Patient Coordinator

Axle • Bethesda, MD

12d

About The Position

Axle is seeking a Patient Coordinator to support the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Maryland. The role provides logistical, administrative, and patient-coordination support to physicians, nurses, social workers, and other Clinical Center staff. The coordinator facilitates research participant recruitment, screening, appointments, travel, lodging, transportation, and admission, and serves as a point of contact among participants, families, caregivers, clinical staff, NIH personnel, contractors, and other departments.

The position also supports patient records and clinic operations by obtaining outside medical documentation, uploading records to the electronic medical record, maintaining patient files and appointment databases, updating central scheduling calendars, sending reminders, and providing participants with appointment and travel information. The coordinator responds to participant communications, triages questions and concerns to appropriate staff, and maintains ongoing relationships with patients and their support networks.

Additional duties include mentoring and training patient coordinators, developing training materials and programs, supporting quality improvement initiatives and SOP maintenance, monitoring clinic and outpatient clinical-trial processes, troubleshooting scheduling and workflow issues, and preparing tracking reports and spreadsheets. The position may also assist with credentialing packages and documents for new program trainees. Axle describes the role as supporting services and deliverables through performance of support services; duties may extend beyond the listed examples as needed.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences or another related discipline.
• Clear and concise oral and written communication skills.
• Strong customer service focus.
• Knowledge of clinical protocols and medical terminology.
• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage competing priorities successfully.
• Resourcefulness in problem solving.
• Strong interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a team environment.
• Ability to compose correspondence efficiently, prepare reports from raw data, and design, establish, and maintain electronic and paper filing systems.
• Experience scheduling patient appointments and/or travel arrangements and maintaining patient records related to patient care arrangements.
• Proficiency with the MS Office Suite.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate recruitment, screening, scheduling, travel, lodging, transportation, and admission of research study participants with clinical staff.
• Work with staff to coordinate new research patient screening appointments, procedures, and imaging studies between protocol investigators and outpatient clinic scheduling personnel.
• Distribute patient recruitment and communication materials and refer prospective volunteers to the appropriate Institute contact according to study guidelines.
• Serve as a liaison among participants, relatives, caregivers, physicians, nursing, NIH staff, contractors, departments, and other relevant personnel.
• Respond to patient emails, phone calls, and other communications; prioritize issues as urgent, emergent, or routine and route them to appropriate team members.
• Explain policies and procedures to participants and direct questions to appropriate staff.
• Collect outside medical documentation and other pertinent information; scan and upload records, including patient identification and demographic data, into the electronic medical record as appropriate.
• Obtain outside medical records, radiology studies, imaging disks, pictures, and biopsy slides, and submit materials to the appropriate NIH departments for review.
• Maintain patient files, medical records, family contacts, encounter and appointment databases, and filing systems; file medical record notes into patient charts daily.
• Enter and update clinic or physician appointment availability in the central appointment calendar and create reports or spreadsheets to track and schedule protocol patients.
• Provide appointment and travel details to patients, including dates and times, documents to bring, clinic information, hospital maps, and travel and hotel information; send reminders and travel details.
• Arrange patient travel, including NIH-billed lodging, meal reimbursements, and local transportation services.
• Coordinate new patient referrals by obtaining pertinent information and forwarding it for review; communicate with clinical administrative support offices, clinics, and employees about appointment coordination and outside records.
• Prepare and process documents needed to initiate employment and clinical activities for new program trainees rotating from other NIH institutes or outside institutions; may assist with credentialing packages.
• Mentor and coach patient coordinators and train staff on recruitment and coordination processes and procedures.
• Develop training materials, job aids, instructions, and training programs to improve accuracy and performance of patient coordination processes.
• Participate in quality improvement initiatives and maintain standard operating procedures (SOPs).
• Monitor and identify improvement opportunities in the clinic environment and outpatient clinical-trial conduct for patients, families, and staff.
• Monitor workflow and revise processes to maintain and improve operations; work with staff to optimize schedules and staff utilization and resolve overlapping appointments.
• Review future scheduled cases, monitor reports for data validity, and troubleshoot scheduling issues to maximize staff productivity.
• Perform logistical and administrative duties that facilitate patient care provided by physicians, nurses, social workers, and other Clinical Center staff.
• Answer incoming calls and emails and respond to queries and concerns related to core duties in a timely manner.

Benefits

• 100% medical coverage for employees
• 100% dental coverage for employees
• 100% vision coverage for employees
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• 401(k) match up to 5%
• Educational benefits for career growth
• Employee referral bonus
• Flexible spending accounts, including healthcare FSA, parking reimbursement account, dependent care assistance program, and transportation reimbursement account

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time