Extra Help - Medical Office Specialist- Surgery

Divisions: Urology, Neurosurgery and Plastic Surgery.

Employees at this level provide patients with a broad range of complex, individualized clerical services. They may function as lead workers or may function independently in a clinical unit. They work under general supervision from higher-level personnel.

1. works independently, maintaining and overseeing all aspects of the reception area to ensure smooth clinic activity flow; evaluates clerical procedures in the patient unit to identify the need for rescheduling routine activities to prevent peak workload periods;
2. registers and enters patient registration into the computerized patient care system by established policies and procedures;
3. coordinates patients' appointment schedules (e.g., contacts patients to confirm appointments, set up return appointments); mails new information to new patients containing directions, appointment confirmations, and required releases;
4. initiates and retrieves medical records (such as emergency room sheets and x-rays) and other source documents either manually or with a computer;
5. initiates, reviews, and monitors clinic service billing to ensure accuracy, completeness, and timeliness;
6. assists in the supervision of student workers, other clerical staff in the clinical unit, and those at the lower level of this series; assigns work priorities according to established schedule or adjusts them as needed;
7. accepts patient payments and maintains necessary receipt logs; may be responsible for balancing cash drawers/registers;
8. establishes and maintains effective procedures for obtaining and maintaining patient unit supplies and equipment; maintains an inventory of equipment and/or supplies; prepares reports as requested by superiors;
9. assists in possible changes in current operating procedures or suggests the development of new ones; keeps staff informed of any additions/deletions/changes in operating procedure/policies in the clinic;
10. serves as a liaison between reception and auxiliary personnel (medical records, laboratory, x-ray, other clinics, and billing/collections);
11. responsible for maintaining a satisfactory physical environment in the patient unit such as ensuring that equipment is properly placed;
12. monitors work flow; trains new staff; is responsible for training permanent, temporary, and backup coverage in all phases of reception work;
13. verifies external referrals to the health care facility;
14. attends informational meetings/seminars for further education on behalf of the reception unit;
15. performs duties at the lower levels of this series;
16. performs other related duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Any one or any combination totaling two (2) years (24 months), from the categories below:

1. College education with coursework in a medical or para-medical field such as nursing assistant, medical assistant, or medical secretary and/or business fields such as business, finance, computer science, public administration, or social science, as measured by the following conversion table or its proportional equivalent: 30 semester hours equals one (1) year (12 months) Associate's Degree (60 semester hours) equals eighteen months (18 months) 90 semester hours equals two (2) years (24 months)
2. Work experience comparable to that performed at the Medical Office Associate level or in other positions of comparable responsibility.