Health Tech Navigators: A Boon to Greater Community Access, Trust and Engagement

A patient portal is a great innovation, but busy clinic staff don’t have time to help every patient get set up on them and answer all their questions about it. In addition, patients often need ongoing support on how to communicate with their provider on the website, get updates, and access their health records.

Enter the Health Tech Navigators — people serving in a role that is for the community, by the community.  These Navigators, hired directly from the community, work closely with patients to support not only enrollment, but to increase portal use and to bridge gaps in healthcare accessibility that have long existed with language, culture, trust, and tech literacy. Listen to how the Los Angeles Department of Health Services (LADHS) created and supports its Health Tech Navigator program to surface a growing practice of cultural humility and competency in patient engagement.

Here’s where you can learn more about the people, places, and ideas in this episode: 

• Anshu Abhat MD, MPH, Director of Patient Engagement in the Office of Patient Access at LADHS
• Mayra Ramirez, MSW, ASW, Staff Analyst, Program Manager with the Patient Engagement Program at LADHS
• LA Health Portal App
• Technology Hub, a CCI program that helps organizations vet, pilot, evaluate, and spread innovative digital health solutions targeting Medicaid markets and historically underinvested communities.

© 2022 Center for Care Innovations. All Rights Reserved.