Medical Assistant - Belkin Breast Center

Boston Medical Center•Boston, MA

About The Position

The Medical Assistant provides clinical and administrative support in the Belkin Breast Clinic. Under the direction and supervision of a licensed nurse or provider, the Medical Assistant performs appropriately delegated patient-care tasks in accordance with hospital policies, procedures, protocols, and standards of practice. Administrative work includes gathering patient registration information, scheduling appointments, verifying demographic and financial information, and supporting patient flow throughout the ambulatory setting. The role supports patient intake and clinic visits by preparing charts, collecting and documenting patient information, performing delegated clinical tasks, assisting with procedures, communicating findings to the care team, and helping patients complete visits. It also includes registration, appointment scheduling, insurance verification, payment collection, medical-record handling, equipment and supply management, and population-health outreach. The Medical Assistant must protect patient confidentiality, follow safety and infection-control requirements, maintain clinical competencies, and provide respectful, age-appropriate care.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED, plus at least one of the following: successful completion of a medical assistant program; successful completion of the second medical-surgical clinical rotation; or an equivalent combination of education and healthcare-related work experience.
At least two years of previous work experience.
Must pass clinical competency testing.
Ability to effectively speak, read, and write English.
Ability to perform basic math and quantitative measurements.
Excellent customer-service skills and ability to communicate courteously and professionally with patients, the public, staff, outside agencies, and other contacts.
Organizational skills to prioritize and efficiently complete assigned work.
Ability to accurately interpret and use basic medical terminology and abbreviations.
Ability to work independently and make decisions based on department policies and established procedures.
Basic computer proficiency, including accessing, entering, and interpreting computerized data and information.
Ability to maintain strict protocols for confidential or sensitive information.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a clinical setting is preferred.

Responsibilities

Deliver respectful, non-judgmental, non-discriminatory care that protects patient dignity, autonomy, confidentiality, and rights.
Perform delegated patient-care interventions under the direction of a licensed nurse or provider, and communicate task status and patient findings to the care team.
Monitor patient flow, update patients about wait times, notify staff when patients arrive, and escort patients to exam rooms.
Review and prepare charts before visits, identify care needs, and enter orders for labs and tests according to clinic guidelines and protocols.
Assist with intake, including verifying patient identifiers; collecting and documenting vital signs, histories, chief complaints, medications, allergies, smoking status, and immunization information; and updating pharmacy information.
Prepare patients for visits, anticipate equipment and supply needs, administer designated screening questionnaires, arrange refill information, download device data, and alert providers to readiness or abnormal findings.
Collect, label, send, and deliver specimens with appropriate laboratory slips or requisitions.
Recognize emergency or crisis situations and initiate appropriate response actions within the role's scope, promptly notifying licensed staff.
Perform or assist with delegated clinical tasks and technical procedures, which may include vital signs, point-of-care testing, EKGs, phlebotomy, specimen collection, simple dressing changes, suture removal, procedure setup, and other specialty-clinic tasks.
Provide basic skin and patient-equipment care, follow universal precautions and isolation procedures, and arrange for a registered nurse to be present for wound assessment at each dressing change.
Assist licensed staff with minor procedures, including preparing and draping patients and setting up and breaking down simple sterile procedures.
Complete visit-related tasks such as printing disposition forms and patient education materials and assisting with selected prior authorizations under direction.
Clean and decontaminate equipment and instruments; check, restock, assemble, and replace supplies and equipment; report nonfunctional equipment; and prepare supply order forms.
Use population-health registries or other databases to review patient data, conduct preventive-care outreach, remind patients of needed tests or screenings, and print or display registry data.
Perform ambulatory-services duties, including patient registration, appointment scheduling, and copayment collection.
Verify demographic, billing, payment, and insurance information; check whether prior approval is needed; obtain approval when necessary; and enter information into hospital systems.
Inform patients of financial obligations, collect payments according to internal policies, control cash, and direct patients with financial concerns to appropriate staff.
Create or obtain medical records, assign medical-record numbers to new patients, identify suspected duplicate records, maintain files, and screen charts for relevant results and information.
Use computer systems to access and enter patient information, lab results, imaging information, and other requests, and communicate findings to appropriate team members.
Prepare clinic forms and correspondence, handle and deliver clinic mail, coordinate linked appointments, reschedule canceled or bumped appointments, and enter charge and diagnosis codes as directed.
Track borrowed or rented equipment and maintain appropriate equipment logs and records.
Support advanced administrative activities as assigned, including urgent scheduling, billing batches, specialty patient lists, special-procedure areas, equipment audits, inventory, vendor logs, and service requests.
Help orient new staff and serve as a resource to float-pool staff.
Adapt to changing clinic needs, coordinate breaks with the nurse manager or clinic supervisor, work constructively with colleagues, and seek or act on performance feedback.
Participate in staff meetings, quality-improvement and education activities, in-services, and ongoing competency and training requirements.
Follow hospital performance and conduct standards, practice policies, attendance rules, safety requirements, infection-control standards, and applicable regulations.