Practice Associate III

The 61st Street Service Corporation provides administrative and clinical support staff for ColumbiaDoctors. This position will support ColumbiaDoctors, one of the largest multi-specialty practices in the Northeast. ColumbiaDoctors’ practices comprise an experienced group of more than 2,800 physicians, surgeons, dentists, and nurses, offering more than 240 specialties and subspecialties. Opportunity to grow as part of the Practice Associate Career Ladder! Job Responsibilities Greet patients and visitors using excellent customer service skills and appropriate verbal and written communication skills that emphasize a patient-center approach and demonstrate the primary care core values. Review the daily and weekly schedule frequently to ensure accuracy of the visit provider, appointment duration, patient insurance participation status with the visit provider, visit reason, and visit type. Obtain all required registration and intake information from patients necessary for an efficient check‑in process; verify and/or update any new insurance eligibility, benefits, or other information prior to the start of the patient appointment in the electronic health record (EHR). Encourage and provide instructions for enrolling in online system: MyChart. Schedule follow‑up appointments, referrals, and other related tests as requested by the provider in a timely and accurate manner. Obtain prior authorizations and referrals for follow‑up care as needed by insurance plan. Answer patient telephone calls promptly and attempt to resolve patient inquiries within the same phone call. Respond to patient portal messages and patient voicemail within 24 business hours. May collect all time-of-service and past due payments prior to the start of the appointment. Settle cash drawer in the EHR on a daily basis. Educate patients on benefits of using patient portal and assist patient to sign up for patient portal. Maintain patient privacy and confidentiality according to HIPAA requirements at all times. Keep up to date on all organizational and practice policies (e.g., infection control, HIPAA), goals, initiatives, and required trainings. Ensure that University and Department policies and procedures are followed. Successfully complete all required university, hospital and department trainings. May rotate to other sites and serve as Team Lead and/or Preceptor. May supervise tasks and determine resolution and/or escalate as appropriate. May assist Supervisor/Manager with special projects as needed. Provides instructions to patients in a manner that facilitates patient safety and standard operations for the practice. Ensures “warm transfer” of calls/inquiries are routed to the correct party for resolution. Monitors identified trends and ensures resolutions are developed and implemented. Communicates insurance participation, financial responsibility (if applicable) and time of service policy to patient population. Establishes a positive engagement with patients and their families based on trust, patient-centered service, and addressing needs in a timely manner. Serves as a first point of escalation for complex cases or scheduling issues. Applies organizational knowledge, experience, and critical thinking skills to determine resolution and/or escalated as appropriate. Assists with educational sessions to train new staff in front-end process in an efficient and effective manner to ensure that front-end processes, functions and goals are understood and met. Mentors Level I and Level II staff. Assists with onboarding. Resolves escalated insurance related cases. Escalates issue for resolution if and when appropriate. Tracks and follows through for complete resolution. Makes recommendation to update/revise procedure or workflow as needed. Leads a collaborative team oriented environment. Facilitates team discussions about complex patient scheduling needs. Helps identify solutions and takes ownership for resolving scheduling conflicts. Communicates with management team and care providers to resolve scheduling issues. Collaborates with all co-workers and follows up as appropriate regarding reported complaints, problems and concerns. Qualifications High school diploma or equivalency is required. A minimum of 5 years’ relevant experience. Advanced knowledge/proficiency of Medical Terminology. Strong organizational and problem-solving skills, and the ability to set priorities among multiple competing objectives, tasks and initiatives is required. Excellent relationship management skills including, but not limited to, emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, empathy, and ability to handle situations with respect, tact and sensitivity. Ability to work independently and multi-task with constant follow-through. Candidate must demonstrate excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to work collaboratively with a culturally diverse staff and patient/family population, demonstrating tact and sensitivity in stressful situations. Strong proficiency of Microsoft Office (Word & Excel) or similar software is required and an ability and willingness to learn new systems and programs. Prior experience in EPIC is preferred. Prior experience in medical office setting or a customer service environment is preferred. Bilingual English/Spanish a plus, but not required. #J-18808-Ljbffr