Patient Referral Liaison

Job Title

Serves as a liaison for referring community organizations referring into Albany Med with a focus on excellent patient relations and customer service.

Facilitates patient referral appointments into and within the Albany Medical Center Health System by working with both practices (Community and Albany Med).

Maintains an awareness of services and capabilities of Albany Medical Center facilities in support of the outreach efforts of the Faculty Practice.

Assists in problem solving potential issues related to the processing of referrals, serving as a liaison for the assigned community practice.

Prioritizes referrals by their urgency and addresses them expeditiously and accurately.

Works in conjunction with community office (manager or designee) to obtain required clinical documentation.

Acts as a service ambassador, confidently and professionally representing Albany Medical Center Health System when communicating with all parties, including providers, patients, clinical care team, front desk staff, and insurance companies.

The liaison will be responsible for managing patient referrals and prior authorizations, including tracking, coordination, and communication.

Will be responsible for providing updates to external providers on closing the loop.

Registers referred patients, updates insurance information, schedules visits, and other duties as assigned to coordinate referred patient appointment scheduling.

Utilizes the electronic medical record to maintain and update patient records, insurance information, and appointment schedule.

Interacts with external providers/practices.

Requires strict adherence to Albany Medical Center Confidentiality policy and HIPPA regulations.

Knowledgeable of state and government agencies' policies to provide proper consents for patients who are wards of the state; work with facilities to obtain proper consents from patient proxies.

Knowledgeable of and adheres to payer requirements for referrals and authorization within the scope of the specialty they are assigned.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Maintains accurate logs of patient interactions, outreach activities, and appointment data.
• Ensures an optimal patient experience.
• Responsible for updating the system with registration, scheduling, and insurance information for referral appointments.
• Responsible for discussing financial obligations and explaining regulatory forms and answering any questions with the patient.
• Verifies insurance (commercial, private, and government) and eligibility along with obtaining authorizations when necessary.
• Works in multiple systems during patient facing interactions and telephone call receipts to complete accurate registration and to support the clinical workflow.
• Understands the practice strategic plan.
• Supports plans, policy and procedures, and initiatives within scope of their department's expectations and role.
• Represents AMC and supports the ideals and principles of their department, the Practice, and the Center.
• Understands and promotes patient and employee safety and promptly reports issues.
• Understands patient safety goals.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma/G.E.D. - required
• 2-3 years of customer service experience; preferably in a medical field. - required
• Excellent customer service skills (written and verbal) demonstrating the ability to work effectively and efficiently with a diverse population.
• Ability to engage patients/customers in a calm, respectful manner, regardless of tone or attitude of patient/customer in person or via telephone.
• Working knowledge of computer-based applications and strong PC/ keyboard skills.
• Strong attention to detail and demonstrated ability to use sound judgment in decision making to escalate issues as needed.
• High degree of concentration and information retention.
• Ability to multi-task in a high patient volume unit.
• Excellent organizational skills with demonstrated time management skills.
• Ability to handle high workload volume with many variables, demonstrating flexibility and adaptability.
• Ability to work well independently as well as within a team unit.
• Previous EPIC experience preferred.

Physical Demands

• Standing - Occasionally
• Walking - Occasionally
• Sitting - Constantly
• Lifting - Rarely
• Carrying - Rarely
• Pushing - Rarely
• Pulling - Rarely
• Climbing - Rarely
• Balancing - Rarely
• Stooping - Rarely
• Kneeling - Rarely
• Crouching - Rarely
• Crawling - Rarely
• Reaching - Rarely
• Handling - Occasionally
• Grasping - Occasionally
• Feeling - Rarely
• Talking - Constantly
• Hearing - Constantly
• Repetitive Motions - Frequently
• Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination - Frequently

Working Conditions

• Extreme cold - Rarely
• Extreme heat - Rarely
• Humidity - Rarely
• Wet - Rarely
• Noise - Occasionally
• Hazards - Rarely
• Temperature Change - Rarely
• Atmospheric Conditions - Rarely
• Vibration - Rarely

Thank you for your interest in Albany Medical Center!

Thank you for your interest in Albany Med Health System!

Albany Med Health System is an equal opportunity employer.

This role may require access to information considered sensitive to Albany Med Health System, its patients, affiliates, and partners, including but not limited to HIPAA Protected Health Information and other information regulated by Federal and New York State statutes. Workforce members are expected to ensure that:

Access to information is based on a "need to know" and is the minimum necessary to properly perform assigned duties. Use or disclosure shall not exceed the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish an intended purpose. Reasonable efforts, consistent with Albany Med Health System policies and standards, shall be made to ensure that information is adequately protected from unauthorized access and modification.