Program Coordinator- Primary Care MAT- RN - Telehealth - Family Medicine

JOB PURPOSE:  The Program Coordinator – Primary Care MAT (RN) (hereafter referred to as “Nurse”) will work as part of El Rio’s integrated behavioral health-primary care MAT program team to support all facets of care for MAT patients. The Nurse will serve as one of the initial points of contact with El Rio’s MAT program for new patients and will continue to work with patients primarily if they choose to receive their MAT services from a primary care provider. The Nurse will work closely and in collaboration with MAT Behavioral Health Case Managers (BHCMs) and MAT Behavioral Health-RN to ensure delivery of whole health care to all El Rio MAT patients.

The Nurse  will provide a range of services including triaging and scheduling new MAT referrals, coordination with inpatient detox and substance use treatment facilities and warm-hand offs to inpatient care and from inpatient care to El Rio’s MAT services, helping patients navigate primary care needs, connecting patients to MAT behavioral health services, assisting patients navigate social services, and tracking El Rio primary care MAT patients to attempt to decrease patients lost to care.

Essential Job Functions:

• Contacts patients referred to the El Rio MAT program to assess initial needs and coordinate connection to care.
• Serves as ongoing primary contact for El Rio MAT primary care patients who need assistance with their care.
• Provides non-judgmental care to patients, taking into account assessment and motivational interviewing techniques, identifying psychosocial, physical, education, and linguistic needs.
• Maintains records, patient registries, and documented follow up to ensure patients receive continuity of care whenever possible.
• Works closely with Medical MAT Senior Clinician.
• Assists MAT primary care providers during clinical time.
• Triages patients as needed.
• Collaborates with the MAT primary care providers and interdisciplinary medical and behavioral health MAT team members to support treatment logistics related to medications, scheduling, connection to behavioral health care, primary care needs, and continuity of care.
• Provides patients with efficient and well-coordinated navigation to crisis services and ensures a safe transition to higher levels of behavioral health and medical care. Completes timely follow up including medication reconciliation/adherence, specialist follow up, teaching and problem-solving barriers.
• Works closely with RNCCs and Behavioral Health Case Managers (BHCMs) for hospital/detox/inpatient follow-up.
• Engages Mobile Crisis Teams, coordinates care with BHCMs, maintains active communications with El Rio specialty behavioral health and external intake sites to support patient continuity of care.
• Coordinates access to community resources for patients needing socio-economic support, including food and shelter.
• Works in conjunction with El Rio and specialty pharmacies to ensure access to medications, including completing and tracking Prior Authorizations, scheduling medication shipment, and tracking medication storage.
• Supports primary care nursing staff in proper preparation and administration of MAT medications. Administers MAT medications when primary care nursing staff are not available.
• Works in conjunction with referrals team to track status of referrals and assists patients in scheduling appointments with specialists when needed.
• Assists in prescription refills when policy allows.
• Maintains an updated list of community resources.
• Provides services to all El Rio Clinics in-person and via telephone. Travels to various clinics throughout the workday to provide services.
• Consistently demonstrates AIDET principles and serves as a role model for service excellence with all patients/visitors, colleagues, and the community.
• Maintains a clean, safe, and hygienic work environment in compliance with all Policies and Procedures including but not limited to work areas, workstations, examination rooms, hand washing, infection prevention and control etc. for this position.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and proficiency with the application of all compliance and reporting requirements respective to Joint Commission Certification (JCC) standards.

Minimum Education and Experience:

• A degree or diploma as a Registered Nurse from an accredited school of nursing, college, or university.
• Three (3) years’ experience with hands-on patient care nursing, either in a hospital or clinic setting.
• One (1) years’ experience working with patients with a substance use disorder or seeking addiction treatment.

If applicable, equivalent combination of education and experience may be considered, and must be directly related to the functions and responsibilities of the job.

Required Licenses, Certifications, and Registrations:

• Current registered nurse license in good standing from Arizona Board of Nursing

• Current certification in Basic Life Support (BLS) for health care providers.
• Level I fingerprint clearance card: current valid and in good standing or have applied for it within seven working days after beginning employment.
• Employees in this position are required to have reliable transportation that can meet any operational reassignments of the organization during the workday. If an employee is driving during work hours, the employee is required to possess a valid driver’s license and must comply with Arizona vehicle insurance requirements.

Preferred Education, Experience, Skills, Abilities:

• Five (5) years’ postgraduate experience working directly with individuals who are receiving services for addiction.
• One (1) years’ experience doing care coordination.
• Previous experience working in a primary care team setting.
• Previous training in Crisis Intervention, Non-Violent Crisis Intervention, and/or related intervention care models.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) with the ability to speak, read and write in both languages

El Rio Health is a diverse and inclusive organization. We are invested in helping you and your family Create Tomorrow.

Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

El Rio Health does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age 40 and over, disability, genetic information, military status, ancestry, marital status, familial status, or any other status protected by law or regulation. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions are based on job-related factors.

El Rio Health requires all employees (except those 100% working remotely) to have a Level One Fingerprint Clearance card. A.R.S. 36.425.03. If the prospective employee does not possess this prior to hire, fingerprint application must be completed within 7 days post hire. 

All employees are strongly recommended to obtain COVID 19 and maintain vaccination status (i.e. as recommended by CDC and/or other public health agencies) to include an Influenza vaccination. Personnel who decline to receive COVID 19 and/or flu vaccination per most recent CDC recommendations will be recommended to wear a facemask while in an El Rio Health facility, including both clinical and non-clinical areas from November 1 to April 30 (subject to change depending on viral activity). Subject to exemptions and accommodations when required by law. 

All employees are required to undergo drug testing prior to employment and will be subject to post-accident, reasonable suspicion, return to duty and follow up drug and alcohol testing in compliance with Federal and State regulations for alcohol and controlled substance testing. Employees in positions holding responsibility for the safety and welfare of others will also be classified as safety sensitive.

El Rio Health is a non-profit 501(c)(3) Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) and abides by all applicable federal Drug-Free Workplace standards. El Rio Health is an equal opportunity employer.