Job Description

Bilingual Front Desk & Intake Virtual Medical Assistant

Remote | Behavioral Health | 40 hours/week | 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM US Central Time
$6.5/hour + 3rd month performance review

We are looking for an experienced Bilingual Front Desk & Intake Virtual Medical Assistant to support a long-established, nonprofit behavioral health organization in the United States.

The clinic supports approximately 150 active clients at capacity across therapists, a psychologist, and clinical interns. Because the organization serves individuals and families seeking behavioral health services, the front desk plays an important role in creating a compassionate, organized, and efficient experience from the first inquiry through enrollment and scheduling.

You will serve as one of the clinic's primary front-facing team members, handling patient and family inquiries, conducting initial intake activities, assisting with paperwork and patient portal navigation, evaluating basic eligibility information, and coordinating appointments.

This role requires someone who can combine empathy with structure Callers may be experiencing difficult or emotional situations and may share sensitive personal information. You must be able to acknowledge their concerns compassionately while keeping the conversation focused on the information and steps necessary to move them toward care.

Key Responsibilities

Front Desk & Patient Communication

• Answer and manage incoming patient and family calls professionally in both English and Spanish.

• Respond to inquiries received through phone calls, voicemails, online forms, emails, and other clinic communication channels.

• Communicate with warmth and empathy while keeping convoversations focused, efficient, and directed toward the appropriate next step.

Intake, Eligibility & Financial Screening

• Conduct initial telephone screenings, gather essential patient or parent information, and identify whether the patient will use commercial insurance, Medicaid, self-pay, or available nonprofit financial assistance programs.

• Explain the clinic's intake process, guide patients through required forms, patient portal access, and supporting documentation, and perform initial financial eligibility screening based on clinic procedures.

• Identify incomplete intake, insurance, or financial requirements, explain what the patient needs to complete before scheduling, and coordinate more complex insurance, authorization, or eligibility matters with the back-office team.

Scheduling & Patient Coordination

• Schedule and reschedule appointments only after required intake paperwork and pre-appointment documentation have been completed.

• Follow clinic-specific scheduling procedures based on patient type, provider availability, service, and payer arrangement.

• Coordinate with therapists, psychologists, interns, and administrative team members to help maintain smooth patient flow.

Voicemail, Inquiry & Patient Follow-Up

• Begin each workday by reviewing and prioritizing outstanding voicemails, unread inquiry forms, and other pending patient communications, then return calls or respond according to urgency and clinic procedures.

• Follow up with prospective patients who have incomplete forms, portal requirements, or other enrollment steps, including assisting less tech-savvy patients with electronic paperwork and patient portal navigation.

• Maintain consistent follow-through until the intake process is completed or another disposition is documented, and route donations, registrations, clinical matters, or other out-of-scope requests to the appropriate team member.

Documentation & Team Communication

• Maintain accurate patient, intake, eligibility, scheduling, and follow-up documentation within AdvancedMD.

• Communicate clearly with remote clinical and administrative team members regarding pending issues, completed tasks, and patient needs.

• Protect patient information and follow all HIPAA, privacy, and clinic documentation requirements.

SOP & Workflow Development

• Help document front-office processes for intake, scheduling, voicemail management, patient communication, and inquiry handling.

• Update workflows as clinic procedures are clarified or improved during the first several months of support.

• Identify recurring questions, bottlenecks, or process gaps and help convert solutions into repeatable Standard Operating Procedures.

Required Qualifications

• Fluent verbal and written communication in English and Spanish

• Previous experience in healthcare, medical administration, patient intake, medical reception, or a similar healthcare support role.

• Strong professional phone communication and active listening skills.

• Ability to communicate compassionately with patients and families experiencing emotional or stressful situations.

• Strong organization, follow-up, and multitasking skills.

• Experience working with an EHR, patient portal, scheduling system, or comparable healthcare technology.

• High attention to detail when managing patient information and documentation.

• Ability to work independently while communicating proactively with a remote team.

• Strong understanding of patient confidentiality and HIPAA requirements.

• Reliable attendance and punctuality.

Preferred Qualifications

• Previous behavioral health, mental health, psychology, counseling, or similar healthcare experience.

• Experience conducting patient intake or telephone screening.

• Experience supporting multiple healthcare providers.

• Familiarity with insurance eligibility or patient financial screening.

• Experience using AdvancedMD or a comparable EHR.

• Experience assisting patients with electronic forms or patient portals.

Systems & Tools

The clinic uses or expects the VMA to work with:

• AdvancedMD for EHR and patient documentation

• Microsoft Teams for internal communication

• Phone services or integrated remote call routing

• Online intake forms and patient portals

• VPN and secure remote-access systems

• Time Doctor

Remote Work Requirements

Candidates must maintain a professional and secure work-from-home environment, including:

• Dedicated private workspace suitable for handling confidential patient information

• Windows PC with approximately Intel i5 or higher, or Mac with M2 or higher

• Stable internet connection of approximately 50 Mbps or higher

• Reliable backup internet connection

• Verified backup power source

• Secondary monitor

• Noise-canceling headset

• Quiet working environment without disruptive background noise

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will be able to create a positive first impression for patients and families while maintaining an efficient intake process.

You should be comfortable speaking with someone who is anxious, overwhelmed, or sharing a difficult personal situation and be able to acknowledge their concerns before professionally guiding them toward the next required step.

Success means that inquiries are addressed promptly, intake requirements are clearly communicated, incomplete cases are consistently followed up, documentation is accurate, and patients who are ready for care move efficiently toward scheduling.