Lead Orthopedic Technician

Team Lead Orthopedic Specialties

Under the direction of the Operations Manager and Assistant Nurse Manager responsible for supporting the daily operations of the Orthopedic clinic. Provides administrative and technical support to the orthopedic technician and Medical Assistant groups. Responsible for supporting the day-to-day operations including scheduling, inventory and ordering of supplies, maintenance of equipment, monitoring daily schedule screening and patient experience.

Department: Orthopedics

Schedule: Full Time

Essential Responsibilities / Duties:

• Directly responsible for Orthopedic Technician and Medical assistant staff. Makes recommendations to management regarding additional staffing needs or role changes.
• Maintains departmental productivity measurements and reports status on a monthly basis to immediate supervisor
• Assigns and monitors staff workload to ensure maximum productivity; supports an atmosphere and conditions that supports optimal efficiency.
• Responsible for all subordinates training needs. Develops annual training and development plans and makes appropriate arrangements for training in conjunction with each employee. Provides feedback during the employee performance review and assists with developing performance improvement plans where appropriate.
• Organizes and in conjunction with Nurse Manager reviews and approves schedule changes and requests for time off, ensuring that the staffing needs of the departments are met. Enters payroll, and maintains system to document employee absenteeism. Maintains regular and ongoing communication with physician leaders regarding departmental practices, policies and procedures.
• Assists physician leaders and administrators in the development of departmental goals and objectives to ensure that the highest quality care is provided.
• Participates in discussions and efforts to resolve problems and improve the quality of service provided by the department.
• Supports the development of department policies, and procedures necessary to achieve agreed upon goals and objectives, and to ensure compliance with the requirements of all applicable federal, state and local regulatory and/or accrediting agency.
• Maintains a scheduled annual review of the Department Policy and Procedure Manual as it relates to the Orthopedic Technician role.
• Monitors and reports on employee's overtime, lateness patterns and absenteeism.
• Performs training and on-boarding duties to ensure that staff are familiar with procedure techniques, equipment and department policy.
• Maintains an adequate inventory of supplies and equipment as appropriate to meet the operational demands of the department. Assists the Operations Manager with the purchase of equipment as needed.
• Ensures that all technical billing is completed on a daily basis for all patients seen. Reviews Missing Elements Report and resolves billing problems within five days. Attempts to problem solve any impediments to timely charge entry and resolution, and notifies the Clinical Operations Manager when unable to do so.
• Conforms to hospital standards of performance and conduct so that the best possible customer service and patient care may be provided.
• Upholds and AIDET values and employs service recovery mechanism with visitors, physicians and fellow employees in a courteous, professional and friendly manner.
• Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age groups of adult and young patients regularly served.
• Utilizes hospital's values as the basis for decision making and to facilitate the division's hospital mission.
• Follows established hospital infection control and safety procedures.
• Creates the rotating weekly Technician and Medical Assistant schedules.
• Designates special projects as needed
• Monitors patient wait time, communicates and troubleshoots delays as needed
• Serves a liaison between the technician team members and our providers.
• Communicates and mitigates with provider team any clinical and administrative issues that arise during their clinical session
• Communicates any provider concerns related to scheduling and clinical procedures to Assistant Nurse Manager
• Attends all departmental weekly Team Lead meeting
• Supports the Tech and MA teams with any compliance related course
• Prepares all Tech/MA team meeting agenda and meetings. Supports Assistant RN manager with driving forward any actionable items from the meeting
• Directly responsible for tracking/ordering our Traction and Stryker Needles supplies
• Assist with communication and management of Walk-in patients
• Oversees any Inmate/Stretcher or direct admission patient process.
• Oversees the EKG Tech pool
• Assist staff with the following administrative tasks:
• Verifies and updates demographic and provider information on patients.
• Assists with technical scheduling issues such as appointments cancellations due to erroneous scheduling.
• Maintains clinic files and patient records; screen patient's chart prior to appointment, checks for lab work, x-ray, and other pertinent results, and verifies information as required.
• Performs other duties as needed.

Orthopedic Technician Responsibilities:

1. Assists attending and resident physicians with all appropriate orthopedic related procedures, using appropriate techniques, and in accordance with hospital policies/procedures/practices in such a manner that facilitates the efficient delivery of safe, high quality patient care.

2. Applies and removes splints and casts, and provides cast care such as: valuing, spreading, remodeling, trimming, and pealing with a physician's order to ensure quality patient care

3. Measures patient for, supplies them with, and teaches them about assistive devices such as crutches, canes, slings, and collars in order to facilitate delivery of safe and high quality care.

4. Demonstrates the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age groups of patients regularly served.

5. Instructs patients in basic skin care of casts and other devices, simple appropriate exercise routines and ambulation in order to ensure patient safety and comfort. Documents this on the clinical record, as applicable.

6. Arranges and assembles adjusts and removes traction equipment for inpatients with a physician's order and checks traction assemblies on a daily basis for stability and proper body alignment in order to help ensure patient safety and comfort.

7. Participates in the development of and adheres to appropriate policies, procedures and practice guidelines.

8. Removes sutures, changes dressing for patients, assists orthopedic surgeon in operating room by applying cast to affected body part or maintains holding corrected bone alignment.

9. Orders and maintains an adequate inventory of orthopedic supplies in clinic areas and as applicable for other assigned inpatient areas in order to help ensure the timely and safe delivery of patient care.

10. Places daily/weekly order with M.D.C. that establishes and maintains par levels for equipment and supplies, as applicable. Completes purchase orders as applicable for equipment and supplies ordered from outside vendors as needed to maintain adequate levels of stock.

11. Cleans and organizes storage areas, stock traction supply room and clinic. Makes routine unit/area rounds to retrieve and locate orthopedic equipment. Delivers needed orthopedic equipment and supplies to patient care units upon request, in a timely fashion.

12. Allocates, and ensures the proper maintenance and storage of orthopedic equipment and supplies and evaluates their quality in order to help ensure quality and safe patient care. Removes malfunctioning equipment including traction from service, labels, and reports it to supervisor for repair and ensures that the repair is completed satisfactorily so that there are no preventable incidents of patient injury related to equipment malfunction.

13. Maintains accurate and complete clinical records in order to help ensure quality care.

14. Completes charge form for applied cast or orthotic given to patient as indicated

15. Batches and posts as applicable charges for services rendered and equipment and supplies used in order to help ensure optimal reimbursement on a daily basis.

16. Places patients in exam rooms and assumes the duties and responsibilities of a Medical Assistant as needed.

17. Performs other duties as needed.

Other Duties:

• Performs the duties of a Medical Assistant as needed.
• Must adhere to all of BMC's RESPECT behavioral standards.

Job Requirements

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Science or related field OR
• Associate's Degree with the completion of: an Orthopedic Technology Certification, military medic technical training/EMS

Certificates, Licenses, Registrations Required:

• Orthopedic Technology Certification preferred

Experience:

• Required: Minimum of two years of related work experience in this role.
• Preferred: One full year coursework in allied health