Customer Service Coordinator I

Tufts Medicine • Lowell, MA

4d • $17 - $20 • Onsite

About The Position

This entry-level role supports patient care by guiding patients through the healthcare system, addressing obstacles to care, and delivering responsive customer service. The coordinator is a key communicator who proactively and reactively seeks solutions to service issues, identifies root causes, and works cooperatively to help complete referrals. The position maintains the flow of information through in-person interactions and phone calls and performs routine work requiring strong computer skills and proper etiquette.

The role includes answering inquiries and may involve collecting and recording patient registration information. It also includes reviewing scheduled ambulatory visits and verifying insurance coverage, referral authorization for specialty visits, and primary care physician information for managed care patients. The coordinator answers and dispatches calls, records messages, monitors phone, fax, and mail inquiries, and researches or routes issues to appropriate staff. Additional duties may include assisting with billing questions and disputes, providing information to authorized partners, processing patient credit card payments, and researching self-pay credit balances and refunds.

The position is based at Lowell General Hospital, 295 Varnum Avenue, Lowell, Massachusetts. It is part-time, 24 hours per week, with a 10:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m. schedule. Every other weekend (Saturday and Sunday) and every other holiday are required. The work takes place in a normal office environment and involves frequent contact with patients, physicians, payers, and staff, in person or by telephone.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent is listed as a preferred qualification.
• One year of customer service or call-center experience is listed as a preferred qualification.
• Strong customer-service skills, including excellent interpersonal and telephone skills.
• Ability to deal effectively with upset or difficult patients.
• Tact in frequent interactions with patients, insurance companies, and staff at all levels.
• Understanding of medical terminology.
• Thorough knowledge and understanding of healthcare delivery systems, with particular emphasis on referral management for managed-care providers.
• Organizational skills and attention to detail, including the ability to perform accurate data entry.
• Ability to communicate, read, and write in English.

Nice To Haves

• Bilingual ability.

Responsibilities

• Treat patients and customers politely and courteously, providing customer service and problem solving for housekeeping, transport, or food service requests.
• Answer and assess requests, resolve them as appropriate, and research issues by coordinating with area staff, supervisors, managers, other hospital departments, or the patient advocate office.
• Answer call-center calls and dispatch them to the appropriate service or staff member; receive and transfer calls and make follow-up calls as needed.
• Receive and record messages for appropriate personnel in accordance with the scope of the role.
• Monitor phone, fax, and mail inquiries for resolution and resolve returned mail or direct it to the appropriate staff member.
• Assist with billing and collection matters, including identifying patient issues or disputes, account holds, and payment-plan questions, and helping resolve them.
• Provide requested billing or demographic information by telephone to physicians, ambulance companies, and other partners in accordance with hospital protocol.
• Post patient credit-card payments to the appropriate accounts through the hospital system when requested by telephone.
• Research self-pay credit balances and prepare check refunds, refund credit-card payments through the current system, or transfer payments to other open accounts according to hospital procedures.
• Support the accurate collection and capture of patient registration data and verify scheduled ambulatory visits, insurance coverage, specialty referral authorization, and primary care physician data for managed-care patients.

Benefits

• Competitive salaries and benefits starting on day one.
• 403(b) retirement plan with company match.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Free on-campus parking.
• Career growth opportunities.
• Guaranteed hours and a set schedule.
• Comprehensive Total Rewards package supporting health, financial security, and career growth.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED