Front Desk Associate

Ocular Partners•Chicago, IL

6d•$18 - $20

About The Position

Ocular Partners is a well-established physician group specializing in comprehensive eye care. The Front Desk Associate is the first point of contact for patients and visitors and helps create a welcoming environment. The role supports smooth medical-office operations by checking patients in and out, managing communications and appointments, providing information, resolving concerns, and completing administrative tasks while delivering excellent customer service. The position includes accurately entering and maintaining patient information, supporting insurance verification and payment collection, preparing charts, handling records and paperwork, and maintaining patient confidentiality. The associate works with patients, visitors, clinical staff, administrative colleagues, and outside vendors, and may travel to different offices if needed. The listed pay range is $18.00–$20.00 per hour, commensurate with experience.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent years of related experience.
Strong reliability, attendance, and punctuality.
Use sound judgment when responding to inquiries and know when to route inquiries to the next level.
Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
Attention to detail and accurate data-entry and insurance-verification skills.
Strong organizational skills.
Basic understanding of healthcare insurance payors and programs.
Ability to multitask in a fast-paced environment.
Familiarity with HIPAA and privacy laws.
Basic math and cash-handling skills.
Excellent customer-service skills.

Nice To Haves

Nextech/ICP experience is strongly preferred.
At least one year of medical-office experience is strongly preferred.
Understanding of medical terminology.

Responsibilities

Greet patients warmly and verify appointment details.
Collect required documentation, including identification, insurance cards, and referral forms.
Book, confirm, and reschedule appointments.
Verify insurance eligibility and benefit coverage for office visits, procedures, and tests.
Collect copayments and outstanding balances, calculate and communicate patient financial responsibility, and document transactions in the practice management system.
Explain billing procedures.
Enter data accurately into the practice management system and verify existing information.
Prepare charts before clinic as needed, including printing routers and face sheets.
Complete medical-record requests received directly from patients.
Complete assigned appointment-rescheduling queue tasks promptly.
Monitor and complete appointment recall and reminder tasks according to practice SOP.
Answer phones and respond to inquiries.
Relay messages between patients and clinical staff.
Maintain protected health information according to HIPAA/PHI guidelines and maintain patient confidentiality.
Handle paperwork such as consent forms and HIPAA compliance materials.
Interact with internal and external customers in a caring and respectful manner.
Accept deliveries of packages, mail, and other supplies from outside vendors.
Keep the reception area clean, organized, and welcoming.
Provide clear information about services, wait times, and policies.
Address patient concerns professionally and respectfully.
Photocopy and fax records and forms according to established policies and procedures.
Participate in orientation or instruction of new administrative personnel as requested by management.
Complete additional tasks or projects as directed to support the team.
Attend daily huddles and regularly scheduled team meetings.
Participate in onboarding and training new front desk associates and other administrative team members as assigned.
Travel to different offices if needed.