Referral Coordinator

Position Title: Referral Coordinator, Stamford/Norwalk

Department: Americares Free Clinics

Location: On-site - Stamford and Norwalk Clinics

Reports to: Senior Patient Care Coordinator, Stamford, with dotted line supervision to Senior Patient Care Coordinator, Norwalk

Travel Required: None

Assignment Type: Full-time, Exempt

Hiring Range: $51,779 to $56,900

Application Requirements: Resume and completed application questions

About Americares:

Global Health Starts with YOU!

Americares is a global health and disaster relief organization that helps people and communities around the world access health in times of disaster and every day. Each year, Americares reaches 85 countries on average, including the United States, with life-changing health programs, medicine, medical supplies and emergency aid. Americares is one of the world's leading nonprofit providers of donated medicine and medical supplies. For more information, visit americares.org.

The mission of the Americares Free Clinics is to provide quality health care to low-income, uninsured patients in a setting where all individuals are treated with dignity and respect. Americares opened its first clinic in 1994 to expand access to care for the working poor. Over the years, our program has grown to become the largest free clinic network in the state with four locations serving 2,000 patients annually. Today, our clinics in Bridgeport, Danbury, Norwalk and Stamford are the primary source of free medical care for the uninsured in Fairfield County.

Americares Values:

We create global community, treating people as they want to be treated.

We respond effectively and responsibly, putting plans into practice.

We embed ethics and equity in our work and workplace.

We are better together; partnership is at our core.

We ask and listen, to create sustainable solutions for a healthier tomorrow.

We commit to quality, growing and improving to ensure individuals and communities thrive.

About the position:

The Referral Coordinator manages referrals initiated by the Americares Free Clinics in Norwalk and Stamford, including referral processing, post-visit reporting and resolution of related invoices. This role tracks referrals closely, confirms that patients complete visits and provides follow-up documentation to the clinic team.

This position will be based at both the Stamford and Norwalk clinics, following an alternating schedule of two or three days at each site. Additional days at either location may be required for coverage.

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Establish relationships with referral sources.
• Schedule patient appointments for diagnostic testing and provide information to patients to ensure compliance with appointments
• Provide needed patient records to referral sources and advise patients of follow-up visit details.
• Develop knowledge of community resources needed by patients to resolve issues related to social determinants of health (SDOH).
• Establish collaborative and productive working relationships with a wide range of community organizations and social service agencies.
• Provide coverage for Patient Care Coordinators which includes answering phone, answering general questions, admitting patients, and processing schedule changes.
• Complete patient acceptance and recertification procedures.
• Assist patients in completing financial applications, including assisting with gathering required documents and application submissions.
• Accurately interpret conversations between health care provider and non-English-speaking patients following recommended guidelines.
• Actively model and contribute to Americares values, work culture and mission.
• Engage in and contribute to team spaces with openness, global competencies, and a growth mindset.
• Other duties and responsibilities as assigned

Key expectations for this role include:

In the first 90 days, the Referral Coordinator will:

• Learn and live the Americares values.
• Complete all required new hire onboarding trainings
• Develop understanding of the free clinic model
• Complete Learning Modules for Athena (EHR)
• Develop understanding of Quest, EPIC & Cerner, and other partner EHR systems
• Begin to understand clinic policies and procedures
• Properly answer phones and manage calls
• Schedule AFC appointment and enter demographic information accurately
• Schedule diagnostic appointments and specialty appointments, where applicable
• Maintain referral log
• Understand referral processes and appropriately submit referrals
• Demonstrate medical interpreting skills
• Retrieve visit reports and results from diagnostic testing

In the first 6 months, the Referral Coordinator will:

• Become skilled in EHR (Athena, EPIC, Cerner and Quest)
• Establish a connection with and increase existing referral sources
• Demonstrate consistent collection of social needs and successful referrals
• Master patient scheduling and referrals
• Master Referral Log
• Participate in case management
• Provide coverage for Patient Care Coordinators (PCC), as needed

In the first year, the Referral Coordinator will:

• Demonstrate ability to serve as a medical interpreter, as needed
• Perform projects as assigned by clinic director while maintaining Referral Coordinator responsibilities
• Be proficient in both Referral Coordinator and Patient Care Coordinator duties

Degrees and/or experience required for the role:

• Minimum of one (1) year of front desk, registration, or referral experience.

Competencies required for the role include:

• Fluency in English and Spanish
• Demonstrated ability to multitask and manage competing priorities to complete work in a timely and accurate way
• Familiarity with medical terminology
• Demonstrated organizational skills and ability to follow through
• Demonstrated ability to work respectfully with a team, both following instructions and making suggestions for improvement
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills

US work authorization is required for this role.

These competencies are preferred but not required for the role:

• Experience in a medical office setting
• Demonstrated ability to learn new technologies, such as Microsoft Office suite, electronic health records (EHR), etc.

We know not all applicants will demonstrate all the competencies we're looking for, and that women and underrepresented groups tend to not apply unless they meet all the requirements. We encourage you to apply even if you do not check all the boxes above, and we look forward to reviewing your application holistically.

Additionally, our core competencies as an organization are:

• Ownership and results
• Communication
• Problem solving
• Equity and inclusion
• Teamwork and conflict resolution
• Leadership
• Prioritization

Recruitment process for the role:

• Application
• Virtual Interview with People and Talent via Microsoft Teams (1 hour)
• Language Assessment
• Virtual Interview with Hiring Managers (1 hour)
• Onsite Interview with Clinic Directors (1.5 hours)
• Offer
• Background check and onboarding