Registered Nurse (RN) (32765)

Patient Portal Nurse Navigator

Position Overview

The Patient Portal Nurse Navigator serves as the primary clinical resource responsible for managing, triaging, and responding to patient portal messages for Gastrointestinal Specialists (GSI). This position plays a critical role in ensuring patients receive timely, accurate, and compassionate communication while helping providers and clinical teams efficiently manage patient needs outside of scheduled visits.

The Nurse Navigator is responsible for maintaining ownership of the patient portal message queue and ensuring that all patient portal messages are appropriately addressed within 48 hours of receipt. Using strong clinical judgment, the Nurse Navigator will independently address messages within nursing scope, coordinate necessary follow-up, and escalate questions or concerns requiring physician or Advanced Practice Provider (APP) involvement.

This position is ideal for an experienced nurse who enjoys patient communication, clinical problem-solving, care coordination, and working independently in a fast-paced outpatient environment.

Essential Responsibilities

Patient Portal Triage & Response

• Serve as the primary clinical resource for incoming patient portal messages.

• Review, triage, and respond to patient portal messages throughout the business day.

• Ensure all patient portal messages are appropriately addressed within 48 hours of receipt.

• Prioritize messages based on clinical urgency and patient need.

• Identify urgent or potentially emergent symptoms and initiate appropriate escalation according to established clinical protocols.

• Independently respond to patient questions that fall within nursing scope of practice and established protocols.

• Route questions requiring provider input to the appropriate physician or APP with relevant clinical information clearly summarized.

• Monitor outstanding messages and follow them through resolution to ensure the communication loop is closed.

• Contact patients by telephone when the complexity, sensitivity, or urgency of the concern makes portal communication inappropriate.

• Identify when a patient's concern is best addressed through an office visit, telehealth appointment, procedure, emergency evaluation, or other appropriate level of care.

Patient Navigation & Care Coordination

• Serve as a consistent point of clinical navigation for patients communicating electronically with the practice.

• Review the patient's medical record, recent visits, test results, medications, and treatment plan as necessary to appropriately address patient questions.

• Communicate test results, treatment recommendations, medication instructions, and plans of care in accordance with provider direction and established protocols.

• Coordinate necessary follow-up appointments, procedures, testing, referrals, or other care based on the patient's needs and provider recommendations.

• Facilitate communication between patients, physicians, APPs, clinical staff, scheduling teams, and other departments.

• Assist patients in understanding next steps in their care and ensure appropriate follow-through.

• Recognize barriers to care and help patients navigate available resources and appropriate next steps.

Clinical Triage & Provider Support

• Utilize nursing assessment skills and clinical judgment to determine the appropriate disposition of patient concerns.

• Gather relevant clinical information before escalating messages to physicians or APPs.

• Present escalated concerns to providers in a clear and concise manner to facilitate efficient decision-making.

• Minimize unnecessary provider message burden by independently resolving appropriate nursing-level questions.

• Recognize changes in patient condition that require prompt provider notification or a higher level of care.

• Ensure provider recommendations received through the portal workflow are communicated to patients and completed appropriately.

Portal Workflow Management

• Maintain continuous awareness of the patient portal queue to prevent messages from becoming overdue.

• Organize and prioritize daily workload based on clinical urgency, message age, and patient need.

• Identify duplicate messages, recurring patient concerns, or communication patterns that may require additional intervention.

• Ensure outstanding messages are followed through to completion rather than simply routed to another individual or department.

• Partner with clinical and administrative leadership to identify opportunities to improve patient portal workflows and response times.

• Recommend standardized workflows, protocols, patient education materials, and response templates when appropriate.

• Identify trends contributing to increased portal volume and communicate opportunities for process improvement.

Quality & Performance Expectations

• Maintain compliance with the practice's 48-hour portal response standard.

• Ensure urgent clinical concerns receive appropriate expedited attention.

• Maintain a low volume of overdue or unresolved patient messages.

• Provide clear, professional, accurate, and compassionate written communication.

• Demonstrate appropriate clinical judgment and escalation.

• Maintain complete and accurate documentation of patient communication and clinical actions.

• Promote efficient use of physician and APP time by appropriately resolving nursing-level concerns.

• Contribute to improved patient access, continuity of care, and patient satisfaction.

Documentation & Compliance

• Document all clinically relevant patient communications and actions appropriately in the electronic medical record.

• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with HIPAA and all applicable privacy and security requirements.

• Practice within established nursing scope of practice, organizational policies, and clinical protocols.

• Follow established procedures for communicating test results, medication recommendations, and treatment plans.

• Identify and appropriately escalate patient safety, quality, or risk-management concerns.

Qualifications

Required

• Current, unrestricted Registered Nurse (RN) license.

• Minimum of 3 years of clinical nursing experience.

• Strong clinical assessment and telephone/electronic triage skills.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Ability to communicate medical information clearly, professionally, and compassionately.

• Strong critical-thinking and clinical decision-making abilities.

• Exceptional organizational and time-management skills.

• Ability to independently prioritize a high volume of patient communications.

• Experience utilizing electronic medical records and electronic patient communication systems.

• Ability to collaborate effectively with physicians, APPs, nurses, medical assistants, scheduling staff, and other departments.

• Strong understanding of nursing scope of practice, HIPAA, patient confidentiality, and clinical escalation.

Preferred

• Gastroenterology or outpatient specialty nursing experience.

• Previous experience with telephone triage, patient portal messaging, or nurse navigation.

• Experience in a high-volume physician practice.

• Experience with gGastro/ModMed or similar gastroenterology-focused electronic health record systems.

Core Competencies

• Clinical Triage & Judgment

• Patient Advocacy

• Care Coordination

• Patient-Centered Communication

• Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

• Independent Decision-Making

• Organization & Prioritization

• Attention to Detail

• Collaboration

• Accountability & Follow-Through

• Professionalism & Confidentiality

Qualifications

EDUCATION: RN degree. Completion of nursing training from an accredited school of nursing. BSN preferred.

EXPERIENCE: Minimum of one year professional nursing experience, clinic and gastroenterology experience preferred.

REQUIREMENTS: Current state registered nurse license. Current CPR certificate.

Performance Requirements:

• Knowledge of nursing processes; health care systems, structure, and functions; and community resources. Understanding of health care technology, equipment, and supplies. Familiarity with state law on nursing care, nurse practice guidelines, and clinic policies and procedures.
• Knowledge of chart/medical record documentation requirements and federal/state laws related to release of health care information.
• Knowledge of common safety hazards and precautions to maintain a safe work environment.
• Skill and knowledge in applying and modifying the principles, methods and techniques of professional nursing to provide ongoing patient care.
• Skill in time management, problem solving, multitasking, prioritizing, and medical care coordination.
• Skill in verbal and written communication.
• Skill in initiating appropriate crisis interventions and emergency response calmly and effectively.
• Skill in patient triage in person and on the phone.
• Skill in preparing/maintaining records, writing reports and responding to correspondence.
• Ability to analyze options and then counsel patients and families about choices and make referrals to other providers and resources.
• Ability to read and interpret physicians' orders and notes from other providers.
• Ability to calculate and administer drug dosages and injections and measure results.
• Ability to maintain quality control standards.