Medical Front Office Receptionist - Southern California University

JOB TITLE: Front Office Medical Receptionist

REPORTS TO: Director of Front Office Operations

STATUS: Non-Exempt (Hourly), Full-time

LOCATION: On Campus

CAMPUS LOCATION: 16200 Amber Valley Drive, Whittier, CA 90604

JOB SUMMARY:

This position is responsible for providing excellent customer service in front office/patient reception at the SCU Health’s University Health Center (UHC) clinic. This position is involved in patient-facing administrative areas including clerical, environmental, and organizational tasks with emphasis on helping people who are seeking care become SCU Health patients who are able to fully utilize and benefit from the clinical services offered and to ensure those people have excellent experiences each time they interact with SCU Health. Medical Front Office Receptionists work closely with other members of the SCU Health team including the Central Billing Office, SCU Health Marketing, and the supervising doctors.

PRIMARY JOB RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Take exceptional care of established SCU Health patients.
  • Respond to patient inquiries by phone, email, and/or text with the goal of providing them with prompt, friendly, and accurate service.
  • Ensure all required information, forms, outcome measures, medical/imaging reports, lab results, and other information is completed and available in patients' medical records prior to their appointment.
  • Proactively communicate with patients about things that affect their care, including but not limited to: doctors running behind schedule, parking lot closures, doctors out sick, etc.
  • Maintain patient confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA policies and practices.
  • Verify patient account balances and refunds for accuracy.
• Help as many people as possible become SCU Health patients.
  • Respond to prospective patient inquiries by phone, email, and/or text with the goal of helping those who need our services schedule appointments promptly and with ease. Make it as easy as possible for them and make it pleasant for them to interact with us.
  • Be intimately familiar with and a champion of SCU Health services.
• Understand the pricing, payment options, appointment durations, doctor specialties, and everything people are likely to ask about before scheduling an appointment.
• Be clear and confident when answering questions and relaying information.
• Partner with SCU Health Marketing
• Make people’s experience with SCU Health exceed their expectations.
  • Greet those entering or calling the clinic in a warm, welcoming manner.
  • Answer telephone calls in a courteous and professional manner and handle the inquiry efficiently and effectively.
  • Use empathy when interacting with patients and prospective patients.
  • Provide timely, professional responses to all inquiries pertaining to patients and prospective patients, including those from patients, prospective patients, outside physicians, SCU clinicians, insurance companies, etc.
  • Keep exam rooms stocked with adequate medical supplies and help ensure back up supplies are available.
  • Support the SCU Health Quality Assurance program by maintaining all logs, required equipment checks, and reporting of incidents.
  • Maintain effective and organized systems to ensure excellent customer service and timely patient flow.
• Support SCU Health as a business so we can keep helping as many people as possible.
  • Schedule patient appointments according to established protocols.
  • Obtain accurate information from patients and ensure all registration and insurance information is complete.
  • Ensure appointments are kept by activities such as confirmation calls and text and email reminders.
  • Contact patients who miss appointments to reschedule the missed appointment.
  • Collect patient and insurance payments and reconcile charges on a daily basis.
  • Provide information to patients regarding unpaid balances.
  • Support special initiatives such as research projects, community outreach events,
• Continuously develop as an administrative healthcare professional.
  • Attend educational sessions, workshops, and complete assigned trainings to maintain and enhance technical and professional knowledge and expertise as directed.
• Perform other related duties as directed or assigned.

REQUIREMENTS:

Education: High school diploma or general equivalency diploma (GED). Appropriate certificate indicating passing grade.

Experience: Minimum of three years of recent experience working in a medical facility preferred.

OTHER REQUIREMENTS:

Multi-tasking, Flexibility, Telephone and Customer Service Skills, Time Management, Organization, Attention to Detail, Scheduling, Word Processing, Professionalism, Quality Focus, Knowledge of medical terminology.

Previous experience with computerized billing systems, EMR, MS Word and Excel.

PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Knowledge:
1. Knowledge of health care field and medical office protocols/procedures.
2. Knowledge of specific assisting tasks related to particular medical practice.
3. Knowledge of information that must be conveyed to patients and families.

Skills:
1. Skill intact and diplomacy in interpersonal interactions.
2. Skill in understanding patient education needs by effectively sharing information with patients and families.

Abilities:
1. Ability to learn and retain information regarding patient care procedures.
2. Ability to project a pleasant and professional image.
3. Ability to plan, prioritize, and complete delegated tasks.
4. Ability to demonstrate compassion and caring in dealing with others

EQUIPMENT OPERATED:

Standard medical examination room equipment and instruments. Using computer/health information management system.

WORK ENVIRONMENT:

Combination of exam rooms and medical offices. Frequent exposure to communicable diseases, toxic substances, ionizing radiation, medicinal preparations, and other conditions common to a clinic environment.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

Lifts and carries items weighing up to 10 lbs., occasionally lifts or moves up to 100 lbs. Requires correct vision and hearing to normal range. Requires working under stress in emergency situations and occasionally may involve irregular working hours.

SCU CORE VALUES:

1) Integrative Health: We teach, learn, collaborate, and lead by creating an open environment for multiple disciplines and professionals to bring their shared and unique skills together for the benefit of patients and students.

2) Evidence-based Practice: We value a culture of inquiry, assessment, research, scholarship, and judicious use of current best evidence to inform our decisions and work.

3) Health Equity: We value people equally. We strive to educate graduates that are prepared to improve individual and community health.

4) Inclusivity: We welcome everyone regardless of age, race, ethnicity, class, religion, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or any other similar or protected status. We believe inclusivity leads to more diversity in our reasoning, better representativeness in our conclusions, more ingenuity in our problem solving, and greater equity in our care.