Patient Services Coord. II
Massachusetts General Hospital(MGH)

Under general supervision of the manager, provides administrative support to Health Care Providers for patient care and some administrative and/or research activities. Works with the Physician and other clinical staff members to ensure a quality-based, customer-oriented flow of work. Requires discretion and judgment to organize priorities, complete tasks and handle confidential patient information. Responsibilities include scheduling patient appointments and diagnostic testing with occasional surgical scheduling when needed; obtaining referrals and pre-certifications/authorizations as needed; patient reception; printing and providing patient with after visit instructions (AVS), preparation of correspondence; performing photocopying, faxing, and filing; and answering telephones.

PATIENT CARE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Schedules patient office appointments using EPIC and performs appropriate appointment screening; may include scheduling for more than one facility; coordinates appointments with those of other consulting physicians or primary care physician as appropriate.
• Maintains knowledge of insurance contracting status with our facility and referral/prior authorization requirements. Submits and ensures needed authorizations are in place prior to appointment. Notifies patients these are not in place prior to patient presenting to appointment.
• Monitors In-basket for patient messaging and appointment requests and cancellations. Disseminates information/request to appropriate provider or staff.
• Registers new patients over the telephone or on day of appointment, obtaining all necessary information in a courteous manner and ensures necessary information is sent to Medical Records to be scanned into the medical records for new and/or existing patients.
• Obtains baseline information utilizing "new patient intake form" and request photos for new patients or patients needing an urgent appointment for clinical triage purposes.
• Refers patients to Patient Financial Services for financial counseling as appropriate.
• Retrieves medical records prior to patient office hours; ensures that all necessary laboratory and radiological test results and medical records are obtained from outside of MGH, and properly filed prior to patient's office visit; is knowledgeable in the use of EPIC to obtain above information as needed.
• Distributes patient information, maps, etc. prior to patient appointments.
• Answers patient/family questions regarding appointments, surgical procedures, and pre-operative instructions as appropriate.
• Arranges for interpreter services as needed prior to patient appointment.
• Places reminder telephone calls to high-risk no-show patients 1-2 days before scheduled office visits.

• Prints and prepares pre-visit forms.
• Checks-in patients as they arrive in a courteous manner.
• Ensures that all demographic data in patient medical record is current and complete; updates if necessary
• Consistently performs the following:
• photocopies patient insurance card and ensures that copies are filed in patient's medical record and with billing data as necessary.
• obtains patient/family signature for billing.
• collects and records patient co-payments.
• ensures that referral forms are obtained from patients or primary care physician's office/insurance carrier prior to patient's office visit. Has every patient sign the missing referral form if referral is not in the system at the time of visit. Coordinates, tracks, and decrements referrals for those not automatically managed by the system. Perform electronic insurance verification using NEHEN Express.
• Creates and sends patient no-show letters as well as letters for Physician/NP review and signature.
• Coordinates with Nurse or Medical Assistant as appropriate to ensure smooth patient flow during patient office hours.
• May audit exam rooms to ensure they are patient ready.
• Checks-out patients as they exit exam rooms.
• Schedules follow-up appointments and laboratory or radiology testing in a timely and courteous manner; prepares appropriate requisition/paperwork and arranges for specimen retrieval as necessary; ensures that any necessary follow-up is scheduled at the appropriate time in the future.
• May schedule surgeries, pre-admission testing and provide patients/family with copies of surgery instructions for appropriate institution/type of admission.
• Notifies admitting of any admissions from clinic or front door admits and provides necessary information; completes, delivers, and files all associated paperwork in an accurate and timely manner.
• Provides patients/family with time of surgery and reviews any pre-surgical instructions in a courteous and timely manner.
• Photocopies and files patient-related paperwork (office/operative notes, consultation/medical necessity letters, etc.) in an accurate and timely manner.
• Responds to requests from billing service or third-party carriers for information, corrections, etc.
• Re-schedules any canceled appointments in a timely manner.
• Responds to requests from physicians' offices, family, or government agencies for letters of medical necessity, letters to schools, copies of medical records, etc. as necessary.
• Contacts Emergency Department, Inpatient NP and surgical residents as appropriate to provide information regarding patients arriving in Emergency Department as necessary.
• Interacts in a courteous manner with physicians, nurses, and administrative staff within and outside of MGH to coordinate care of patients, obtain referrals, provide feedback, answer questions, etc

ADMINISTRATIVE

• Answers telephones, manage, and triages complex telephone calls utilizing courteous customer service skills; places/returns telephone calls for physician as requested.
• Retrieves, screens and triages physician's mail.
• Submits check requests for reimbursement and payment of invoices.
• Tracks physician expenditures and provides updates on a quarterly basis.
• Performs photocopying, faxing, filing as requested.
• Orders office and clinical supplies and forms, stamps, etc. as needed.
• Cross covers for other staff members for breaks, lunches, vacations, etc. and during variations in workflow as needed.
• Establishes and maintains databases for storage of records, patient lists, mailing lists, etc. according to physician's needs.
• Perform/participate in special projects as may arise from time-to-time.

All duties and responsibilities listed above are essential functions of this position unless otherwise noted.

Qualifications

• Associate degree in Secretarial Science or equivalent strongly preferred
• Minimum of 1 - 3 years of secretarial experience required
• Exceptional computer skills (including word processing, database, electronic mail, internet, and spreadsheets) required.
• Good command of English language, including medical and scientific terminology.
• Exceptional organizational skills and the flexibility to handle multiple tasks and deadline pressures.
• Ability to work independently or in a team environment.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• In-depth understanding of all pertinent medical coverages.
• Is knowledgeable in the use of the Snap Board OR Scheduling System and troubleshoots as necessary.
• Is knowledgeable and compliant in all hospital, State and Federal regulatory requirements, including hospital policy and procedures (where applicable to the performance of the job), Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

EEO Statement
Massachusetts General Hospital is an Equal Opportunity Employer. By embracing diverse skills, perspectives and ideas, we choose to lead. Applications from protected veterans and individuals with disabilities are strongly encouraged.

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