Physical Therapy Program Manager

Seneca Nation Health System • Irving, NY

10d

About The Position

The Physical Therapy Program Manager oversees the day-to-day operations of the Physical Therapy program, including appointment scheduling, prior authorizations, referral management, and coordination of patient care. The role supports organizational goals for patient access and throughput, maintains efficient workflows among providers, ancillary departments, and payers, and reduces administrative burden for Physical Therapy providers to help optimize service capacity, patient satisfaction, and quality of care.

The position provides managerial and operational support to the Physical Therapy Department and Chief Medical Officer, including communicating and assessing program goals and workflow measures; maintaining operational files and records; preparing reports; and supporting projects, special clinical events, patient access initiatives, and process improvement programs. It coordinates referrals and insurance authorizations, verifies EHR data with Billing, monitors authorization timelines and referral backlogs, and provides operational metrics and reports for leadership and quality improvement.

The Program Manager serves as a liaison among Physical Therapy, Medical, Billing, external specialists, and other departments. The role protects patient information in accordance with HIPAA, SNHS privacy policies, and applicable accreditation standards; upholds the Seneca Nation Health System mission; and provides care coordination through a trauma-informed lens that emphasizes safety, trust, collaboration, patient empowerment, and cultural sensitivity. The position also maintains meeting minutes, completes required training and competencies, follows applicable policies, and supports cooperative staff efforts and early resolution of workplace conflicts.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in office management, Community Health Services, Healthcare Administration, or a related field.
• At least 3 years of experience in medical office operations, billing, referrals, or health administration.
• Valid driver’s license.
• Must clear a pre-employment drug screen in accordance with the Seneca Nation Drug, Alcohol and Controlled Substance Policy and the required Federal Fingerprint Background Investigation.
• Strong understanding of referral and prior authorization workflows.
• Knowledge of Medicare, Medicaid, commercial insurance, and workers’ compensation regulations.
• Customer service skills appropriate to patients of all ages.
• Excellent computer, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Excellent professional phone etiquette.
• Working knowledge of Physical Therapy terminology, modalities, and frequency and authorization limits.
• Ability to interpret payer guidelines and communicate documentation requirements to providers.
• Ability to multitask effectively in a fast-paced clinical environment.
• Strong attention to detail and high accuracy standards.
• Ability to work independently and collaboratively with multidisciplinary teams.

Nice To Haves

• Knowledge of purchased referred care and referrals policies and processes.
• Prior experience with referral coordination, authorization management, or scheduling.
• Experience with EHR platforms, payer authorization portals, and reporting systems.
• Experience in a large hospital, academic medical center, outpatient health care setting, or Indian Health Service (IHS) or tribal health.

Responsibilities

• Provide managerial support to the Physical Therapy Department and Chief Medical Officer, including communication and assessment of program goals and workflow measures.
• Maintain operational files, including leave requests, purchase requisitions, provider timesheets, non-licensed staff evaluations, and quarterly reports, and perform related operational functions.
• Use computer programs for reports, scheduling, referral tracking, authorizations, productivity monitoring, and daily operational functions.
• Support assigned projects from initiation through completion, including special clinical events, patient access initiatives, and process improvement programs.
• Oversee Physical Therapy appointment scheduling and coordination, including visit prioritization, visit-type optimization, and provider capacity utilization planning.
• Manage referral workflows and ensure accurate documentation and dissemination of relevant health information among SNHS providers, external specialists, and the SNHS Referrals Department.
• Coordinate offsite referrals to hospital settings and community providers and ensure their accuracy.
• Obtain, track, and manage insurance prior authorizations for Physical Therapy services; communicate clinical needs, payer requirements, and authorization outcomes to providers and patients.
• Coordinate and verify EHR data with Billing to resolve discrepancies, support third-party reimbursement, and prevent avoidable claim denials.
• Maintain patient information and records in accordance with HIPAA, SNHS patient privacy policies, and applicable accreditation standards.
• Uphold and promote the Seneca Nation Health System’s mission and represent SNHS positively.
• Support care through a trauma-informed lens, including safety, trustworthiness, transparency, collaborative treatment planning, patient empowerment, and respect for cultural diversity and sensitivity.
• Complete mandatory staff trainings and in-services and maintain required competencies.
• Record meeting minutes and publish a record of minutes for administration.
• Adhere to department, Seneca Nation, and SNHS policies and procedures.
• Promote cooperative staff efforts and seek early resolution of workplace conflicts.
• Track authorization timelines, expiration dates, and referral backlog, escalating risks to leadership when necessary.
• Identify process improvements related to authorization workflows, scheduling templates, payer documentation requirements, and interdepartmental hand-offs.
• Generate operational metrics, productivity data, denial trends, and access reports as requested by leadership for quality improvement and accreditation readiness.
• Serve as the primary liaison among Physical Therapy, Medical, Billing, and external specialists to reduce fragmentation of care.
• Perform other duties as needed.

Benefits

• Health, dental, and vision coverage fully covered for the individual, with a family option available.
• Short-term and long-term disability options.
• Annual vacation and PTO accrued weekly.
• 16 paid holidays per calendar year.
• 401(k) with 5% matching.
• Parental, medical, education, and bereavement leaves.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager