Practice Assistant II

Day / BWH Fish Center for Women's Health / Chestnut Hill

Ambulatory Practice Assistant II

• Processes patients arriving for appointments. Verifies appointments, reviews both registration and fiscal database information, updates on-line information as appropriate and issues correct encounter/billing form specific to the patient's appointment. Operates computer terminal and must be proficient in multiple practice management systems.
• Answers incoming telephone calls in a timely fashion. Adhere to organizational and departmental service standards related to telephone access in order to ensure that patients, referring physicians, and other customers can easily access the practice by telephone.
• Appropriately manage all calls, either by working with the customer or by referring the call to the appropriate party. For routine matters, respond directly to customer inquiries without referring the caller elsewhere. This includes responding to inquiries related to the availability of appointments, scheduled appointment dates and times, specialty referrals, parking, directions and general information.
• Maintains all provider clinical appointment schedules according to master schedule and adjusts them in a timely fashion as needed. Schedules patients for appointments within the Specialty Clinic and facilitates appointments for patients to external referral agencies.
• Warmly greets patients upon arrival for appointments and performs administrative tasks necessary to ensure needed information for a successful visit such as availability of the medical record, appropriate forms, referrals and other actions needed to maintain flow of the clinic.
• Coordinates the site-specific patient intake forms and forwards to the appropriate provider. If appropriate, ensures that medical records are in order for the daily appointment schedule.
• Assists with maintaining space and waiting room in an orderly fashion. Maintains supply levels. Carries out daily start-up and shut-down functions
• Collects appropriate co-payment, cash receipt and referrals. Performs reconciliation.
• Directs patients to the appropriate waiting area and provide a brief explanation of what they should expect.
• Monitors the waiting room and related patient flow processes to ensure that patients are appropriately served, including updates on expected wait time. Maintain the waiting area throughout the day to ensure that its appearance meets appropriate customer service and safety standards.
• Prepare for the following day's or upcoming day's patient visits by printing appointment schedules, reviewing the flag status of scheduled patients, and preparing forms and/or other communications indicated or necessary.
• Performs all check-out functions, including but not limited to scheduling follow-up visits within the Specialty Clinic, as well as appointments in other departments and outside the hospital. Provide patients with all necessary documentation associated with upcoming appointments.
• Completes Prior Authorizations as required.
• All other duties as assigned.
• Perform duties under moderate supervision with intermediate to advanced proficiency in administrative skills.
• Act as a super user for scheduling, registration, and billing systems. Provide training and assistance to others in these areas.
• May perform more complex or specialized functions (i.e. surgical scheduling) at highest competency level.
• Utilize knowledge of HMO's, managed care and other third party insurers, and troubleshoot insurance issues as appropriate.
• Assist with training and orienting staff as needed.
• Provide cross coverage as needed.
• Assist with special projects as directed.
• Follow HIPAA guidelines for the management of patient privacy and confidentiality.
• Other duties, as assigned.

Addendum A

BWH Behavioral Competencies

People:
Focus on serving the community through collaboration and respect

Inclusiveness :
Maintain an environment where individuals value and respect differences in all situations.

Stand firm against intolerance and bias to create a welcoming environment and respect all individuals regardless of race, gender identity, ethnicity, language, sexual orientation, age, physical or mental ability, religion, socio-economic status, or national origin.

• Work effectively with others who have diverse perspectives, talents, roles, backgrounds and/or styles
• Contribute to a positive team environment where differences are respected, supported and are free from stereotyping and offensive comments
• Be professional when approached about behaviors that might be perceived as disrespectful

Open Communication:
The ability to effectively articulate and receive information in a clear, concise and timely manner.

• Practice active listening skills
• Foster and maintain an environment that respects open dialogue, differences of opinion, as well as diverse communication styles
• Ensure that information is shared in a clear, accurate, and timely manner using the appropriate communication method for your audience
• Express oneself clearly and professionally in your verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication

Building Collaborative Relationships:

Identifying opportunities and taking action to build relationships between one's area and other areas, teams, departments, units, or organizations to help achieve organizational goals.

• Take initiative to support others and build productive relationships that will lead to a cohesive workplace
• Interact effectively with other team members, departments and customers to accomplish organizational goals

Organizational Awareness:

Understand how one's own work affects the organization as a whole and demonstrate a commitment to the organizational goals.

