Apache Behavioral Health Services, Inc. Careers

NDEE BÁH DIALYSIS CENTER,

A PROJECT OF APACHE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES, INC. (NBDC)

JOB DESCRIPTION

POSITION: PATIENT ADVOCATE (Dialysis Center)

CLASSIFICATION CODE: NON-EXEMPT FULL TIME

DEPARTMENT: NDEE BÁH DIALYSIS CENTER

REPORTS TO: CLINICAL MANAGER (Dialysis Center)

WORKS IN CLOSE COORDINATION WITH: Fresenius Medical Staff (Medical Operations), ABHS Behavioral Health Team, Social Services partners, Transportation resources, & Community partners.

STATEMENT OF JOB:  The Patient Advocate supports NBDC’s mission, vision, core values, and customer service philosophy. The Patient Advocate serves as a primary patient-facing support and navigation resource on the dialysis medical operations side, helping patients and families understand services, coordinate care, access resources, address barriers, and resolve concerns in a timely, respectful, and culturally responsive manner.  This position supports a patient-centered dialysis experience by strengthening communication between patients, families, the dialysis team (including Fresenius medical staff), ABHS leadership, and community resources. The Patient Advocate also assists with patient onboarding, scheduling support, transportation coordination, insurance/eligibility navigation (as applicable), and documentation/communication of patient issues while maintaining confidentiality and compliance.  The Patient Advocate adheres to NBDC’s Compliance Program and all applicable policies, including regulatory and privacy requirements, and helps foster a safe, respectful environment for patients, families, staff, and visitors.

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

• Promotes and models NBDC’s culture through values and customer service standards.
• Provides outstanding customer service to all internal and external customers (patients, families, staff, community partners).
• Develops and maintains effective relationships through timely, respectful, and clear communication.
• Responds to questions, concerns, and service complaints with professionalism and discretion; escalates issues appropriately and follows through to resolution.
• Supports trauma-informed, culturally responsive engagement with patients and families
   

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

A. Patient Advocacy & Navigation

• Serves as a patient advocate to support patient rights, dignity, access, and communication with the dialysis care team.
• Educates patients and families on “what to expect” during dialysis care (processes, schedules, general clinic operations) within scope and training.
• Assists patients and families in identifying barriers to treatment adherence (transportation, housing instability, family obligations, financial stressors, communication challenges) and works with the team to address barriers.
• Promotes patient engagement by encouraging questions, helping patients prepare for appointments, and ensuring patient concerns are heard and routed to the correct clinical or administrative team member.
• Assists with patient orientation/onboarding (welcome process, forms support, clinic rules, visitor expectations, safety procedures, grievance process).

B. Care Coordination Support (Medical Side)

• Works under the Clinical Manager’s direction to support coordination of care activities between the facility, Fresenius medical staff, and external providers.
• Helps track and communicate non-clinical status updates that affect care (transportation problems, missed appointments due to social barriers, family issues impacting attendance), ensuring proper handoff to appropriate team members.
• Supports timely follow-up for missed treatments/no-shows according to facility process (documenting outreach attempts and notifying the appropriate staff).
• Facilitates communication with patient family members/caregivers when appropriate and authorized, including appointment reminders, arrival instructions, and resource navigation.
• Supports referrals and warm handoffs to ABHS Behavioral Health services for patients/families needing counseling, crisis support, case management, or wellness resources (following established referral protocols and consent requirements).

C. Patient Experience, Grievances, and Service Recovery

• Receives, documents, and routes patient concerns, complaints, and compliments in accordance with facility policy and compliance expectations.
• Assists in early identification of patient dissatisfaction and helps coordinate service recovery steps (within scope), escalating promptly to Clinical Manager and/or Fresenius leadership as appropriate.
• Educates patients on the grievance process and their rights, ensuring they know how and where to raise concerns without fear of retaliation.
• Maintains professionalism and confidentiality in all grievance-related communications and documentation.

D. Scheduling, Transportation & Access Support

• Supports patient scheduling coordination activities as assigned (reminders, verifying transportation plans, communicating scheduling updates).
• Coordinates or assists with dialysis transportation logistics as assigned, including confirmation of rides, contact with transportation providers, and documentation of barriers.
• Communicates recurring transportation issues to the Clinical Manager and team so barriers can be addressed through established processes and partnerships.
• Helps patients understand arrival times, facility expectations, and required documentation for appointments.

