Patient Navigator (Pharmacy)

About The Role

The Patient Navigator (Pharmacy) acts as a patient advocate, guiding patients through the healthcare system to ensure timely access to pharmacy services and overall care. This individual is an integral part of the clinic team, supporting both patients and clinicians in managing medication needs, improving adherence, resolving barriers to care, and coordinating services such as prior authorizations and financial assistance. The Patient Navigator collaborates with referring healthcare providers, tracks patient metrics, and contributes to community health education efforts. Strong communication skills, organizational abilities, and pharmacy knowledge are essential to succeed in this role.

Responsibilities

• Care provided is patient centered; actively contributes to creating a friendly, welcoming, and safe environment for UH customers; communicates clearly to ensure understanding; responds to complaints and concerns by resolving issues immediately whenever possible; meets or exceeds patient/family expectations for service; acts as a role model for Service Excellence; maintains professional composure and confidence in the care setting; works effectively with team to ensure customer service scores for work area meet/exceed targets; demonstrates respect for patient rights and is committed to the uniqueness of the individual patient.
• Interacts with all members of the multidisciplinary team to ensure the plan of care is coordinated and works closely with hospital clinicians to deliver integrated pharmacy services, both face-to-face and over the phone.
• Guides patients through appointment scheduling, ensuring adherence to protocols, physician guidelines, and timely access to care.
• Affords assistance to patients with insurance eligibility verification, prior authorizations, financial assistance programs, and medication adherence support; educates patients on the benefits of using the hospital pharmacy, addressing questions about medications, storage, and handling (including specialty medications).
• Tracks and reports new patient referrals, scheduling patterns, and key performance statistics monthly; facilitates communication between patients, clinicians, and the centralized Patient Service Center, including coordination of refill reports and zero-fill reports.
• Identifies and proactively addresses barriers to patient care, connecting patients with appropriate resources and support systems; supports patients in managing supplies related to medications (e.g., sharps containers, syringes).
• Maintains accurate records and documentation, ensuring compliance with confidentiality standards; acquires and organizes patient records, lab results, prescriptions, and other clinical materials for upcoming appointments.
• Collaborates with community groups to provide health education and raise awareness about pharmacy services; participates actively in process improvement initiatives and serves as a value-added partner to internal and external stakeholders; understands and adheres to University Hospital’s compliance standards, keeps abreast of all pertinent regulations, laws, and policies, and performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Required: High School Diploma or GED required. NJ registration as a Pharmacy Technician required.
• PREFERRED: Bachelor's Degree in a relevant field preferred; equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered.
• Minimum: Three (3) years of experience in a healthcare setting, pharmacy technician experience strongly preferred.
• Bilingual skills (English/Spanish) a plus.
• Technical clinical experience and/or experience in the area of the practice (e.g., OB/GYN, Oncology, etc.) a plus.
• Knowledge of transplant, hepatitis C, infectious disease (including HIV), and/or oncology a plus.
• National certification (CPhT) preferred but must have national pharmacy technician certification within 6 months of hire.
• Experience in a patient advocacy, customer service, or outpatient setting preferred.

About Us

University Hospital is one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. As the principal teaching affiliate of Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and the only state-certified Level 1 Trauma Center in Northern New Jersey, University Hospital is training the next generation of physicians and advancing science to discovery while taking exceptional care of patients, regardless of their financial situation.