Business Office Specialist I

Chesapeake Regional Healthcare•Chesapeake, VA

About The Position

Under the direction of the Business Office Manager, the Business Office Specialist performs all forms of office support including, but not limited to Scheduling, Pre-Authorization, and Patient Coordination. This role serves as part of the imaging center team and seeks as well as provides feedback for improved clinical practice. The position involves collaborating with all Imaging Center staff to facilitate timely patient care, greeting patients warmly, assisting technologists with patient care, and serving as a liaison between patients, physicians, and imaging center staff. Responsibilities include handling phone correspondence, scheduling appointments, coordinating orders with daily schedules, performing accurate patient registration, completing collection transactions, answering phones professionally, and managing medical records. The role also requires maintaining knowledge of policies and procedures, compiling data, preparing reports, and potentially managing supply inventory. Ensuring optimal customer service through pleasant communication, prompt phone answering, and empathy is crucial. The specialist will review and document patient information in the EMR, contact patients to confirm appointments, provide exam prep instructions, and forward necessary alerts. Demonstrating the ability to gather and track data for quality assurance and supporting operational goals through communication and collaboration are key. This role may cover absences in various business office functions and handles HIPAA sensitive information. Proficiency in scheduling systems, patient information, insurance verification, and compiling clinical data for insurance companies is necessary. The role involves inputting pre-authorization status, staying current on insurance regulations, performing reviews with insurance carriers, and following up to obtain certification/authorization numbers. Resolution of pre-authorization or referral issues and creating payment arrangement forms for uninsured patients are also part of the duties. Proficiency with office practices, software programs, and equipment is required, along with performing and submitting QA monitor tracking. Special projects may be assigned.

Requirements

High school diploma or general education degree (GED) or 5 or more years of business office experience.

Responsibilities

Performs all forms of office support including, but not limited to Scheduling, Pre-Authorization, and Patient Coordination.
Serves as part of the imaging center team and seeks as well as provides feedback for improved clinical practice.
Collaborates with all Imaging Center staff to facilitate timely patient care.
Warmly greets patients as they enter the Imaging Center with both eye contact and a smile; this includes family members/others accompanying the patient to the Imaging Center.
Assists technologists with patient care, as needed or requested.
Serves as a liaison between all customers, including patients, physicians, and imaging center staff.
Handles phone correspondence, scheduling of appointments, coordinates/assembles orders with daily schedules, and distributes to clinical peers.
Accurately performs registration using Imaging Center (and Medical Center, when applicable) systems in accordance with the Imaging Center’s Standard Operating Procedures; completes registration ensuring patient work flow is optimized.
Completes all collection transactions and documents, per Standard Operating Procedures.
Answers phones, transferring to appropriate contact number/person, while providing the number you are transferring the caller to in a polite, professional manner.
Check-listing and scanning of Imaging Center Medical Records into OIA/RIS Fusion program.
File, fax, and copy material as requested/required.
Maintains working knowledge of Imaging Center (and Medical Center, when applicable) and company policies and procedures.
Maintains records and files, compiles data, and prepares reports.
May perform supply inventory management and/or medical record management.
Researches requests and provides support to resolve and answer.
Ensures optimal customer service to all patients, peers, etc., by maintaining a pleasant tone of voice in all situations, answering the phone as quickly as possible (within 3 rings), answering all questions, portraying empathy at all times and by returning phone calls as quickly as possible.
Reviews and documents allergies and lab results in EMR on patient schedule.
Contacts patient to confirm appointment date, arrival time, and location.
Provides patient exam prep instructions and answers, or seeks answers to patient questions.
Completes and forwards all necessary nursing, CT, MR, and Fluoroscopy alerts to the appropriate personnel.
Demonstrates the ability to gather and track data for quality assurance.
Supports the operational goals of the center through consistent communication and collaboration with members of the Imaging Center's interdisciplinary team.
Covers absences of all areas of the Business Office including, but not limited to, Scheduling, Pre-Authorization, and Patient Coordinator.
Handles HIPAA sensitive information and recognizes importance of these regulations.
Proficiently maintains and uses knowledge of scheduling systems, patient information and insurance verification requirements and processes.
Compiles and communicates accurate and pertinent clinical data and demographics to the patient's insurance company.
Inputs information into computer system(s) regarding pre-authorization status.
Keeps current on insurance regulations to obtain and record patient data; and maintains knowledge of system requirements.
Performs telephonic/fax/online review of admission/procedures to insurance carriers.
Follow-up with insurance carriers to obtain certification/authorization numbers for outpatient services.
Performs on-line data entry of certification/authorizations or denials.
Facilitates resolution of pre-authorization or referral issues for scheduled patients and same day add-ons to ensure payment from the insurance company on the patient’s behalf.
Creates payment arrangement forms for uninsured patients and effectively communicates payment requirements to patients.
Proficiently maintains and uses knowledge of office practices, software programs, and office equipment including, but not limited to, fax machines, computers, and printers.
Performs required QA monitor tracking utilizing designated spreadsheets and completes monthly summary for submission to Supervisor.
Supports the operational goals of the center through consistent communication and collaboration with members of the Imaging Center leadership.
May perform special projects that require additional training and skills, as assigned.