Collaboration to improve services for the uninsured: exploring the concept of health navigators as interorganizational integrators.

Abstract

This study examines one specific type of collaboration activity in a community health collaborative. The focus of the research is the operations level where services are coordinated, patients are referred, and access may be improved for vulnerable populations. Using a case study approach, we examine the creation of a new interorganizational role, the "health navigator" in the Miami-Dade Community Access Program. Drawing on traditional theoretical perspectives on coordination, we present the health navigator as an "integrator" among a complex set of safety net providers and public health insurance programs.