Medical Practice Assistant

Parkland Health•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

The Medical Practice Assistant provides patient-centered care and operational support to the medical team to promote an optimal patient experience. The role coordinates activities across clinical areas, facilitates patient flow, assists with patient data collection, performs select screenings, and completes medical office functions relevant to the assigned area. The position supports patients and families throughout clinic visits, maintains accurate registration and encounter documentation, coordinates appointments and referrals, and helps manage collections, supplies, equipment, and safety processes. Virtual Care assignments additionally include patient outreach and navigation, electronic health record documentation, and collaboration with a multidisciplinary team to improve access to care.

Requirements

Three years of customer service experience.
Ability to work collaboratively with colleagues to deliver patient and customer services that exceed patient expectations, as reflected in patient satisfaction scores.
Ability to demonstrate competency applicable to the specialty area.
Demonstrated communication skills, including above-average verbal skills for heavy public contact and written skills.
Familiarity with diagnostic ICD-9-CM coding and HCPCS-CPT4 procedure codes.
Working knowledge of medical terminology.
Basic clerical skills and working knowledge of standard office equipment.
Detail orientation and analytical skills to resolve registration issues involving third-party payors, physicians, patients, and systems.
Ability to solve problems within established policies and procedures.
Ability to adjust to multiple demands, shifting priorities, and rapid change.
For Virtual Care assignments, ability to work collaboratively and effectively with patients with serious health conditions and barriers to care.
For Virtual Care assignments, ability to recognize when clinical decision-making should be escalated to appropriate multidisciplinary team members.
For Virtual Care assignments, ability to document in an electronic health record, problem-solve decision-making challenges, and escalate appropriately.
For Virtual Care assignments, confidence using technology, including electronic medical records, video encounters, and computer applications.

Nice To Haves

Customer service experience in a medical, healthcare, or health insurance setting.
Patient registration experience.
Coursework toward accredited medical terminology.
Medical Office Assistant experience or training.
Bilingual skills.

Responsibilities

Coordinate patient service activities with the clinical team and facilitate patient care and flow.
Ensure patient and family comfort, safety, privacy, and confidentiality.
Adapt work methods to patients’ physical, psychosocial, cultural, and age or developmental needs.
Welcome patients and families; provide directions, information, and assistance; keep them informed about wait times and factors affecting visits.
Assess at the end of each visit whether patient needs were met.
For Virtual Care assignments, proactively contact patients using motivational interviewing and caring communication to build relationships, gather information, encourage engagement in healthcare, and follow up on patient-established goals.
For Virtual Care assignments, help patients and families navigate the health system, make appointments, access advocacy and community resources, and set up electronic communication such as email and MyChart.
Coordinate clinic activities and business processes in accordance with applicable standards.
Perform pre-visit activities to gather patient information from internal and external sources and make it available to the clinic team.
Check patients into the clinic and correctly identify them before performing tasks.
Review and update patient accounts; ensure registration and coverage information is complete and current; verify coverage as needed.
Identify and refer patients for financial counseling when appropriate.
Collect upfront payments and receive, verify, and post transactions according to Parkland cash management policies and procedures.
Complete daily reconciliations and ensure cash transactions are accurately handled and deposits are made daily.
Assist with appointments, referrals, and information retrieval; schedule appointments in accordance with clinical team directives and patient preferences and availability.
Perform charge capture and reconciliation so encounters are complete and closed promptly.
For Virtual Care assignments, collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to improve access to care and reduce avoidable organizational utilization.
Document completely, accurately, legibly, and promptly, on paper or electronically; obtain applicable registration and visit documentation and explain requested forms to patients.
Enter and document patient care intake information and, for Virtual Care assignments, patient encounter information.
Assist with clinic supplies and equipment, including stocking, inventory, status updates, and requisition documentation as applicable.
Practice patient safety measures, including proper hand hygiene and infection control; identify, correct, or report safety hazards.
Identify equipment maintenance needs, initiate work orders, remove equipment from patient care areas when appropriate, and notify Environmental Services when additional cleaning is needed.
For Virtual Care assignments, elevate critical incidents and quality-of-care concerns to the multidisciplinary team and participate in performance improvement and quality initiatives.
Meet performance quality measures and participate in unit performance improvement initiatives.
Perform the role at an alternate Parkland location when required by operational needs.