Medical Assistant

Job Description

Job Description

Coffee Regional Medical Center

Medical Assistant

POSITION SUMMARY

• Performs a variety of patient care activities and assists physicians.
• Greets and assists all patients and visitors in the office and by telephone, gathers demographic and insurance information, enters information into the practice management system and schedules appointments.
• Checks out patients, collects payments, completes referral/testing/Ambulatory Surgery appointments and checks precertification requirements.
• Triages patients.
• Answers patient calls.
• Stocks supplies.
• Meets office protocols.

QUALIFICATIONS

1. Knowledge, Skills and Abilities
   • Excellent customer service skills.
   • Reads and understands the English language.
   • Ability to think critically and analytically with little or no supervision
   • Ability to work effectively in situations of high stress and conflict and communicate goals and outcomes.
   • Ability to process information and prioritize
   • Possesses exceptional verbal and written communication skills
   • Possesses independent work habits, is self-reliant and self-directed
   • Ability to learn, adapt, and change as required by the job functions
   • Ability to maintain absolute confidentiality of material and information accessed and reviewed
   • Basic computer literacy
   • Ability to move freely, reach, bend, and complete light lifting
   • Ability to use good body mechanics while performing daily job functions and ability to follow specific OSHA guidelines
   • Ability to maintain attendance to meet standard job practices

1. Education
   • High School diploma or GED required. Medical assistant certification required.
2. Licensure
   • Medical Assistant certification required
3. Experience
   • 1+ years physician practice related experience or equivalent preferred.
4. Interpersonal skills

1. Essential technical/motor skills
2. Essential physical requirements
   • Sedentary: Exert up to 10 lb. of force occasionally and/or a minute amount frequently - Greater then 75%

1. Essential mental requirements

1. Essential sensory requirements
2. Other
   • Experience with Microsoft Word and Excel preferred.
   • Excellent customer service skills required.
   • Patient care clinical skills required.
   • Bilingual, Spanish fluency, both written and speaking skills desired.

1. Equipment used

OTHER QUALIFICATIONS

1. Exposure to hazards (body fluid exposure level)
   • Level I

1. Age of Patient Populations Served
   • Infants 30 days - 1 year
   • Children 1 - 12 years
   • Adolescents 13 - 18 years
   • Adults 19 - 70 years
   • Geriatrics - 70+ years

STANDARDS OF PERFORMANCE

• CRMC employees are devoted to serving our customers – including patients, physicians, fellow-employees and our community by adhering to the Standards of Performance. We are here to make all of our customers feel special.

1. Courteous – Employee is courteous in interactions with customers – patients, physicians, fellow-employees and our community.
2. Respectful and Confidential – Employee respects the rights of privacy of our patients. Ensures cultural differences are respected.
3. Responsive – Employee responds quickly, graciously and appropriately to customer needs. Employee thanks customers.
4. Gratitude and Attitude – Employee’s behavior shows that he/she believes that each of us controls our own attitude and that what is important is not so much as what happens to us, but how we choose to react to it
5. Pride, Ownership, and Image – Employee accepts all the rights and responsibilities of being a part of the CRMC family.
6. Communication – Employee is personally accountable for positive communication with the customer – patients, family members and co-workers.
7. Teamwork - Employee contributes positively to the CRMC team and is committed to treating coworkers with courtesy, honesty and respect. Employee abides by the Time and Attendance Policy. Employee has team pride in the purpose of our work – saving lives.

