Medical Assistant – Front Office

Family HealthCare Network • Bakersfield, CA

16h • Hybrid

About The Position

The Medical Assistant – Front Office is responsible for supporting efficient patient flow and registration duties while performing various aspects of the front office patient visit. This role involves supporting and monitoring patient flow, preparing appointments in advance, assisting with patient distribution (including walk-ins), assessing patient health needs (e.g., taking temperature, collecting symptoms), and keeping patients informed of wait times. The position also includes scheduling appointments, checking patients in, collecting demographics and insurance information, registering patients, updating insurance details, completing enrollment forms for financial programs, and ensuring necessary clinical forms are completed. Additionally, the role requires scanning and indexing forms and insurance information, addressing e-fax documents, collecting fees and patient balances, reconciling payments, generating daily bank deposits and financial reports, and processing medical record releases. The Medical Assistant will also perform documentation in the electronic health record, follow opening and closing procedures, and may be required to perform back office duties or maintain the mobile health unit. Responsibilities for the mobile health unit include weekly cleaning, restocking, managing septic tanks and refueling, driving the unit to various locations (including after-hours and weekends), maintaining vehicle logs, assisting passengers, reporting vehicle issues, and cooperating with inspections. Adherence to the Attendance and Absenteeism Policy is crucial, as is the ability to work at any FHCN location as needed. Other duties as assigned.

Requirements

• Possesses work-related skills at a higher level than completion of high school, including formal written and verbal communications skills, computational and computer skills, mathematical, and technical skills.
• Proof of completion of high school with a minimum overall GPA of 2.5 or completion of General Educational Development (GED) with a minimum overall score of 162.5, and health care related knowledge frequently acquired through completion of a trade school, para-professional, or certificate type program.
• If an individual has completed a degree at a higher level than required by the role and had a stronger GPA in that program, they may provide proof of GPA from that degree in lieu of the high school diploma.
• Two years of experience or successful completion of a medical assistant externship with Family HealthCare Network.
• Ability to prepare more complex documents in Microsoft Word, including creating tables, charts, graphs and other elements.
• Ability to use Microsoft Excel to review and compile data, including the use of formulas, functions, lookup tables and other standard spreadsheet elements.
• Ability to create basic presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint.
• Job duties require the compilation of information prepared in effective written form, including correspondence, reports, articles or other documentation.
• Effectively conveys technical information to non-technical audiences.

Nice To Haves

• Clinical Medical Assistant Certification from a teaching institute is preferred; for some locations, Administrative Medical Assistant Certification (or equivalent certification, including business, billing, coding) from a teaching institution may be considered.
• MA Certification from a medical doctor will be considered.

Responsibilities

• Supporting and monitoring patient flow.
• Scrubs appointments in advance to ensure necessary information is available for patient visit.
• Assists in the distribution of patients, including walk-ins.
• Makes appropriate assessment of patient’s health needs, including taking temperature, collecting symptoms, etc.
• Keeps patients informed of wait times and ensures patients are properly flowed in system.
• Schedules patient appointments.
• Performs various aspects of patient visit during check in.
• Collects accurate demographics and insurance eligibility information.
• Registers new and established patients according to expected workflows.
• Captures and updates insurance information in the patient’s record.
• Completes enrollment and necessary forms for financial programs.
• Completes necessary clinical forms required for patient visit.
• Ensures forms and insurance cards/eligibility are scanned and indexed appropriately and timely.
• Ensures documents within e-fax folders are addressed.
• Ensures collection of nominal fees and patient balances at the time of check in.
• Reconciles and deposits all payments collected at the end of the shift.
• Generates daily bank deposit and necessary reporting to Finance department.
• Obtains medical record releases, and ensures the processing of medical record requests.
• Performs documentation in the patient’s electronic health record according to policy and training.
• Follows procedures for opening and closing the health center.
• May also be required to perform back office duties.
• May also be responsible for maintenance of the mobile health unit.
• In charge of weekly cleaning and restocking of mobile health unit, dumping septic tank and refueling the vehicle.
• Drives mobile health unit to and from various designated locations (as often as multiple times per day, after-hours, and on weekends).
• Maintains all vehicle logs and any DMV records as required.
• Assists disabled passengers and children into and out of vehicle.
• Immediately reports to supervisor any vehicle safety, maintenance and hazard issues.
• Cooperates with any 3rd party official or employee assigned to vehicle inspections.
• Adheres to the Attendance and Absenteeism Policy.
• Ability to present to and work at any FHCN location, both at the beginning of a shift or during a shift, based on business need.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

What This Job Offers

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