Customer Service Coordinator

Tufts Medicine•Boston, MA

5d•$17 - $21

About The Position

The Customer Service Coordinator is a key communicator who promotes Tufts Medicine’s commitment to superior customer service. The role proactively and reactively seeks solutions to service issues, identifies root causes, and works cooperatively to resolve issues and support successful referral completion. It maintains the flow of information through face-to-face interactions and phone calls, performs routine duties requiring strong computer skills and professional etiquette, and may collect and enter patient registration information. The coordinator reviews scheduled ambulatory visits, verifies insurance coverage and referral authorization for specialty visits, and checks primary care physician information for managed care patients. The position provides customer service intended to promote a positive patient experience and operates under moderate supervision in a normal office environment.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
One year of customer service or call-center experience working in billing, collections, or insurance.
Strong customer-service skills, including excellent interpersonal and telephone skills.
Ability to deal effectively with upset or difficult patients.
Tact when interacting frequently with patients, insurance companies, and staff at all levels.
Understanding of medical terminology.
Thorough knowledge and understanding of healthcare delivery systems, especially referral management for managed-care providers.
Demonstrated organizational skills and attention to detail; ability to perform accurate data entry.
Ability to communicate, read, and write in English.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree.
Three years of customer service or call-center experience working in billing, collections, or insurance.
Bilingual.

Responsibilities

Interact politely and courteously with patients and customers, providing customer service and problem-solving for issues involving housekeeping, transport, or food service requests.
Answer and assess requests, handle them as appropriate, and conduct further research 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 provide follow-up calls as needed.
Receive and record messages for appropriate personnel in accordance with job-scope guidelines.
Monitor phone, fax systems, and mail inquiries for resolution, and resolve or direct returned mail to the appropriate staff member.
Assist with daily operations by coordinating referrals and maintaining communication among referral sources, patients, and the agency.
Obtain or verify complete registration information for patients scheduled within 48 hours of an appointment and for walk-in appointments.
Enter treatment authorization numbers and referral authorization levels into the appropriate fields in the Siemens system.
Interact with billing and collection agencies; identify patient issues, disputes, account holds, and payment-plan questions; assist with resolution; and respond to denials involving incorrect insurance billing, missing referral or authorization, or ineligible dates of service.
Provide requested billing and demographic information by telephone to physicians, ambulance companies, and other partners in accordance with hospital protocol.
Post patient credit-card payments to 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 as required by hospital procedure.