Administrative Retinal Assistant

Tenet Healthcare Corporation•Marietta, GA

About The Position

This role involves a variety of administrative and patient coordination tasks within an ophthalmology practice. The Administrative Retinal Assistant will manage patient records, schedule appointments and procedures, facilitate communication with patients and outside physicians, and support the surgical scheduling process. Key responsibilities include handling paperwork, advising patients on instructions and financial responsibilities, verifying insurance, and ensuring all necessary documentation is complete and accurate for patient care and surgical readiness. The position requires strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to communicate effectively in English.

Requirements

Ability to speak, understand, and write fluent English.
Knowledge of correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Proficiency in alphabetizing and spelling.
Ability to write legibly.
Ability to calculate mathematical formulas.

Responsibilities

Coordinates paperwork and medical record charts.
Directs patients to other services as needed.
Brings to the attention of Lead Technician issues such as patient concerns.
Assists with mailing physician dictation and no-show letters.
Takes messages; creates tasks for Technician-On-Call (TOC) and doctors as needed.
Cancels and reschedules appointments as necessary.
Advises patients of any special instructions and directions.
Schedules patients for subsequent diagnostics or procedures (VF, OCT, photos, lasers).
Facilitates communication with outside physicians (consultants, referring, and primary care).
Assists in returning patient telephone calls by the end of the day.
Sends Fast Faxes.
Makes copies as needed.
Reviews TOC logs for completeness and closes them out as appropriate.
Under physician guidance, completes e-prescription refills.
Assists in tracking lab/diagnostic tests and placing documentation in the chart.
Tracks consult requests and follows up with patients to ensure consult is obtained.
Places written consult results on the front of the chart for physician review and signature.
Monitors physicians’ and optometrists’ office and surgery schedules, communicating arising issues (e.g., overbooking errors, need for template changes) with appropriate personnel and management.
Supports the physician’s surgery schedule to ensure readiness of charts several days prior to surgery.
Provides and documents financial counseling to patients when appropriate.
Maintains an accurate surgical schedule for surgeons as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Communicates with patients regarding scheduling, pre-op and post-op testing and visits, insurance benefits, surgical consents, facility ownership disclosure, transportation requirements, financial responsibilities for in-network/out-of-network charges, completing notice of exclusion from Medicare/Health Plan benefits for non-covered services, and Capital One Financing options.
Returns all patient phone calls within 4 hours.
Maintains communication with patients and properly documents all conversations as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Keeps a log of all pending surgery patients.
Acquires all surgical clearance in a timely manner.
Keeps the doctor updated on any delays or concerns regarding a pending surgery.
Utilizes EMR tasking when notifying doctors and staff.
Coordinates all emergency add-on surgery patients.
Contacts facilities for scheduling as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Arranges for pre-op testing as needed as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Schedules pre-op visits as outlined in company standards and guidelines (emergent procedures only).
Verifies all insurance plans/benefits and re-verifies insurance within the same calendar month as the date of surgery if scheduled prior.
Accepts co-payments, co-insurance amounts, and deductibles for MEC and MES.
Maintains a 5% or less error rate for emergent procedures.
Checks pre-certification requirements on all patients as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Submits predetermination of benefits letters for medical necessity as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Enters accurate alerts in Nextgen regarding benefits and payments/payment intentions, maintaining a 5% or less error rate.
Submits full and completed paperwork to ASC as soon as possible, maintaining a 5% or less error rate.
Follows Add-on/Schedule change guidelines for all cases scheduled 1 week prior to surgery, maintaining a 5% or less error rate.
Reviews cases and submits payment log 1 week prior to surgery for payment, maintaining a 5% or less error rate.
Cross-trains with co-workers to prepare for time off and provide clinical coverage for teammates.
Maintains patient confidentiality at all times.
Attends required meetings.
Reviews appropriate reports on a regular basis as outlined in company standards and guidelines.
Actively participates in all quality improvement efforts initiated by MEC.