• Support and respect BWH's mission, vision, values and history
• Understand and recognize how your individual role and department impacts the organization

Self Management:
Accountability, professionalism and commitment to growth and development

Embracing Change:
Demonstrate adaptability and openness to organizational changes needed to improve effectiveness and goals.

• Support and positively participate in organizational and/or job specific changes
• Initiate appropriate action when change is needed
• Be flexible and open to new ideas
• Adapt to shifting priorities

Learning Oriented:

Predisposed to pursue learning opportunities even outside own comfort zone, one stays abreast of new tools and methods, rising to add value and build challenge in current assignments.

• Demonstrate openness to learning from successes and failures
• Recognize and participate in learning opportunities
• Seek and share best practices

Professionalism:
Practice respect for self and others; and adhere to BWH standards, policies, and procedures at all times.

• Adhere to BWH's Code of Conduct, Guide to Ethical Standards, policies and procedures
• Align behavior with the organizational mission and values
• Practice respect in accordance to the BWH standards
• Demonstrate responsibility, reliability, and trustworthiness

Organization:
A commitment to quality, service and exceptional performance

Quality and Safety Focus:
Responsible for meeting standards of performance or outcomes in a safe manner while avoiding risks.

• Align job performance with quality and safety standards (e.g. The Joint Commission, BWH and department specific standards)
• Adhere to established policies and procedures
• Take action to prevent errors
• Identify and report adverse events, errors and incidents

Efficiency and Performance Improvement:
Systematic approach to improve performance by eliminating waste, non-value added activities and variability in processes.

• Participate in process and performance improvement by identifying, analyzing, and enhancing existing processes to achieve better outcomes
• Maximize available resources to achieve performance measures; reduce waste, rework, and work-arounds consistent with one's role

Problem Solving:

Able to gather appropriate data and diagnose the cause of the problem before taking action; and if necessary develop alternative courses of action.

• Recognize actual and potential problems and take appropriate action towards a solution
• Offer assistance, as needed, when a potential problem situation is observed
• Use good judgment to keep manager informed of problems or issues, following department practice

Service Excellence:

Focusing one's efforts towards anticipating, meeting and exceeding the expressed and unexpressed needs or expectations of internal and external customers.

• Apply service standards consistently to present a positive image of BWH to colleagues, health providers, patients, families, and visitors:
• Engage with positive greetings and active listening
• Empathize by expressing understanding
• Educate throughout the information exchange
• Enlist thoughts and ideas from others

General/Administrative Support:

Information Gathering:
Identify and seek information needed to clarify a situation. Ask questions to discover the facts.

• Identify specific information needed to clarify a situation or to make a decision.
• Probe skillfully to get at the facts
• High school diploma or GED required; post-high school education preferred.
• Minimum one year of applicable work experience required.
• Additional training in office systems preferred.

SKILLS/ ABILITIES/ COMPETENCIES REQUIRED:

Technical skills required:

• Knowledge of practice operations and standards.
• Understanding of procedures including filing, copying, scanning, printing, and faxing.

Phone skills:

• Ability to use phone system (answer and screen calls, put on hold), answer routine questions, and give routine information.

Verbal skills:

• Ability to interpret information as appropriate, answer routine questions in the most professional manner, and communicate in a professional, courteous, clear, and concise manner.

Organization Skills:

• Ability to manage work processes in a neat and orderly way and to sort and alphabetize.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks effectively, follow established protocols, and work within systems.

Writing Skills:

• Ability to correspond and communicate with others clearly and effectively in writing (via e-mail, memo, or interoffice note) and to take complete and accurate messages.

System Skills:

• Ability to type and enter data at an entry level. Entry level understanding of applicable systems.
• Understanding of the appropriate use and importance of related forms.
• Basic understanding and use of medical terminology.
• Basic comprehension of insurance types and referral process.
• Basic comprehension of registration and fiscal information.
• Knowledgeable and compliant with all hospital, State, and Federal requirements (where applicable to job performance), including policy and procedures with The Joint Commission and HIPAA.

WORKING CONDITIONS:
Hospital based ambulatory practice. Normal patient environments where there are some exposures to communicable diseases, unpleasant odors, needle, and blood products.

HOSPITAL WIDE RESPONSIBILITIES:

Works within legal, regulatory, accreditation and ethical practice standards relevant to the position and as established by BWH/Partners; follows safe practices required for the position; complies with appropriate BWH and Partners policies and procedures; fulfills any training required by BWH and/or Partners, as appropriate; brings potential matters of non-compliance to the attention of the supervisor or other appropriate hospital staff.

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