UNIV- Administrative Assistant - Department of Ophthalmology

Medical University of South Carolina•Charleston, SC

About The Position

The Administrative Assistant provides comprehensive administrative and operational support to 4–5 full-time physicians in a high-volume medical clinic. This role is responsible for ensuring efficient clinic operations, accurate scheduling, timely patient communication, and coordination across clinical, financial, referral, and operating room teams. The Administrative Assistant serves as a key liaison between physicians, staff, patients, and leadership, ensuring compliance with departmental policies, access-to-care standards, and revenue cycle requirements.

Requirements

A high school diploma and two years' work experience that is directly related to the area of employment.
A bachelor's degree may be substituted for the related work experience.

Nice To Haves

Prior administrative experience in a medical or healthcare setting preferred.
Proficiency with EPIC or similar electronic medical record systems strongly preferred.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
High level of professionalism, confidentiality, and attention to detail.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced clinical environment.
Demonstrates flexibility and a positive attitude when adapting to new tasks, responsibilities, and evolving workflows.

Responsibilities

Clinic and Schedule Management Provide direct administrative support to 4–5 full-time physicians.
Review clinic schedules one week and three business days in advance to identify mis-scheduled patients or template issues.
Notify patients of mis-scheduled appointments and assist with correct rescheduling.
Manage physician clinic templates, including template changes and overbook approvals.
Work with registration on how to schedule physicians and their scheduling parameters.
Schedule patients that registration or the PAC are having difficulty scheduling.
Prepare, submit, and track all clinic change requests and approvals to ensure timely processing.
Coordinate clinic cancellations, ensuring all cancellations are requested and finalized a minimum of 45 days in advance of the clinic date.
Utilizing Qgenda and/ or CCR form. Release holds ahead of clinic date.
Review schedules against the Master schedule to avoid any scheduling errors.
Serve as the liaison between physicians, scheduling teams, and clinic staff to ensure clinic efficiency and access to care.
Independently performs other administrative duties as needed with the ability to handle all routine situations with expertise.
Must know how to use discretion and tact in dealing with faculty, colleagues, and patients.
Ability to recognize a potential problem and find a solution with minimal supervisor assistance.
Excellent interpersonal as well as customer service skills.
Demonstrate proficiency in all required Department of Ophthalmology and MUSC applications, including QGenda, CCR, EPIC, Excel trackers, and other systems necessary to support operational and administrative functions.
Monitor and manage EPIC In Basket messages, including but not limited to phone messages, staff messages, CC’d charts, patient advice notifications, and referral messages.
Ensure all incoming phone messages (direct and EPIC-based) are addressed within 1–2 business days.
Document all patient communication attempts in EPIC using a telephone encounter.
Make a minimum of two documented attempts to reach patients when required.
Handle all phone calls in a professional, courteous manner, providing timely follow-up through resolution.
Sign into the Cataract Referral Queue to answer patient calls and schedule new cataract consultation appointments.
Ensure all cataract-related calls received during business hours are answered on the same business day.
Respond to after-hours calls (received after 5:00 p.m.) on the following business day.
Schedule all in-office procedures for assigned physicians.
Notify patients of any applicable elective or out-of-pocket fees prior to procedures.
Log elective fee information on the designated elective surgery Excel tracking form for Financial Counseling review and collection.
Coordinate with Referral and Financial Counseling teams to ensure referrals, authorizations, and financial clearances are in place prior to procedures.
Communicate with revenue cycle teams regarding elective services, billing concerns, and payment issues.
Oversee and support Financial Assistance Program (FAP) and Coordination of Benefits (COB) requests as applicable.
Work collaboratively with the Operating Room scheduling team to resolve scheduling conflicts and concerns.
Partner with physicians, residents, faculty, administrative leaders, and clinical teams to support clinical operations.
Handle all correspondence, including patient letters, physician requests, vacation requests, clinic cancellations, and travel itineraries.
Prepare and submit all required approval forms related to correspondence and scheduling.
Manage physicians’ calendars, office files, surgery schedules, certifications, and licensure documentation.
Schedule and coordinate meetings and other group activities as needed.
Respond to or route routine internal and external inquiries using independent judgment and appropriate messaging.
Independently perform additional administrative duties as assigned by the Department Administrator.
Demonstrate discretion and tact when working with faculty, colleagues, and patients.
Work with community partners to schedule patients as requested.
Adapt to changing priorities, including the implementation of innovative processes and additional responsibilities as operational needs change.
Identify potential issues proactively and implement solutions with minimal supervisory guidance.
Maintain excellent interpersonal, organizational, and customer service skills.
Crosstrain in additional medical specialties to ensure continuity of operations when coverage is needed.
When covering for another team member, assume full responsibility for their daily duties and assigned tasks.
Assist with Training front desk on clinic scheduling
Any of other duties as assigned by Administrative Supervisor and or Department Administrator.