Patient Services Specialist II - Radiology Call Center

Top Healthcare Provider Network

The 61st Street Service Corporation, provides administrative and clinical support staff for ColumbiaDoctors . This position will support ColumbiaDoctors, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in the Northeast. ColumbiaDoctors’ practices comprise an experienced group of more than 2,800 physicians, surgeons, dentists, and nurses, offering more than 240 specialties and subspecialties.

Opportunity to grow as part of the Call Center Career Ladder!

Job Summary:

The Patient Services Specialist II provides support to the departmental call center that handles large volumes of inquiries and requests from patients and customers for access/assistance in scheduling diagnostic or interventional radiology services, physician referral/appointments, and general information for the Department of Radiology. The Patient Services Specialist II is part of a team that delivers an exceptional patient experience through excellent customer service, empathy and patience.

Essential Duties

• Schedule appointment requests for diagnostic or interventional radiology services, per area of assigned responsibilities. Utilize existing tools to facilitate securing the right appointment with the right medical provider or team. Indicate special needs (e.g., special accommodation, interpreter, etc.).
• Communicate insurance participation, financial responsibility (if applicable), and time of service policy to patient population.
• Ensure that patients understand the arrival and check-in process, pre-appointment instructions and patient safety precautions, and other relevant information. Email specialty patient forms if needed.
• Obtain patients’ insurance and demographic information and ensure all obtained information is registered in Epic with 100% completeness and accuracy. Accurately complete required tasks and fields in pre-registration.
• Maintain knowledge of insurance requirements. Perform real-time insurance verification and interpret responses. Inform patients of insurance requirements for services provided. Escalate cases for resolution as appropriate.
• Help identify and document trends using established protocol. Escalate issues to Supervisor/Manager for resolution.
• Support and participate in a collaborative team-oriented environment. Facilitate team discussions about complex patient scheduling needs.
• Take ownership for resolving scheduling conflicts and communicate with management team and care providers to resolve scheduling issues.
• Collaborate with all coworkers and follow up as appropriate regarding reported complaints, problems, and concerns.
• Ensure "warm transfer" of calls and inquiries are routed to the correct party for resolution. Escalate cases as appropriate.
• Collect pre-registration information to address outstanding Epic work queue accounts.
• Perform outbound calls to perform Epic referral scheduling.
• Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements at all times. Successfully complete all required trainings.
• Keep current on all organizational and practice policies and standard operating procedures.
• General faxing, filing, and mail sorting.
• Contribute to the team by providing support and back-up coverage as needed and directed by Supervisor and/or Manager.
• Work on escalated cases with higher complexity as assigned.
• Help to mentor other Specialists to resolve complex issues/cases. Escalate such cases to Supervisor for resolution. Ensure remedy is executed in a successful manner.
• Mentor assigned Patient Service Specialists on how to deliver excellent service to patients while accurately and efficiently retrieving patient demographic and financial information.
• Provide suggestions and recommendations to improve workflow, communication, and overall protocols to better serve the needs of the patients and department.
• Conform with all applicable HIPAA, billing compliance, and safety guidelines.
• Keep current on all organizational and practice policies (e.g., infection control, HIPAA), goals, initiatives, and required trainings.

Interventional Radiology (IR) Track Duties:

In addition to the above, Specialists working on the IR track will also perform the following duties:

• Coordinate pre-procedure testing and clearances and ensure complete and accurate documentation of pertinent information in Epic.
• Escalate complex cases as needed to RNs to ensure successful remediation.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or equivalent required, Associates preferred.
• Minimum of 3 years of relevant experience, including proficiency in medical terminology and prior medical practice experience.
• For IR track, surgical or invasive subspecialty experience is required.
• Excellent customer service skills and the ability to maintain a pleasant and helpful demeanor through all situations, including the ability to maintain professional demeanor under pressure due to the high volume and urgent nature of calls.
• Excellent skills in problem assessment, using good judgment, and collaborative problem solving in complex and interdisciplinary settings.
• Ability to perform tasks with accuracy and minimal error rate.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including interpersonal skills. Ability to communicate in a clear and concise manner to ensure understanding of information by patients and customers.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) or similar software is required, and an ability and willingness to learn new systems and programs.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) a plus.