Optometry Assistant – Front Office

Primary Accountability

The Optometry Assistant – Front Office is responsible for supporting efficient patient flow and registration duties while performing various aspects of the optometry front office patient visit.

Description of Primary Responsibilities

1. Responsible for supporting and monitoring patient flow.
   
   1. Scrubs appointments in advance to ensure necessary information is available for patient visit.
   2. Assists in the distribution of patients, including walk-ins.
   3. Makes appropriate assessment of patient's health needs, including assessment for urgent need associated eye injury, collecting symptoms, etc.
   4. Keeps patients informed of wait times and ensures patients are properly flowed in system.
   5. Schedules patient appointments.
2. Responsible for performing various aspects of patient visit during check in.
   
   1. Collects accurate demographics and insurance eligibility information.
   2. Registers new and established patients according to expected workflows.
   3. Captures and updates insurance information in the patient's record.
   4. Completes enrollment and necessary forms for financial programs.
   5. Completes necessary clinical forms required for patient visit.
   6. Ensures forms and insurance cards/eligibility are scanned and indexed appropriately and timely.
   7. Ensures documents within e-fax folders are addressed.
3. Ensures collection of nominal fees and patient balances at the time of check in.
   
   1. Reconciles and deposits all payments collected at the end of the shift.
   2. Generates daily bank deposit and necessary reporting to Finance department.
4. Responsible for obtaining medical record releases, and ensuring the processing of medical record requests.
   
   1. Performs documentation in the patient's electronic health record according to policy and training.
5. Follows procedures for opening and closing the health center or optometry office.
6. May also be required to perform back office duties
7. Performs other duties as assigned.

Description of Primary Attributes

Professional & Technical Knowledge:

1. Possesses work-related skills at a higher level than completion of high school, including formal written and verbal communications skills, computational and computer skills, mathematical, technical or health care related knowledge frequently acquired through completion of a trade school, para-professional, or certificate type program.
2. Two years of Optometry experience preferred.

Technical Skills:

1. Ability to prepare more complex documents in Microsoft Word, including creating tables, charts, graphs and other elements.
2. Ability to use Microsoft Excel to review and compile data, including the use of formulas, functions, lookup tables and other standard spreadsheet elements.
3. Ability to create basic presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint.

Licenses & Certifications: Valid CA driver's license required. 

Communications Skills:

1. Job duties require the compilation of information prepared in effective written form, including correspondence, reports, articles or other documentation.
2. Effectively conveys technical information to non-technical audiences.

Physical Demands: The physical demands here in this job description are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this position, the employee is regularly required to sit and use repetitive hand movement to type and grasp. The employee is frequently required to stand or walk; and occasionally bend waist, twist waist, squat, climb, kneel, reach above shoulder height as well as below shoulder height, and/or move items up to 20 pounds.

Pay Scale:

Min Hourly Rate: $21.00

Max Hourly Rate: $28.60