Patient Care Coordinator

Provides care coordination to HIV/AIDS patients throughout the disease spectrum to ensure that patients receive the highest quality of HIV clinical care and that patients connect with and maintain continuous access to medical, psychiatric, and social services.  Educates and counsels HIV/AIDS patients on antiretroviral medications.  Assess knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors around taking medications, and work with patients to achieve adherence where indicated.  Provides patients with information on medication options, particular medications, side effects and other issues as needed.  Interviews patients to obtain complete psychosocial and medical case histories to assess social, mental health, and material needs.  Collaborates with team members to formulate comprehensive health care plans to ensure coordination and follow-up.  Facilitates laboratory testing and scheduling with health providers to assure coordinated continuum of care.  Conducts HIV risk assessments, provides strategies to reduce risk and make referrals as indicated.  Assists patients in developing self-management goals directed towards increased awareness of and responsibility for individual health and wellness.  Triages patient needs throughout the day.  Prioritizes requests for available appointment slots and schedules appointments.  Assists with patient follow-up including notifying patients of laboratory results, following up missed appointments, and answering messages.  Handles and refers emergencies appropriately, providing crisis intervention as needed.  Educates and counsels HIV+?AIDS patients, those at risk for HIV, partners, families, and friends in a wide variety of health care subjects such as HIV and AIDS, nutrition, life style issues, sexually transmitted diseases, basic health care maintenance, household precautions, and self administration of medications.  Facilitates care conference meetings with providers and professions staff to discuss and evaluate cases and to develop treatment plans.  Provides referrals to appropriate community resources.  Develops patient education material as needed.