COPD & OSA Navigator / Disease Management Clinician

Description

SUMMARY:

The COPD & OSA Navigator is a licensed clinician who serves as a key point of coordination and clinical support for patients managing Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This role is responsible for improving health outcomes, increasing patient engagement, and reducing unnecessary hospital utilization by delivering proactive, patient-centered care and education. Working across interdisciplinary teams, the Navigator ensures that patients receive guideline-based support and personalized care throughout their disease journey.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

• Perform clinical assessments, stratify patients by risk, and develop individualized care plans for COPD and OSA populations.
• Provide education on disease processes, therapy adherence (including PAP therapy for OSA and inhaler technique for COPD), and lifestyle modifications.
• Monitor patients longitudinally to detect changes in condition, intervene early, and reduce avoidable hospital admissions or therapy discontinuation.  
• Collaborate with respiratory therapists, sleep specialists, physicians, case managers, and DME partners to coordinate comprehensive care.
• Track key metrics related to therapy adherence, readmission rates, and patient outcomes, and contribute to quality improvement efforts.
• Navigate patients through healthcare systems, connecting them with appropriate services, resources, and follow-up care.
• Complete equipment set ups (NIV, Afflovest, etc) either in the hospital or at the patient’s home.  
• Complete follow up with patients/family members/caregivers telephonically, via Telehealth, or in person at the branch, hospital, or patient’s home.  
• Other duties as assigned by manager.

Role Expectations

• Maintains current and thorough knowledge of DASCO equipment and services. May assist with quality control, maintenance of equipment, and general support of daily Clinical Outcomes Team operations.
• Maintains a current understanding of insurance benefits, coverage, and patient costs to adequately explain to patient and/or caregivers.
• Maintains compliance with HIPAA, The Joint Commission, State Respiratory Care Board, State Pharmacy Board and all other applicable rules and regulations.
• Maintains current on professional licensure or certification requirements including CEU compliance.

REQUIRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Active licensure as an RN, RT, NP, or PA (state-specific).
• Minimum 3 years of experience in chronic disease management, pulmonary care, or sleep disorders.
• In-depth understanding of COPD and OSA clinical guidelines (e.g., GOLD, AASM).
• Proficient in EMR systems and clinical documentation.
• Strong communication and care coordination skills.

PREFERRED EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:

• Three years in a medical/insurance/healthcare field operations leadership role

COMPETENCIES:

• Clinical Expertise in COPD & OSA: Applies evidence-based knowledge to support patients with pulmonary and sleep-related conditions.
• Patient Engagement & Education: Builds trust, promotes self-management, and simplifies complex medical information to improve adherence and outcomes.
• Care Coordination: Effectively integrates services across providers, therapists, and DME partners to ensure continuity of care.
• Proactive Problem Solving: Anticipates potential complications or non-adherence issues and intervenes early.
• Outcome-Oriented Mindset: Uses data to monitor progress and influence both individual care and population health initiatives.
• Communication & Advocacy: Acts as a liaison between patients and care teams, ensuring the patient's voice is heard in care planning.

POSITION TYPE/EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK:

This is a full-time position, and hours of work and days are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Occasional evening and weekend work may be required as job duties demand. 

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITY:

This position manages some of the employees of the ACT Team, including hiring, development, performance management and discipline.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

This job operates in a professional office environment and may spend time in a warehouse, clinical or private residence setting. This role routinely uses standard office equipment such as computers, phones, photocopiers, filing cabinets and fax machines.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.

The employee is generally required to sit; frequently stands and bends, may climb or balance; and stoop, kneel, crouch or crawl. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 25 pounds and occasionally lift and/or move up to 150 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include both close and distance vision, color and peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.

TRAVEL:

Travel is frequently required for this position.

OTHER DUTIES:

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

EEO STATEMENT:

DASCO provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, DASCO complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

DASCO expressly prohibits any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Improper interference with the ability of DASCO’s employees to perform their job duties may result in discipline up to and including discharge.

AGREEMENT:

Employee signature below constitutes employee's understanding of the requirements, essential functions and duties of the position.