headlight are being appropriately supported and connected to care.

• Complete Certified Peer Specialist training or certification as required by Headlight and applicable state or program requirements, either prior to or as part of onboarding.
• Apply peer-informed communication principles to build trust, reduce barriers, and help patients feel understood and supported.
• Use lived-experience-informed skills within the defined scope of the role and without representing the role as clinical treatment.
• Respond to patients with empathy, dignity, and respect, particularly when they are frustrated, anxious, or struggling to access care.
• Help create an experience in which patients feel genuinely cared for regardless of whether Headlight ultimately provides their care.

• Participate in the development and refinement of Care Navigation workflows.
• Provide candid feedback about patient barriers, referral friction, and operational gaps.
• Help test and improve new workflows, tools, and processes.
• Identify opportunities to improve patient access and the overall referral experience.
• Share frontline observations that can inform the evolution of Headlight’s Care Navigation model.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required, Associate's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, or related field, preferred.
• Complete Certified Peer Specialist training or certification as required by Headlight and applicable state or program requirements, either prior to or as part of onboarding.
• Experience in healthcare, behavioral health, patient access, intake, care coordination, navigation, customer experience or related field.
• Experience interacting directly with patients or healthcare consumers.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to establish trust and rapport quickly.
• Strong judgment and ability to navigate ambiguity, exceptions, and unexpected situations.
• Ability to manage multiple referrals, follow-ups, and priorities independently.
• Comfort working across multiple technology systems.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to identify the appropriate next step.
• Ability to work independently while recognizing when escalation is appropriate.
• Commitment to confidentiality, professionalism, and patient-centered care.
• Certified Peer Specialist certification or willingness and ability to complete certification as part of onboarding, where applicable.
• Spanish language skills preferred but not required.

Benefits