Patient Services Coordinator

Patient Coordinator

The Patient Coordinator is dedicated to ensuring Quality/No Harm, exceptional Customer Service, and effective Stewardship. This high-stress position involves operating the hospital's communication systems, handling calls, announcing emergencies, and providing after-hours answering services for HFMG providers across all four hospital locations. The role requires calling codes on the overhead, managing critical situations with precision and calmness. This position is crucial for maintaining efficient communication and ensuring patient safety through prompt and accurate response handling. Strong leadership skills are essential for guiding and mentoring the operator team in a high-pressure environment, fostering a collaborative and high-performing team dynamic.

Primary Responsibilities:

1. Promptly announce and broadcast emergency codes across all hospital areas according to established protocols, ensuring rapid response and patient safety based upon internal guidelines and procedure documentation.
2. Efficiently operate multi-line telephone systems to handle high volume of incoming calls, including connecting callers to patient rooms, departments, physicians, and hospital staff.
3. Provide after-hours answering service for healthcare providers, ensuring urgent messages are relayed promptly and accurately.
4. Deliver superior customer service to callers by addressing inquiries, providing information, and directing calls to appropriate personnel or departments.
5. Adhere to policies and procedures related to patient confidentiality, emergency preparedness, and safety protocols (e.g., HIPAA guidelines, emergency code procedures).
6. Maintain accurate logs of all incoming calls, messages, and emergency incidents for reference and reporting purposes.
7. Coordinate effectively with nursing staff, physicians, security personnel, and other hospital departments to facilitate smooth communication flow during emergencies and regular operations.
8. Uphold Health First’s commitment to quality care, patient satisfaction, and a safe environment by contributing to initiatives such as "Quality No Harm" and patient experience.
9. Other duties as assigned.

Work Experience:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Education: High school diploma or equivalent required
• Work Experience: 1-3 years of customer service or call center experience.
• Certification: N/A
• Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

1. Strong communication skills, both verbal and written, with a professional and courteous demeanor.
2. Working knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, Outlook) and comfortable using electronic health record (EHR) systems.
3. Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, high volume call center environment and meet performance metrics.
4. Ability to remain calm and composed during high-pressure situations, such as emergency code announcements.
5. Proficiency in typing > 40 wpm.
6. Excellent organizational skills with attention to detail and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively.
7. Flexibility to work at multiple locations and rotating shifts, including evenings, weekends, and holidays as required.
8. General knowledge of healthcare terminology and abbreviations, previous healthcare experience is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Education: Associates degree
• Work Experience: 2-5 years working in a medical office, or scheduling role.
• Licensure: N/A
• Certification: N/A
• Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

Physical Requirements:

• Majority of time involves sitting or standing; occasional walking, bending, stooping.
• Long periods of computer time or at workstation.
• Light work that may include lifting or moving objects up to 20 pounds with or without assistance.
• May be exposed to inside environments with varied temperatures, air quality, lighting and/or low to moderate noise.
• Communicating with others to exchange information.
• Visual acuity and hand-eye coordination to perform tasks.
• Workspace may vary from open to confined.
• May require travel to various facilities within and beyond county perimeter; may require use of personal vehicle.

About Health First:

At Health First, diversity and inclusion are essential for our continued growth and evolution. Working together, we strive to build and nurture a culture that recognizes, encourages, and respects the diverse voices of our associates. We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger and more collaborative work environment that delivers better results. As an organization, it fuels our innovation and connects us closer to our associates, customers, and the communities we serve.