Patient Contact Nurse, RN

What You Will Be Doing

The Patient Access Contact Center (PACC) Registered Nurse (RN) provides telephone-based nursing triage, care coordination, and patient navigation services to ensure patients receive the right care, in the right setting, at the right time. The RN uses evidence-based triage protocols, Epic Nurse Triage Encounter tools, and clinical judgment to assess patient symptoms, provide nursing guidance, and direct patients to the appropriate level of care.

This remote role supports Cedars-Sinai’s centralized access model by partnering closely with PACC agents, physicians, and clinical teams to provide timely symptom assessment, clinical guidance, and coordinated patient care.

Key

Responsibilities

• Conduct telephone-based patient triage using established evidence-based protocols and Epic Nurse Triage Encounter tools.
• Assess patient symptoms and acuity, provide nursing advice including home care guidance, referral to urgent care, emergency services, or specialist/primary care providers when appropriate.
• Respond to patient messages and clinical inquiries within established timeframes.
• Document triage encounters in Epic, including reason for call, protocol used, disposition, and clinical advice provided.
• Receive and manage warm transfers from PACC agents requiring clinical assessment through the RN queue.
• Manage and respond to provider in-basket messages and clinical work queues.
• Collaborate with PACC agents through communication tools (such as Teams chat) to facilitate smooth patient handoffs and triage routing.
• Provide real-time feedback and education to PACC agents to support effective patient navigation and symptom escalation processes.
• Communicate patient status updates and care recommendations to physicians and clinical teams.
• Schedule patient appointments when clinically appropriate to ensure timely access to care.
• Partner with primary care providers, specialists, urgent care providers, and contact center teams to ensure continuity of care.
• Apply clinical judgment when protocols alone are insufficient, prioritizing patient safety and escalation for high-acuity symptoms such as chest pain, stroke symptoms, or trauma.
• Participate in PACC huddles, RN escalation reviews, quality assurance processes, and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance the patient experience.
• Track outcomes using wrap-up codes and review RN daily metrics dashboards to monitor performance and support department reporting.
• Deliver compassionate, patient-centered communication when interacting with patients, caregivers, and care teams.
• Build strong working relationships with physicians, clinical staff, and contact center teams to support coordinated care delivery.
• Support a collaborative environment by sharing clinical expertise and assisting team members with complex cases.
• Demonstrate professionalism, empathy, and problem-solving skills when managing challenging patient interactions.

Collaboration & Patient

Experience

• Deliver compassionate, patient-centered communication when interacting with patients, caregivers, and care teams.
• Build strong working relationships with physicians, clinical staff, and contact center teams to support coordinated care delivery.
• Support a collaborative environment by sharing clinical expertise and assisting team members with complex cases.
• Demonstrate professionalism, empathy, and problem-solving skills when managing challenging patient interactions.

Qualifications

Requirements

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required. Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) preferred.
• Active California Registered Nurse (RN) license required.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) certification from American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) required.
• Minimum of three (3) years of nursing experience required.
• One (1) year of triage nursing or related clinical experience preferred.
• Strong clinical assessment and decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication and patient education abilities.
• Ability to manage high call volumes and competing priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proficiency with electronic health record systems such as Epic.
• Experience collaborating with interdisciplinary healthcare teams.
• Strong documentation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.

Skills & Experience Sought

• Strong medical terminology skills.
• Basic knowledge of ICD-10.
• Attention to detail, advanced problem solving and high analytic skills.
• Demonstrated proficiency with Microsoft Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook, etc.)
• Detailed knowledge of the medical record content and chart organization
• Detailed knowledge of documentation and privacy regulatory standards, required
• Strong customer service and communication skills. English language proficiency, written and spoken. Bilingual preferred
• Strong data analysis and research skills for error corrections.
• Knowledge of EMR, EPIC, and hospital computer systems, such as MSOW.

Why work here?

Beyond outstanding employee benefits including health and dental insurance, vacation, and a 403(b) we take pride in hiring the best, most passionate employees. Our accomplished staff reflects the culturally and ethnically diverse community we serve. They are proof of our commitment to creating a dynamic, inclusive environment that fuels innovation.