Medical Secretary - Malden Family Practice

Tufts Medicine•Malden, MA

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The Medical Secretary provides administrative and business support for the day-to-day operations of a single medical office site. Responsibilities include routine secretarial and office tasks, ordering supplies, maintaining records, supporting patient registration and scheduling, and coordinating physician support assignments and staffing schedules. The role also handles patient insurance verification, authorizations, billing-related information, and payments. Work is performed under moderate supervision and requires knowledge of routine office procedures and tools, with occasional interpretation or deviation from standard procedures. The position is based at Malden Family Practice, 578 Main Street, Suite 201, Malden, MA 02148. The schedule is 40 hours per week, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The role involves frequent sitting, occasional standing or working, lifting 10–15 pounds, computer keyboard use, and exposure to dust and typical office-like discomforts.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
One year of healthcare experience, including staffing and scheduling.
Computer literacy, including familiarity with word-processing programs and electronic spreadsheets, and ability to learn new applications.
Excellent interpersonal, customer service, and telephone skills.
Tact in frequent interactions with patients, physicians, and insurance companies.
Business skills, including understanding healthcare expenses, billing, revenue, reimbursement models, and their effect on business plans.
Ability to develop recommendations based on analysis, lead teams, and drive decisions.
Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
Knowledge of medical terminology.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision on routine matters.
Ability to prioritize work and remain flexible with work assignments.
Self-motivation.
Ability to sit frequently, stand or work occasionally, and lift 10–15 pounds.
Manual dexterity for computer keyboard operation and ability to see computer screens and read reports.
Ability to hear instructions from physicians and other clinical or nursing staff.

Nice To Haves

Associate’s or bachelor’s degree.
Three years of healthcare experience, including staffing and scheduling.
Medical transcription experience.

Responsibilities

Handle routine administrative duties for the medical office.
Verify insurance at every registration and educate patients about their insurance status.
Complete prior insurance authorizations and pre-certifications for patient procedures.
Communicate with patients about procedure-related financial responsibilities and discuss bad debt or collection history.
Secure money collected during the shift and accurately post collections to patient accounts.
Schedule physician visits, diagnostic procedures, tests, and preventive visits according to established guidelines.
Set up and maintain office records and patient and office files; periodically review them for accuracy and update information.
Obtain insurance billing information from patients and stay current on participating insurers’ policies.
Greet and direct patients, visitors, and vendors, maintaining a professional and welcoming environment.
Receive transcription, laboratory correspondence, and other patient documentation and route it according to office policies and procedures.
Manage existing patient tasks, including scheduling follow-up appointments.
Order office supplies, maintain appropriate supply levels, and assist with equipment care and maintenance.
Register patients in the Practice Management System.
Retrieve medical necessity documentation, ICD-10 codes, and CPT codes and submit them for insurance review.
Communicate with patients, physicians, and insurance companies about authorizations and their status.
Determine procedure costs through order entry or a charge reference manual.
Assess patients’ financial and insurance status and educate them about coverage options, financial assistance, and payment processes.
Collect payments due for procedures or office visits and provide change and/or receipts.
Run the money journal at the end of the shift and reconcile postings with collections.
Submit collected monies to the assigned cashier accountant.
Educate patients about office guidelines.
Plan work schedules for physician support assignments and plan, organize, assign, and direct staffing needs.