Health Coach
Job Description
The Health Coach is responsible for a panel of patients and, in collaboration with other members of an integrated primary care team, helps patients meet their preventive, chronic and acute care needs. Health Coaches engage patients and encourage them to take an active role in their health by providing them with the tools necessary to make healthy lifestyle choices and adopt lifelong healthy behaviors.
The Health Coach’s primary responsibilities center around establishing trusting, supportive, collaborative relationships with patients and their families. Health Coaches build relationships with patients in a clinical setting, working alongside medical providers, other health coaches and a behavioral health specialist in a collaborative, empathetic team.
Reporting to the Clinical Team Manager, Health Coaches take on specific clinical, coaching, and operational responsibilities:
CLINICAL
Actively engage a panel of adult, pediatric, and/or geriatric patients.
Greet patients and families in reception, bring them back to rooms, establish an agenda, and work with the patient to ensure a pragmatic care plan is established.
Capture relevant information about the patient’s health and healthcare experience, take vitals, administer point-of-care testing, and perform standard age and condition-appropriate screening assessments
Take responsibility (in partnership with providers) for the health of a population of patients and monitor and track whether those patients are up to date on preventive measures
Learn about the chronic health conditions that span the patient population
Provide patient education on chronic disease management
Provide anticipatory preventive guidance to families with children
COACHING
Establish healing relationships with members and families
Learn to employ confidence-promoting techniques in patient communication and develop patient self-efficacy to better manage health
Communicate with patients by phone and email and invite in the physician when necessary.
Help patients understand their chronic conditions, why they matter, and how they can manage them
Assist families and children in developing sustainable behaviors for wellness and prevention
Coach patients using an action-planning model based on motivational interviewing techniques
Collaborate with other team members to facilitate group events and classes for patients
OPERATIONAL
Assist with the coordination of care across the continuum, such as: scheduling appointments with specialists, coordinating referrals, and sharing or transferring information with the patient’s internal and external care team
Participate broadly in the daily operations of a primary care practice, such as: Answering incoming phone calls, assisting with front desk inquiries, and ensuring general upkeep of the clinical space
Learn core insurance benefits to facilitate care navigation
Present on areas of interest/expertise in health and wellness to team members and patients
Contribute to open team forums on problems and process improvements by listening, sharing input and ideas, and enacting decisions and plans.
Essential Qualifications:
- Experience as a Medical Assistant highly preferred
Experience in a service environment
Able to articulate Iora values in relation to service and performance
Interpersonal communication skills with exceptional listening abilities
Compassionate, kind, and open-minded
Teamwork experience
Written communication skills
Excited about joining a young organization transitioning from its start up phase to one with more structured processes