This is a critical clinical support role within the Community Hematology & Oncology clinic, designed to assist physicians, nurse navigators, and Advanced Practice Providers. The Care Coordinator independently performs a variety of clinical, administrative, and technical functions to ensure patients receive seamless, well-coordinated care across providers and throughout the care continuum. The primary focus of this role is care coordination—bridging gaps between facilities, specialists, laboratories, community resources, and primary care providers. This position manages all non-nurse patient caseloads and provides direct clinical support on clinic days, including order entry, appointment scheduling, and procedure coordination for a specialized patient population.

 

The Care Coordinator also reviews patient records in collaboration with the provider to align care needs both during the clinic visit and throughout the patient’s cancer treatment journey. While direction is provided by the nurse navigator and physicians, the Care Coordinator exercises independent judgment in the execution of these responsibilities. Additionally, this role is key in building and maintaining effective working relationships with internal departments and services that support Community Hematology & Oncology clinic patients, ensuring comprehensive and compassionate care delivery.

Key Responsibilities & Performance Standards

• Patient management - Responsible for coordinating and managing the non-nurse aspects of the patient's clinical care process. Reviews the plan of care to ensure it is being executed correctly. Works with the provider in clinic by providing support with order entry, AVS preparation, and provides non nursing support and education to the patient and family. Places lab and scheduling orders and follows up with patient to communicate appointment time.  Monitors the Epic inbasket for messages that need attention from the patient, providers, and handles messages within certification scope. Monitors Epic for refill requests and manages appropriately. Provide education and perform authorizations and refill requests.
• Care coordination - Ensures patients follow through with outside referrals to other specialties, labs and diagnostic imaging.
• Communication -   Provides program information and education to patients, family members, and referring physician office staffs. Participate in multidisciplinary patient conferences, providing information on patients' status to support decision making related to patients' process. Acts as communication link with physicians, referring physician offices, inpatient team, and the Ambulatory Oncology clinic. Provides accurate patient information. Respond to voice mail and email messages based on priority of patient process but with no more than two-day turnaround time for response.  Attends MD/department team meetings as appropriate.  Triage and responds to patient question in Mychart, phone call, email, and fax regarding scheduling or care issues within scope or escalate to NN
• Documentation/Data Management - Document legibly, concisely and completely to ensure that others can accurately assess the status of patients' progress by reviewing that documentation. Use established checklists and sign-out procedures appropriately. Participate as assigned with database input.  Monitors the active department tracking tools and provides real-time updates.  Initiate and implement processes to facilitate new protocol implementation and tracking tools.
• Program Coordination - Responsible for tasks such as arranging satellite clinics, works with TC and NN to ensure patient results and orders are completed, monitored and updated in EPIC. Attends weekly huddles with provider and NN to develop and review plan of care with care team.  Ordering and scheduling ancillary services and procedure and communicating to the patient.    

Two years’ experience in a hospital or hospital based clinic setting, AND

High School diploma or equivalent, AND 

Current BLS certification at hire, AND 

One of the following four: 

1. Completion of a nationally recognized accredited medical assistant training program, including a practicum (externship) of at least 160 hours, OR 
2. Successful completion of a formal medical services training program of the United States Armed Forces, OR 
3. Current Oregon Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) license (basic or advance) and national EMT registration with the National Registry of Emergency Medical Technicians (NREMT), OR
4. Current Oregon Practical Nurse License 

For those completing medical assistant training or formal military medical services training as referenced above in #1 and #2, the following is also required (Those qualifying under the EMT or LPN qualification are exempt from this requirement.) 

MA certification received from a nationally recognized and accredited certifying body, upon hire or by the completion of the probationary period or internal job change evaluation period, as appropriate. Currently, these include: 

• The American Association of Medical Assistants (AAMA), awarding the Certified Medical Assistant (CMA.) 
• The American Medical Technologists (AMT), awarding the Registered Medical Assistant (R.M.A.)
• The National Center for Competency Testing, awarding the National Certified MA (NCMA.) 
• The National Health Career Association, awarding the Certified Clinical Medical Assistant (CCMA.) 

Any applicable certifications or licensures must be maintained for the duration of employment. 

In addition to receiving the appropriate certification noted above, Medical Assistants will be required to successfully demonstrate competencies prior to completion of probation or the internal job change evaluation period, as appropriate. 

Ability to work independently and as a member of the team, including leadership.

Knowledge of patient flow and back office functions.    Ability to effectively and efficiently perform chart scrubbing and panel outreach activities.   Demonstrated strong analytic skills, including displaying and interpreting data.  Proficiency with EPIC, Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and Power Point.  Ability to manage time sensitive competing demands and meet deadlines.  Working knowledge of medical terminology.  Strong relationship building skills, excellent communication skills, exceptional customer service skills, highly sensitive to patient needs. 

• Three years’ experience in a hospital or hospital based clinic setting
• Experience in a medical and/or oncology office setting.
• Experience with Epic and Cadence (scheduling module).
• Ability to work independently and as a member of the team, including leadership. Knowledge of patient flow and back office functions. Ability to effectively and efficiently perform chart scrubbing and panel outreach activities. Demonstrated strong analytic skills, including displaying and interpreting data. Proficiency with EPIC, Microsoft Office including Excel, Word and Power Point. Ability to manage time sensitive competing demands and meet headlines. Working knowledge of medical terminology. Strong relationship building skills, excellent communication skills, exceptional customer service skills, highly sensitive to patient needs. Demonstrated knowledge and attention to the needs of Special Needs patients and their caregivers and families
• Medical Assistant-Certified OR LPN Certification OR EMT Certified.

This position works in an extremely fast-paced and hectic environment with many interruptions, multiple demands, and conflicting priorities. This position works with people at all levels of the organization and interacts with numerous internal OHSU departments and external customers (referring physician offices). The office setting is small relative to the number of staff using it. It creates the need to be able to deal with phone noise, many simultaneous conversations and frequent interruptions. Work schedule is five days a week; 8 hours per day. Requires the ability to stay longer than normal work hours for the patient review meeting on every other week basis.

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu.