Front Office Representative - Rheumatology Specialist (Days)

Office Front Desk Representative

Patients' first and last point of contact in the office, responsible for check-in and check-out duties, which may include registering new and established patients, answering the phones, making appointments, collecting copays, deductibles and coinsurances, posting payments and verifying insurance. Able to multi-task while maintaining a high level of customer service and accuracy. Communicates proactively and assists patients with questions and requests as necessary.

Required Knowledge & Skills

Education: High School Diploma or GED

Experience: No prior work experience required

Qualifications

• One year of customer service experience preferred.
• Experience in a healthcare setting preferred.
• Excellent public relations skills. Pleasant, professional demeanor when dealing with the public even irate or abusive individuals. Must possess the ability to communicate effectively and maintain good relations with coworkers, Tanner Medical Group medical staff, as well as patients, families, and third-party payers.
• Ability to make independent decisions, displaying emotional maturity and using sound judgement.
• Ability to work in fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions. Ability to work effectively in high-stress situations.
• Ability to interact and work well as a part of a team-oriented environment.
• Ability to organize for maximum time utilization, productivity, and smooth patient flow.
• Proficient use of computer equipment.
• Ability to read and write legibly with spelling accuracy.
• Ability to organize, analyze and prioritize work
• Professional appearance
• Detail oriented
• Ability to switch-task
• Must possess initiative and drive to a project from beginning to a successful completion

Functions

Area of Responsibilities

• Greets each patient and or visitor and is proactive in anticipating their needs.
• Registration Quality: Registers patients following department's standards, policies, and procedures, focused on a consistently efficient throughput and the overall patient experience.
• Registration Quality: Enters required patient data in the system. Verifies and updates demographic, billing and insurance information with emphasis on accuracy of demographic data and financial information, thus ensuring appropriate billing, routing and reimbursement.
• Validates all insurance through the appropriate eligibility system and ensures coordination of benefits validation via the payer response or Medicare secondary payer questionnaire where applicable. Ensures Managed Care Payers are entered correctly in the HIS, per the eligibility response.
• Documentation Quality: Ensures all registration related signature capture is completed to include consents and regulatory documents.
• Documentation Quality: Ensures all relevant payment liability forms are completed consistently and compliantly to include Medicare Advanced Beneficiary Notices, Medicaid Advanced Beneficiary Notices, and general insurance waivers.
• Documentation Quality: Timely and accurately scans all necessary insurance information including insurance cards, personal ID, driver's license, eligibility and authorization validation, etc..
• Patient Estimates and Collections: Creates patient estimates based on scheduled and or walk-in using HIS estimate workflow. This includes Good Faith estimates initiated as appropriate. Reviews developed estimates with patients, to ensure understanding and captures signature.
• Patient Estimates and Collections: Always requests payment of patient liabilities based on estimate or eligibility response, utilizing departmental standard scripting, to overcome patient payment obstacles. Applies discounts according to department standard.
• Collects co-payments, deductibles, co-insurances and past due balances from patients at time of service according to TMG Cash management policy. Posts payment and provides patient with receipt.
• Ensure check in process is completed and shows checked in via Epic.
• Check out process drives continuum of care (follow up visits, billing, service recovery, etc...) Ensure patient is properly checked out. Follow provider guidelines for scheduling follow up appointments.
• Maintaining change fund allowance, documenting according to policy by verifying opening and closing balance.
• Processes end of the day reports and balances all payments in accordance with Tanner policy. Completes departmental deposits as directed and accordance to TMG Cash Management Policy.
• Productivity: Consistently focuses on maximizing resources and time, to ensure expeditious patient throughput and account processing.
• Productivity: Proactively solicits peers and leaders, offering assistance to avoid non-productive or downtime periods.
• Productivity: Remains flexible to provide float support for all TMG operational areas as requested by Leadership, through schedule changes and assignments.
• Answers all phone calls in a professional and courteous manner.
• Follows established telephone message protocols with complete and accurate information directing to appropriate personnel.
• Schedules appointments and gives routine, non-medical instructions in preparation for the patient visit.
• Communicating quickly and often with patients if there is a delay or wait for patient care. This includes Patient Rounding in lobby.
• Working with both clinical staff and providers in a team approach.
• Monitors patient reminder system and follows up with unconfirmed patients.
• Daily completion of patient and registration work queues.
• Monitor MyChart in basket messages.
• Process Improvement: Exhibits a culture of Operational Excellence through personal ownership in individual and departmental process efficiency, quality, and outcomes.
• Maintains a working knowledge of department and facility policies and procedures. Displays independent reasoning skills for problem resolution as required within the scope of job assignments.
• Demonstrates a positive attitude toward all TMG customers and projects a professional image.
• Maintains work area and waiting room in a neat, orderly manner.
• Maintains confidentiality of all patient data and medical information. This includes refraining from accessing your own personal medical record or the medical record of another individual, where you are not actively working the encounter for scheduling, registration, authorization, etc....Any instance of this is considered a HIPAA violation.
• Maintains proficiency of technical skills in all areas of your department.
• Distinguishes and responds correctly to certain disaster or emergency situations such as fire alarm, visitor injury, etc...
• Reviews all incoming faxes and distributes accordingly.
• Address and or handle all medical records requests as per established protocols.
• Performs other tasks as assigned or based on clinic needs.
• Teamwork: Works well with others and functions as a team player. Offers ideas and solutions for issues that affect the team and work area. Stocking and ordering of supplies as needed. Maintains patient care and waiting areas. Participates in training and skills development of new front office employees. Assists in other areas of the office as necessary.
• Safety: Maintains working knowledge of equipment and removes faulty equipment from use as necessary. Participates in safety programs.
• Patient Experience - Meets Tanner service standards with every patient interaction. Provides assistance and information in a kind, courteous manner to patients and visitors. Directs visitors to the appropriate area of the office. Participates in patient experience initiatives. Demonstrates excellent customer service skills. Communicates effectively with patients and management regarding service recovery opportunities. Works together with other team members to achieve Office and System customer service goals.
• May be responsible for receiving medications and ensuring proper handoff or storage and handling for the maintenance of the integrity and security of the medications.

Compliance Statement

Employee performs within the prescribed limits of Tanner Health System's Ethics and Compliance program. Is responsible to detect, observe, and report compliance variances to their immediate supervisor, the Compliance Officer, or the Hotline.

Definitions

Patients' first and last point of contact in the office, responsible for check-in and check-out duties, which may include entering charges, collecting deductibles and coinsurances, posting payments and scheduling follow up appointments. Assists with answering telephone, registering new patients and making appointments. Able to multi-task while maintaining a high level of customer service and accuracy. Communicates proactively and assists patients with questions and requests as necessary.

Position Responsibilities

Contact with Others: Requires frequent contact with many persons at different levels inside and outside of the organization to carry out organization policies and programs and obtain willing acceptance, consent, or action.

Effect of Error: Probable errors may be serious and involve losses such as improper costs, overpayment, waste of material, damage to equipment, and delay in processing work. Effect usually confined within the organization. Most of work not subject to direct verification or check. Regularly works with some confidential data such as account, salaries, patient medical records, which if disclosed might have adverse internal or external effects.

People Management Responsibilities

Supervisory Responsibility: Exercises no supervision, work direction, or instruction of other employees or student