Job Description

Medical Practice Assistant

Primary Purpose

Accountable for providing patient-centered care and operational support to the medical team to ensure optimal patient experience. Coordinates activities across clinical areas and facilitates smooth patient flow. Assists with patient data collection, performs select screenings, and completes medical office functions relevant to the area/assignment.

MINIMUM SPECIFICATIONS

Education

• None

Experience

• Must have three years of customer service experience, preferably in a medical/healthcare/health insurance setting.
• Patient registration experience preferred.
• Prefer completion of coursework towards an accredited medical terminology.
• Medical Office Assistant experience or training is a plus.

Equivalent Education and/or Experience

• Completion of a Parkland Workforce Development Training Program may substitute for the required education and experience.

Certification/Registration/Licensure

Required Tests for Placement

Skills or Special Abilities

• Must be able to work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver patient/customer services that exceed patient expectations as evidenced by patient satisfaction scores.
• Must be able to demonstrate competency required as applicable to the specialty area.
• Must have demonstrated communication skills to include above-average verbal skills (heavy public contact) and written skills. Bilingual skills preferred.
• Must have familiarity with diagnostic ICD-9-CM coding and HCPCS-CPT4 procedure codes.
• Must have working knowledge of medical terminology.
• Must be able to demonstrate basic clerical skills and working knowledge of standard office equipment.
• Must be detail-oriented and have sharp analytical skills to resolve registration issues as related to multiple groups, including third-party payors, physicians, patients, and the system.
• Must be able to solve problems within the guidelines of established policies and procedures.
• Must be able to adjust to multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change.

Virtual Care Only

• Must be able to work collaboratively and optimally with patients with serious health conditions and barriers to care.
• Must be able to recognize and escalate clinical decision-making to appropriate team members of the multidisciplinary team.
• Must demonstrate strength in documenting within an electronic health record with the ability to effectively problem-solve when faced with decision-making challenges and escalate as appropriate.
• Confident with technology, specifically electronic medical records, video encounters, and computer applications.

Responsibilities

Proficiently performs patient service activities in coordination with the clinical team, including but not limited to

• Ensures patient and family comfort, safety, privacy, and confidentiality at all times.
• Adapts work methods to specifically accommodate the population-specific care needs (physical, psychosocial, cultural, age/developmental) of each patient.
• Greets patients and families, making them feel welcome and wanted.
• Assists patients and families with directions, inquiries, and information as requested. Ensures needs are addressed satisfactorily.
• Keeps patients and families informed about wait times and any other factors that may affect the visit.
• Stays cognizant of clinical/area needs to facilitate patient care and flow.
• Assess patient experience at the end of each visit to determine if patient needs were met.

Virtual Care Only

• Proactively outreaches to patients using motivational interviewing, demonstrating effective, caring communication to build patient trust and establish and maintain relationships to gather information, encourage patient self-interest in healthcare, and follow up on patient-established goals.
• Assists patients and families with health system navigation, making appointments, patient advocacy, determination of community resources to reduce barriers to care, and support set-up and initiation of electronic communication modes (email, MyChart, etc.).
• Coordinates clinic/area activities and facilitates business processes in accordance with standards.
• Performs pre-visit activities to gather patient information from internal and external service or entities, ensuring it is available to the clinic team for the visit.
• Checks the patient into the clinic.
• Correctly identify the patient prior to performing tasks.
• Reviews and updates patient accounts to ensure registration and coverage are up to date and complete.
• Confirms or verifies coverage as needed.
• Identifies and refers patients for financial counseling as appropriate.
• Performs upfront cash collections; receives, verifies, and posts money transactions following Parkland cash management policies and procedures. All monies must be accounted for through the patient accounting system and/or the point-of-sale system.
• Verifies and completes daily reconciliations that ensure cash transactions are handled accurately and that deposits are made daily.
• Assists with the process of internal and external appointments, referrals, and information retrieval.
• Schedules appointments in accordance with the clinical team's directives and the patient's desires/availability.
• Performs charge capture and charge reconciliation to ensure encounters are complete and closed in a timely manner.

Virtual Care Only

• Collaborates with a multidisciplinary team to improve patient access to care and reduce avoidable organizational utilization.
• Documents (paper or electronic) completely, accurately, legibly, and timely.
• Ensures applicable documentation is obtained for registration and patient visit.
• Provides an explanation for all requested forms to ensure patient understanding.
• Performs data entry/documentation of patient care intake information.

Virtual Care Only

• Performs data entry/documentation of patient encounter.
• Assists with the maintenance of clinic supplies and equipment.
• Assists with stocking and inventory of supplies, as appropriate.
• Keeps appropriate persons informed of the status of supplies and equipment.
• Completes requisition documentation for supplies, equipment, and services, as applicable.
• Practices patient safety measures and, in association with site leadership:
• Complies with proper hand hygiene (hand washing/hand sanitizer gel/foam use).
• Applies or practices proper infection control methods.
• Identifies, corrects, and/or reports safety hazards at the time of discovery.
• Identifies and/or facilitates maintenance of equipment, initiates work order requests, and removes equipment from the patient care area, as appropriate.
• Informs Environmental Services when additional cleaning activities are needed.

Virtual Care Only

• Elevates critical incidents and information regarding any quality-of-care concerns to the multidisciplinary team.
• Participates in performance improvement and quality initiatives.
• Participates in the unit performance improvement initiatives.
• Meets expected performance quality measures as outlined for area(s) or responsibility.
• Based on operational need, you may be required to perform the role in an alternate Parkland location.