POSITION SUMMARY:

This position is responsible for all aspects of scheduling surgery and is an executive assistant. Performs some insurance verification and pre-certifications. It requires excellent communication skills with parents, managed care organizations, physicians, hospital surgery scheduling departments, and outpatient surgery scheduling departments all while offering polite and professional customer service. Managing the physician’s daily calendar, including scheduling meetings, confirming appointments, and daily reminders.

ESSENTIAL POSITION FUNCTIONS:

• Schedule meetings for the physician, with reminders.
• Check & respond to emails
• Check & return voicemails daily.
• Prepares surgery packets for the surgeon to take for the day of surgery.
• At the decision for surgery, this employee will either meet with or call the parent to schedule a date for surgery and explain surgery protocols to them.
• Will schedule pre and postoperative appointments.
• Will send and log radiology and other testing orders.
• Prepares surgery information packets and emails surgery information to parents.
• Answers all patient/parent questions regarding surgery or procedures to ensure compliance and patient satisfaction or route it to the appropriate person.
• Notifies parent of insurance benefits, any amount due to PENTA prior to surgery date and collect money.
• Verifies all surgeries and procedures with the insurance plan.
• Obtains some precertification’s for surgery and procedures if required.
• Maintains records of all verified surgeries and procedures to provide to the reimbursement department.
•  Stays current with carrier requirements to ensure all are met in order to maximize our potential for reimbursement.
• Ensures that appropriate procedure and diagnosis coding is utilized in the precertification and verification process and questions physicians to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information.
• Coordinates cases with other PENTA physicians and/or other surgeons outside of this practice.

POSITION REQUIREMENTS:

• High School education or G.E.D., or equivalent. Completion of a course as a medical assistant would be an advantage.
• Previous experience in surgery scheduling is required.
• Clinical and coding experience preferred.
• Possesses a preference for dealing with people who are ill and need help.
• Possesses the tact to deal effectively with patients, parents, physicians, and other employees in the practice as well as insurance carriers and hospital personnel.
• Possesses the ability to coordinate multiple tasks in detail.
• Able to take the initiative and drive to take a project from its inception to a successful conclusion.
• Has strong written and oral communication skills.
• Bilingual is required
• Time Management & ability to meet deadlines
• Strong organizational skills & ability to multitask
• Problem-solving & decision making
• Proactivity & self-direction
• Interpersonal Skills

WORKING ENVIRONMENT:

Physical Demands:

Lifting Requirements:

• Frequency of lifting 20-40 lbs., 0-10% of the time.
• The average percent of the time during a regular shift is devoted to standing, walking, bending, and reaching.

Additional Physical Demands:

• Ability to grasp with both hands; pinch with thumb and forefinger; turn with hand/arm; reach above shoulder height
• Ability to operate multi-line telephone system, computer keyboard.

Visual, Hearing, Dexterity, and Mental Demands:

• Vision: Adequate to perform the essential functions of the job such as read a computer terminal for long periods of time. Correctable to 20/20.
• Hearing: Adequate to perform the essential functions of the job such as answering the phone and communicating with patients.
• Speaking: Adequate to perform the essential functions of the job such as communicating via telephone or in-person for the purposes of surgery scheduling and providing patient information.
• Adequate to perform the essential functions of the job such as
  • Multi-tasks of accumulating data
  • Documenting information
  • Dealing with angry patients/parents
  • No problems with dealing with stressful situations regarding physician demands vs. availability of surgery block time