E. Insurance / Eligibility / Administrative Navigation (As Applicable)

• Assists patients in understanding general insurance/eligibility processes and where to obtain help (AHCCCS, IHS-related processes, third-party payer questions), within role scope.
• Coordinates with appropriate billing/eligibility staff or designated resources when payer issues arise that could disrupt treatment continuity.
• Helps patients gather required documents and complete non-clinical paperwork, as needed, and routes documents appropriately.

F. Documentation, Records Support, and Confidentiality

• Documents patient contacts, outreach efforts, barriers, and service concerns per facility policy and role scope.
• Maintains integrity of patient-related documentation and ensures appropriate routing and secure handling of records.
• Complies with privacy and confidentiality requirements (HIPAA and all applicable tribal, state, and federal laws and policies).
• Participates in auditing and data collection activities related to patient experience, access barriers, and service issues as directed.

G. Compliance, Safety, and Facility Standards

• Follows NBDC policies and procedures and supports compliance initiatives, including quality and risk management expectations.
• Reports incidents, safety hazards, adverse events, and patient complaints through proper channels immediately.
• Supports a safe environment by modeling infection-control awareness, maintaining professional boundaries, and following safety protocols for visitors and patient interactions.
• Completes all required training (privacy, safety, customer service, cultural humility, de-escalation, and any dialysis-center-required modules assigned to the role).

H. Team Collaboration

• Works collaboratively with the Clinical Manager, Fresenius medical staff, ABHS behavioral health staff, and community partners to support continuity of care and patient-centered services.
• Participates in staff meetings, huddles, and care coordination discussions as requested.
• Maintains respectful, solutions-oriented communication when addressing patient needs and operational barriers.

I. Other

• Performs other duties as assigned that are consistent with the purpose of the position.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND ABILITIES

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills; able to communicate calmly and effectively with patients, families, and staff.
• Demonstrated ability to resolve problems, de-escalate concerns, and maintain professionalism under stress.
• Ability to maintain confidentiality and follow privacy/compliance requirements.
• Strong organizational skills: able to document accurately and manage multiple patient needs simultaneously.
• Cultural humility and ability to work effectively in a tribal/community health setting.
• Ability to build trust with patients and families and support adherence through compassionate navigation and barrier reduction.
• Basic computer skills (MS Office proficiency preferred; ability to learn clinic systems as assigned).
• Ability to work collaboratively across medical, behavioral health, and community service systems.

EDUCATION

Minimum qualifications (recommended):

• High School Diploma or GED required.
  Preferred qualifications:
• Associate’s degree or higher in Social Services, Health Services, Public Health, Psychology, Human Services, or related field.

EXPERIENCE & REQUIRED SKILLS

Minimum (recommended):

• One (1) year experience in healthcare, patient services, case management support, community health, customer service in a clinical setting, or related field.

Preferred:

• Experience in dialysis, chronic disease support, hospital or clinic patient navigation, or care coordination.
• Experience working with tribal communities, rural health systems, or integrated care settings.
• Experience supporting transportation coordination and community resource linkage.

LICENSES / CERTIFICATIONS / OTHER REQUIREMENTS

• Valid Arizona Driver’s License and reliable transportation (if the role includes off-site coordination or travel).
• Ability to pass all pre-employment requirements, including background check and any other ABHS-required screenings.
• CPR/First Aid certification preferred (or ability to obtain within a specified timeframe, if required by ABHS/NBDC).
• Ability to maintain required training and competencies for the position.

Physical Demands & Working Conditions:

The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.  Day to day work includes desk and personal computer work and interaction with patients, facility staff and physicians. The position may require travel between the facility and various locations within the community.  The work environment is characteristic of a health care facility with air temperature control and moderate noise levels. May be exposed to infectious and contagious diseases/materials.

Other Duties:
Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities, and activities may change at any time with or without notice. 

**NOTE: Preference in filling vacancies is given to qualified Indian candidates in accordance with the Indian Preference Act (Title 25, U.S. Code, Section 472 and 473).

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

The physical characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job.

Constant: standing. Frequent: repetitive use of hand, walking, standing, bending neck and waist, squatting, climbing, kneeling, twisting neck and waist, simple grasping of left and right hand, power grasping right and left hand, fine manipulation right and left hand, pushing and pulling right and left hand, reaching above shoulder level, reaching below shoulder level, lifting objects weighing up to 25 pounds from below the waist to a height of 3 feet. 

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any time.  The employment is considered “at will” and agree that employment can be terminated with or without cause and with or without notice at any time at the option of either the employee or the company.