Patient Relations Specialist 1

Evergreen Health•Buffalo, NY

12d

About The Position

The Patient Relations Specialist 1 serves as the primary dual-channel first point of contact for the organization, responsible for both welcoming in-person visitors and managing high-volume inbound telephone calls, enhancing patient experience. They combine warm reception, clear direction and efficient call-handling. They provide exceptional patient care by taking ownership of each interaction promptly and greeting all in a friendly, professional manner. Understanding what is important to each patient or visitor, they direct individuals to correct areas of the organization, transfer calls to appropriate parties as needed, and provide general information obtained from a variety of sources to field questions directly.

Requirements

high school diploma or GED
at least one year of phone operator or customer service experience preferred
strong verbal and written communication skills
awareness of and sensitivity to the issues and health disparities faced by underserved populations is essential

Nice To Haves

bilingual English and Spanish strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Ensures a positive patient experience while acting as the primary point of contact either by phone or in person
Rotates between in-person/front desk and phone operator support stations
Assists callers in identifying needs and directly transfers calls to appropriate front desk areas/departments or uses interoffice software to determine availability of staff and notifies individuals so they have time to prepare to speak with callers
Retrieves voicemail messages from the phone system daily and in a timely manner, replying directly to caller or routing messages to appropriate individuals
Welcomes all patients, potential patients, and visitors in the lobby, working closely with the Security team to ensure everyone is properly directed to scheduled or non-scheduled appointments/areas
Reaches out to departments or individuals announcing prospective new patients wishing to learn about or enroll in services and/or any potential visitors
Performs database retrieval for staff directory information (Microsoft Teams, Ring Central, EMR (Medent) and patient look-up software (Dundas) used for general patient information including upcoming appointments, care teams and enrolled programs
Dispenses general information obtained from a variety of sources to field questions regarding locations, departments, phone numbers, operational hours, available services, etc.
Works closely with the City/Public Safety Department as needed by contacting them during emergency or non-emergency situations knowing what immediate and follow-up action to take when an emergency call is required.