JOB SPECIFIC DUTIES AND PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

• Below are those tasks, duties, and responsibilities that comprise the means of accomplishing the position’s purpose and objectives. These are critical or fundamental to the performance of the position. They are the major functions for which the person in the position is held accountable. Following are the essential functions of the position, along with the corresponding performance standards.
• Patient Check in/Check out requirements including:
  • Greets and assists all patients and visitors within the office and by telephone.
  • Verify complete patient, guarantor and relative information upon patient check-in/check-out. Make every attempt to ensure proper patient identification using all possible means including, but not restricted to patient and guarantor social security number, legal name, date of birth and address.
  • Responsible and accountable for tasks necessary to properly identify, register, check-in/check-out patients in the practice management system all patients presenting for service. Must maintain acceptable accuracy rates.
  • Verify insurance benefits/ MCD_CMO, GBHC prior to office visit. Obtain Authorizations/ Precert prior to visit (if possible).
  • Ensure all physician orders meet current standards and policies. Obtain clarification on unclear or inappropriate orders. Determine proper patient processing according to physician orders.
• Scheduling – Patient flow, obtaining required paperwork including:
  • Appropriately schedule patient appointments by following the practices procedures for scheduling/ rescheduling. Notifying patient of appropriate payment requirements.
  • Responsible for confirming appointments two days prior to scheduled appointment.
  • Ensure patient flow is professional, patient friendly and within department established time standards.
  • Ensure all required forms are in the chart prior to the patient receiving services. Obtain authorized signatures on all required forms including HIPPA, records release, annual, colpo, postpartum, ACOGS, etc.
  • Ensure schedule for the next day is printed and the charts are pulled and available.
  • Ensure office protocol for scheduling follow-up appointments is followed.
  • Assist in referral/testing/ASU appointments, ensuring that authorization/precert/referrals for office visits are obtained.
• Accounting- obtaining method of payment from patient, balancing daily receipts including:
  • In the case of self pay patients, patients whose insurance does not cover visits or patients presenting for office procedures, collect appropriate payments for services to be rendered prior to the patient receiving services.
  • Identify third party payor coverage, ensure payor has been verified within the past three months and if not, immediately follow up with office staff who is verifying insurance prior to the patient receiving services.
  • Collects account deposits on patient's estimated or prior balances, co-pays, co-insurance and unpaid deductibles. Implement and comply with the financial policy guideline for payment arrangements.
  • Issue account receipts and ensure cash drawer balances accurately daily.
  • Protect the financial standing of the office by appropriately determining financial responsibility.
  • Maintain acceptable accuracy rate in accordance to departmental policies. Be responsible and accountable for individual check-ins/check-outs.
  • Must keep up to date on requirements from each insurance payor (Medicare, Medicaid, Commercial or private payors, Tricare, etc.) Adhere to external agency regulations.
  • Distribute appropriate information to patients according to pay source, including to, but not restricted to Medicare, Medicaid, and Champus.
• Record Keeping and Correspondence including:
  • Facilitate patient paper flow for accurate and complete medical records, financial forms, and patient admission.
  • Computer entry of all information with accuracy.
  • Must keep abreast of current regulatory requirements including all state, federal and JCAHO regulations.
  • Maintain confidentiality of patient information to assure Patient Rights and the rights of others are protected in accordance to policy and procedure. Release information in accordance with established privacy guidelines.
  • Responsible for documenting all contact with patients, family, employer and third party payors.
  • Ensure supplies for charts are maintained and that charts are appropriately maintained
  • Ensure office forms are always copied from originals and kept stocked.
  • Send all new patients a letter after their initial visit.
  • Responsible for sending correspondence to patients as it is required/ necessary.
  • Document all “No show, Cancel, Cross & Walk Out” appointments on encounter form as well as document in patient's chart. Send a letter to the patient regarding the missed appointment.
  • Obtain authorized signatures on all required forms as necessary.
• Patient care/ customer service responsibilities include:
  • Facilitate patient paper flow for accurate and complete medical records, financial forms, and patient admission.
  • Computer entry of all information with accuracy.
  • Must keep abreast of current regulatory requirements including all state, federal and JCAHO regulations.
  • Maintain confidentiality of patient information to assure Patient Rights and the rights of others are protected in accordance to policy and procedure. Release information in accordance with established privacy guidelines.
  • Responsible for documenting all contact with patients, family, employer and third party payors.
  • Ensure supplies for charts are maintained and that charts are appropriately maintained
  • Ensure office forms are always copied from originals and kept stocked.
  • Send all new patients a letter after their initial visit.
  • Responsible for sending correspondence to patients as it is required/ necessary.
  • Document all “No show, Cancel, Cross & Walk Out” appointments on encounter form as well as document in patient's chart. Send a letter to the patient regarding the missed appointment.
  • Obtain authorized signatures on all required forms as necessary.
• Facility care responsibilities include:
  • Stock rooms daily with supplies.
  • Ensure that rooms are clean and ready for each new patient.
  • Responsible for setting up instruments/supplies for all procedures
  • Ensures that all logs are kept daily for refrigerator temperature control, weekly accu-check control logs, and monthly logs for review of expired medications and supplies.
  • Ensures that all medical supplies needed are kept in stock/ inventory
  • Responsible for ensuring the sterilization of medical equipment/supplies are done daily.
  • Responsible for upkeep of the autoclave- cleaning and added sterile water as needed.
  • Dispose of contaminated supplies and sharps appropriately.
• Clerical Responsibilities include:
  • Ensure all services performed (by nurse and/or Physician) and diagnosis are accounted for- MUST be marked on encounter form for billing.
  • Document in chart required information: name, dosage, site of injection, Item #/NDC
  • Responsible for ensuring that doctor has completed orders (labs/x-rays) with required information (diagnosis listed prior to patient check out.
  • Review all ordered tests for accuracy and for Precert requirements before scheduled procedure. Obtain precert/authorization if required.
  • Ensures that labs, x-rays, and any follow-up appointments are attended by patient.
  • Responsible for entering clinical, demographic, and insurance information in correct lab computer system or complete written specimen forms on tests performed and billing them accordingly.
  • All medications must be signed out on the Medication Sign Out sheet- list required information - patient name, medication, and date. (This will be forwarded to the billing Office with daily encounter forms)
  • Ensures that all nurse call backs/refills/prescription requests are done in a timely manner.
  • Enter Reminders/ recalls as necessary.
  • Complete disability/medical leave papers accurately and timely (policy is within one week).
  • Assists with any operations of the office that are needed, including but not limited to filing, answering phones, etc.
  • All medication must be reviewed and approved by physician before calling in. These also must be documented on the treatment sheet in chart.

EDUCATION AND COMPETENCY

• Attends all mandatory and department-specific education and training programs as required.
• 
  Attends all required education and training and can describe his/her responsibilities related to department safety and specific job related hazards.
• 
  Has met all required competencies for the evaluation period as evidenced by job specific competency evaluations.

Signature__________________________________________________________Date________________