Patient Intake Coordinator

Job Description

Job Description

Position Overview

The Intake Coordinator – Specialty, Home Infusion, and Ambulatory Infusion Center is responsible for managing end-to-end referral intake across ambulatory infusion, home infusion, and specialty pharmacy patients. This position ensures timely insurance verification, benefit investigation, prior authorization support, and accurate data entry into payer portals and pharmacy systems such as Caretend, supporting a Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. schedule with flexibility for workload-driven after-hours support.

Key Responsibilities

• Receive, review, and triage new referrals for specialty medications, home infusion therapies, and ambulatory infusion center services, creating complete and accurate intake records.
• Verify patient demographics and Michigan payer coverage; update insurance information using systems such as Availity and other payer portals for all sites of care.
• Conduct benefit investigations and support prior authorization processes for infusion medications, specialty drugs, and HCPCS-coded supplies used in the home and in the ambulatory infusion center.
• Collaborate with billing and reimbursement teams to ensure accurate HCPCS data, proper payer selection, and clean claims submission for specialty, home infusion, and ambulatory infusion services.
• Use pharmacy systems such as Caretend to enter orders, verify dose, volume, and day supply, and perform basic pharmacy calculations related to infusion therapies under pharmacist guidance.
• Coordinate with pharmacists, nurses, and scheduling staff to ensure timely medication preparation, delivery, and nursing visits for home patients, and appropriate chair time and nursing coverage in the ambulatory infusion center.
• Communicate financial responsibility, including copays, coinsurance, and deductibles, to patients and caregivers and escalate complex issues to billing or compliance as needed.
• Manage high-volume phone, fax, and electronic referral queues, routing communication to appropriate departments while maintaining a professional, service-focused demeanor.
• Support after-hours/on-call operations when workload dictates by assisting with urgent referrals, benefit checks, or documentation updates in accordance with on-call protocols.
• Maintain organized electronic documentation, including scanned orders, authorizations, and intake forms, in accordance with internal policies and external regulatory requirements.
• Participate in performance improvement initiatives related to intake accuracy, shipping and supply data integrity, and patient communication, including HCPCS mapping in delivery and documentation systems.

Required Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent; post-secondary coursework in healthcare, pharmacy technology, or medical billing preferred.
• 2–3 years of experience in specialty pharmacy, home infusion, ambulatory infusion center intake, or medical intake/insurance verification, with specific experience working with Michigan payers.
• Proficiency with payer systems such as Availity and similar web portals for eligibility, benefits, and authorization workflows.
• Experience using pharmacy management/EHR systems such as Caretend for intake, order entry, and documentation.
• Working knowledge of HCPCS billing codes and basic understanding of infusion-related billing requirements for drugs and supplies across ambulatory and home settings.
• Ability to perform basic pharmacy calculations (dose, volume, rate, and day supply) with strong attention to detail.
• Demonstrated multitasking skills in a busy, deadline-driven environment, Monday–Friday 8:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., with flexibility for workload-driven after-hours support.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and Word and comfort working with shared spreadsheets, logs, and intake dashboards.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including professional email, telephone etiquette, and clear, concise documentation.

Skills and Competencies

• Detail-oriented with a strong focus on accuracy in data entry, eligibility verification, pharmacy calculations, and HCPCS coding to support clean claims and timely reimbursement.
• Strong customer service and interpersonal skills when discussing coverage, financial responsibility, and scheduling with patients and caregivers in both home and ambulatory settings.
• High level of organization and ability to prioritize referrals, follow up on missing information, and track authorization status across multiple service lines.
• Collaborative mindset with the ability to work effectively with pharmacists, technicians, nurses, billing staff, and leadership in a specialty, home infusion, and ambulatory infusion center environment.
• Commitment to compliance with HIPAA, payer rules, and internal quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives.