Medical Office Assistant II

Bassett Healthcare Network•Town of Oneonta, NY

53d

About The Position

The Medical Office Assistant serves as the first point of contact for patients within Bassett Healthcare Network and is a key member of the patient-centered care team. The role provides administrative support to ambulatory patient care teams, with an emphasis on excellent customer service, accurate and timely communication, appropriate appointment scheduling, and accurate collection of demographic and financial information. The position may also handle payments, insurance eligibility, and managed care information. Responsibilities span reception and call handling; outpatient registration, scheduling, and referrals; payment collection and cash handling; office support and cross-coverage; patient information handling; and ongoing training. The assistant helps patients navigate their visits, communicates patient concerns to clinical staff, maintains confidentiality, and supports the operation of clinics across the network as requested.

Requirements

Minimum one year of relevant work experience.
Computer skills.
Customer service skills.
Time-management skills.
Ability to maintain confidentiality.
Ability to interact with people.
High school diploma or GED is preferred.
An associate degree is preferred; it may be considered toward one year of relevant work experience.
Minimum one year of customer service experience is preferred.

Nice To Haves

High school diploma or GED.
Associate degree.
Minimum one year of customer service experience.

Responsibilities

Greet patients courteously and provide a welcoming first point of contact, both in person and by phone.
Answer calls promptly using the required greeting, take accurate messages and prescription requests, follow up on patient needs, and maintain availability for incoming calls.
Escalate emergent situations and patient concerns to the supervisor or supervising nurse, and communicate patient issues to providers.
Provide new patients, and qualifying established patients, with welcome and advance directive information; offer patients the opportunity to sign up for MyBassett by phone or in person.
Keep patients informed of provider delays and help them navigate each stage of their visit.
Collect and accurately enter or scan demographic, insurance, financial, and regulatory information for outpatient registration; verify primary care and billing provider information where appropriate.
Schedule and confirm appointments according to patient needs and department guidelines; offer appropriate alternatives and update patient communication preferences.
Review and edit appointment schedules as directed, contact patients about rescheduling when authorized, and confirm appointments using electronic and automated lists.
Process urgent referrals the same day and routine referrals within 24–72 hours; ensure referral information and prior authorizations are complete and documented, and follow up on referred appointments and results.
Work incoming and outgoing referral queues according to departmental standards and take ownership of the overall patient experience.
Inform patients of payments due, receive and receipt payments, and balance the cash drawer according to finance policies and procedures.
Date-stamp, distribute, prepare, mail, index, and scan patient-related documents according to organizational procedures; route medical-record release requests to the appropriate HIM location and process same-day requests for continuity of care as needed.
Maintain office supplies, forms, filing systems, and departmental records; open or close clinics and provide appropriate handoffs where applicable.
Cover other locations or departments as requested and adapt to varying workflows, processes, and policies across the network.
Identify patients using two identifiers and provide appropriate forms based on appointment type or specialty.
Protect patient health information, accessing it only for job responsibilities and discussing it only on a need-to-know basis.
Maintain competency in required clinical information, office automation, insurance, and other job-specific systems and procedures; attend required in-services, training, educational opportunities, and staff meetings.
Perform similar or related duties as requested or directed.