Destination Care Navigator

Hello humankindness Located conveniently in the heart of Phoenix, Arizona,St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center is a 571-bed, not-for-profit hospital that provides a wide range of health, social and support services. Founded in 1895 by the Sisters of Mercy, St. Joseph's was the first hospital in the Phoenix area. More than 125 years later, St. Joseph's remains dedicated to its mission of caring for the poor and underserved. We are extremely proud to be a nationally recognized center for quality quaternary care, medical education and research. St. Joseph's includes the internationally renowned Barrow Neurological Institute, Norton Thoracic Institute, Cancer Center at St. Joseph's, Ivy Brain Tumor Center, and St. Joseph's Level I Trauma Center (which is verified by the American College of Surgeons). The hospital is also a respected center for high-risk obstetrics, neuro-rehabilitation, orthopedics, and other medical services. St. Joseph’s is considered a sought-after destination hospital for treating the most complex cases from throughout the world. Every day, approximately 20 percent of the hospital’s patients have traveled from outside of Arizona and the United States to seek treatment at St. Joseph’s. U.S News & World Report routinely ranks St. Joseph's among the top hospitals in the United States for neurology and neurosurgery. In addition, St. Joseph's boasts the Creighton University School of Medicine at St. Joseph's, and a strategic alliance with Phoenix Children's Hospital. St. Joseph's is consistently named an outstanding place to work and one of Arizona's healthiest employers. Come grow your career with one of Arizona's Most Admired Companies. Look for us on Facebookand follow us on Twitter. For the health of our community ... we are proud to be a tobacco-free campus.

The Destination Care Patient Navigator is a senior-level, non-clinical, onsite patient-facing role responsible for delivering concierge-level navigation services to domestic, international, and high profile patients seeking specialty care across multiple CommonSpirit Health markets. This role functions as a single, centralized point of contact for patients, families, referring providers, and ensures a seamless experience throughout every stage of the care journey.

Navigators coordinate complex, multi-specialty appointments and multi-step logistical needs; facilitate gathering of important documents to support operational and financial workflows (e.g. embassy authorization); and troubleshoot operational barriers when they arise. Navigators are expected to provide culturally informed guidance and, when needed, escort patients directly to appointments to ensure comfort, safety, and clarity in unfamiliar environments.

In addition to daily coordination responsibilities, Navigators also support strategic initiatives, provide input into workflow optimization, contribute to service-line expansion for destination care, and participate in training and onboarding of new staff.

This position requires participation in a rotating schedule of nights, weekends, holidays, to provide on-call coverage (via phone) to support patients across time zones.

• Patient Experience & Coordination: Serve as the primary non-clinical point of contact for domestic and international patients and families. Coordinate multi-specialty, multi-appointment schedules across several CommonSpirit facilities and service lines. Escort patients to appointments when needed to provide wayfinding support, ensure a smooth experience, and provide interpretation support (if certified) as appropriate/needed. Provide culturally sensitive communication and hospitality to patients from diverse backgrounds. Assist patients with understanding the flow of care, appointment expectations, facility layout, and visit logistics. Model service excellence and support a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration.
• Records & Information Management: Collect, organize, and transmit medical records, imaging, referrals, and related documentation for clinical review. Assist with gathering financial documents and coverage information (e.g. letters of guarantee, insurance card information, etc.) to support scheduling readiness and financial workflows. Maintain accurate and timely documentation within the appropriate technology applications and systems to track navigation updates throughout patients’ journeys while onsite and in a CommonSpirit facility. Track and communicate key milestones with patients, families, and internal stakeholders.
• Domestic & International Logistics: Provide guidance and coordination for travel, lodging, transportation, interpretation, and general logistical needs for all patient populations, including out-of-state, cross-regional, and international travelers. Work with hospital transfer centers to support logistics related to international air ambulance transfer and direct admission requests. Offer real-time logistical support when urgent or time-sensitive needs arise (e.g. last-minute appointment changes).
• Stakeholder Communication: Facilitate communication among clinical teams, care management, social work, scheduling, imaging, procedural teams, and administrative partners. Maintain positive relationships with referring providers, employers, payers, and community organizations, ensuring continuity and transparency. Serve as a liaison for global sponsors, international offices, foreign ministries, embassies, and global assistance companies when relevant.
• Program Development & Strategic Support: Participate in cross-market initiatives that strengthen destination care access, care pathways, operational consistency, and service delivery. Identify patterns, inefficiencies, or barriers in navigation workflows; provide recommendations for improvement. Contribute to outreach efforts, presentations, and materials that promote destination care services internally or externally. Support strategic planning efforts that enhance patient experience and operational excellence.
• Training & Mentorship: Assist in onboarding new Coordinators and Navigators across multiple markets. Participate in cross-training as needed to support related destination care business functions critical to supporting patient experience, throughput, and maintain operations. Provide peer coaching, shadowing opportunities, and support in understanding workflows, systems, and customer-service standards. Share best practices to ensure consistency across facilities participating in destination care.

• Bachelors Other Bachelor's degree in related field (healthcare, business, communications, international studies, hospitality) or
• 4-6 years Five (5+) years of experience delivering concierge-level patient or client services in a complex medical or hospitality environment, upon hire 

Preferred

• Other Degree in a medical field or equivalent and 4-6 years Experience in destination medicine, international patient services, complex specialty care coordination, concierge healthcare, or high-complexity logistics planning within a healthcare environment., upon hire and
• 1-3 years Experience supporting high-acuity, multi-specialty, high profile, or cross-market patient navigation within a large multi-site health system., upon hire and
• 1-3 years Experience working with self-pay programs., upon hire and
• Experience with international sponsorships, and governmental/embassy payers., upon hire and
• Certificate Other Certification in medical interpretation and/or medical translation, upon hire
• Health Care Interpreter