Practice Coordinator - South Shore Health

Job Description Summary

The Practice Coordinator reports directly to the Practice Manager and is responsible for supporting administrative duties for the practices. Responsibilities include scheduling, confirming appointments, patient interaction (telephone and in-person), administrative practice support, and special projects. Essential duties include administrative support and coordination for provider, radiation oncology, and infusion services consisting of physicians, nurse practitioners, physicists, program nurses, staff nurses, and research nurses; scheduling complex appointments; following guidelines that support safe clinical practice, patient comfort, continuity of care for complex visits; a high standard of timely communication and rescheduling as necessary; and coordination of clinical visit related reports, documentation, requisitions, and other materials. Managing direct communications with patients and family members is critical to this role; he/she provides the first greeting and welcome for patients arriving for appointments and represents the customer service orientation of our practice. The Practice Coordinator also provides general administrative support to on-site leadership and providers as needed. Duties include scheduling appointments, scanning and faxing documents upon request. He/she is expected to exhibit professional behavior through adherence to DFCI and site-specific policies, procedures, and codes of conduct. The Practice Coordinator will work directly with the Dana-Farber Access Management staff at the Longwood campus, as appropriate, to process referrals, authorizations and financial counseling, working together to promptly assist the patient (and resolve discrepancies).

Job Description

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

1 - Administrative Support of Practice

   a - Answer telephone; triage calls as necessary.

   b - Transition telephones to and from answering service; retrieves messages from the answering service and triages appropriately.

   c - Handles incoming requests for medical records and mails/faxes information as appropriate; works appropriately with Health Information Management (HIM) on medical requests and changes to personal patient information (i.e. patient name change).

   d - Facilitates prescription refills for patients, as needed.

   e - Recognize emergencies and appropriately responds using standard operating procedures and critical thinking skills.

   f - Supports patient flow by appropriately directing patients and family members and managing the waiting areas.

   g - Provides customer service to colleagues and other staff members on the use of specific systems as well as on-site and Longwood-based processes.

   h - Monitors the lobby and waiting areas for neatness and cleanliness and ensures that appropriate assistance is given to the patients and family members.

i - May provide general administrative support and coordination for all aspects of patient care for both new and/or established patients, including filing, document preparation, data entry, telephone support, etc.

2 - Patient Check-In

   a - Greet patients; verbally verify name, date of birth, telephone number, and MRN; provide and witness signing of consent form (if necessary); arrives patient in Epic; assigns patient badge in RTLS; provides patient wristband and RTLS badge. Updates patient information in Epic appropriately.
   b - Confirm patient's demographics (address/phone numbers, etc.) and insurance information.

   c - Refer patients to financial counselor as appropriate.

   d - May navigate new patients and educate them about all available services.

e - If insurance has changed, copy card and perform insurance eligibility check.

f - Review patient "alerts" in Epic and reconciles ie: patient contact information, Medicare Survey, psychosocial distress screening, etc.

3 - Patient check-out

   a - Schedule follow up appointments for exam and infusion services; coordinates ancillary appointments (lab, imaging, radiation oncology, etc.) using Epic, ARIA and other systems.

   b - Under the direction of the operations management team, provides appointment scheduling ranging in complexity from one physician appointment to multiple care provider appointments in accordance with department scheduling guidelines for new and/or existing patients. 

   c - Obtain same day insurance authorizations and referrals

d - Responsible for complex scheduling activities associated with patients arriving from main campus, other centers or other outside entities and coordinating appointments with other specialists, dieticians, social work, 2nd opinions, etc.

   e - May provide basic information regarding the need for insurance referral(s).

   f - Recognizes emergencies and appropriately responses using standard operating procedures and critical thinking skills.

   g - Performs independent patient and outside provider call triaging and assists in directing patient flow.

   h - Refer patients to financial counselor as needed at DFCI.

   i - Manages In-Basket messages, takes ownership and responds appropriately to all messages.

  j - Manages referral workqueues in Epic

  k – Attends weeks team meetings with clinical teams.

   l - Obtains detailed clinical information face-to-face, by telephone or electronically.

  m - Handles incoming requests for records and mails/faxes information as appropriate; Faxes notifications to HIS as necessary (patient name changes, etc.)

   n - Serves as a liaison between patient/family/provider.

   o - Resolves issues directly or ensures appropriate management of call by others.

   p - May be required to perform other duties as required by the Operations team

4 - End of day functions

a. Ensures all patient appointments have been checked out.

b. Reconcile the infusion DAR to ensure all patients that arrived in clinic have been set up for future appointments.

c. Checks that all next day appointments have labs scheduled if required and that necessary lab orders are linked.

d. Assists in the review of office supply levels to ensure adequate supplies at front desk. Receives shipments to the unit and places supplies and stock items in proper storage area.
 

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Education - Preferred

Associate’s degree and/or 2 years equivalent experience preferred.   

Minimum Work Experience

2 years of experience in customer service is required; experience in healthcare is a plus.

Required additional Knowledge and Abilities

• Knowledge of managed care policies and medical terminology is a plus.
• Understand and utilize DFCI systems as well as the local Hospital's systems i.e. Epic
• Requires basic knowledge of insurance plans which constantly change; knowledge of insurances that Host hospital are participants; and high-risk insurances
• Ability to multi-task and function as an integral member of the team. 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills required.
• Excellent computer, customer service and problem-solving skills required. 
• Demonstrated ability to draft reports, correspondence and other administrative documents pertaining to patient scheduling as needed.