Care Advocate at TailorCare

Role Purpose

The Care Advocate is a patient-centered guide who helps individuals with joint, back, or muscle (MSK) conditions navigate their care journey. This person ensures patients receive the right treatment at the right time, aligned with the patient’s goals, preferences, and the evidence-based practices that TailorCare upholds.

Key Responsibilities

1. Patient Onboarding & Assessment

   • Conduct initial intake: gather patient health history, symptom description, preferences, goals.

   • Use standardized tools and TailorCare’s assessment protocols to help classify the patient’s condition severity, risk factors, etc.

   • Collaborate with clinical team to interpret assessment data and determine recommended care pathway.

2. Navigation & Care Coordination

   • Guide patients through the various treatment options (physical therapy, specialty referrals, self-management, etc.), explaining trade-offs, timelines, and what to expect.

   • Coordinate among providers, ensuring referrals happen timely, follow-ups scheduled, appointments set up.

   • Serve as liaison between patient and clinicians/providers to keep communication clear.

3. Monitoring & Support

   • Check in with patients regularly to track progress, adherence to treatment, any barriers to following plan (e.g. access, transportation, cost, motivation).

   • Identify when treatment isn’t effective and work with clinical team to adjust plan.

   • Provide or direct patients to educational resources, self-management tools, emotional / behavioral support.

4. Advocacy & Problem Solving

   • Advocate for patient needs with payers, providers, and within the TailorCare system (e.g. to reduce unnecessary referrals, reduce dead ends).

   • Help patients understand insurance, cost, coverage issues that may affect their MSK care.

   • Address social determinants of health impacting outcomes (work schedule, mobility, home environment, etc.).

5. Data & Quality Feedback Loop

   • Collect patient outcome data, feedback, and use predictive analytics or evidence-based guidelines to inform best practices.

   • Participate in quality improvement efforts: identify recurring issues in care navigation or adherence and suggest process improvements.

   • Report metrics related to patient satisfaction, treatment adherence, clinical outcomes to leadership.

6. Alignment with TailorCare Values

   • Put patients first: every decision centers on what’s best for the patient.

   • Act with integrity: be transparent, honest, trustworthy.

   • Partner with purpose: collaborate across teams and with external providers to improve outcomes.

   • Deliver results: set measurable goals (e.g. reduced wait times, better adherence, improved pain/function).

   • Perform better together: share insights, support teammates, foster inclusive/cooperative culture.

Qualifications & Skills

• Bachelor’s degree (health sciences, public health, nursing) preferred; advanced certifications (e.g. patient navigation, case management) a plus.

• Strong knowledge of musculoskeletal conditions, clinical pathways in MSK care.

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills: able to explain medical info in lay terms, listen empathetically, build rapport.

• Strong organizational and multitasking ability (managing many patients, referrals, schedules).

• Problem solver: able to identify barriers (logistical, financial, motivational) and devise solutions or escalate when needed.

• Comfortable with data: tracking outcomes, reading/using predictive models or evidence-based guidelines.

• Familiarity with insurer/payer systems, referral management.

Metrics for Success

• Time from patient intake to appropriate provider/referral.

• Treatment adherence rates.

• Patient satisfaction / Net Promoter Score.

• Clinical outcomes: pain reduction, improved function.

• Reduction in unnecessary referrals or avoidable dead ends in care journey.

• Efficiency metrics: cost savings, resource utilization improvements.