Radiation Oncology Clinical Associate

Center for Neurosciences•Tucson, AZ

1d•Onsite

About The Position

This nonexempt position will provide direct patient care, conduct patient education, triage phone calls, and will assist physicians in the evaluation, workup, management, assessment and care of patients undergoing radiation therapy. The role involves participating in weekly chart rounds, obtaining prior radiation records, performing chart prep, verifying visit notes, assisting with transitions between healthcare settings, and providing resources for financial hardship, community support, housing, and transportation. The Clinical Associate coordinates care with various oncology and support services, documents in EMRs, manages inventory, and serves as the primary point of contact for patients. They communicate messages, coordinate concurrent chemo, monitor physician team lists, scan medical records, and alert physicians to patient special needs. The position also involves processing medication orders and refills, documenting all activities, managing phone calls and faxes, communicating treatment plans, assessing patient needs, and managing complex multi-set patient orders. They act as a liaison between multidisciplinary oncology teams, submit electronic orders, conduct physical and psychosocial assessments, and record patient data. The role requires demonstrating exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, managing multiple changing priorities, assisting clinicians and nurses in providing medical care, and utilizing specialized knowledge for an excellent patient experience. Depending on the specific role (Back Office or Front Office), additional responsibilities include creating financial liability estimates, promoting wellness, following OSHA guidelines, completing weekly OTV chart prep, creating PSA packets, sending notes and treatment summaries, coordinating simulation scheduling, obtaining imaging studies, monitoring concurrent chemo patients and labs, setting up and cleaning exam rooms, triaging side effects, greeting patients, checking in patient intake information, screening and scheduling patients, verifying referrals, processing incoming referrals, assisting with scheduling various procedures, checking EMRs for accuracy, sending patient letters, maintaining payment schedules, confirming insurance, requesting prior authorization, and assisting with back office MA duties when necessary.

Requirements

High school diploma
Minimum of three years of experience in Radiation Oncology
Current certification as a Medical Assistant
BLS certification
Knowledge of radiation therapy
Knowledge of radiation safety protocols
Knowledge of clinical practice principles and techniques, occupational health and safety hazards and standards, and health care laws and regulations
Knowledge of budgetary, supervisory, human resources, and quality-improvement principles and techniques
Knowledge of clinical state-of-the-art advancements and trends in health care
Skill in applying and modifying, as appropriate, the principles, methods, and techniques of professional nursing
Skill in identifying problems, researching, and recommending solutions
Skill in developing and maintaining high level of quality care/quality assurance
Skill in exercising high degree of initiative, judgment, discretion, and decision making
Ability to work in team based work setting which places high patient satisfaction as the major focal point for measuring success
Ability to communicate effectively verbally and in writing
Ability to work effectively with diverse individuals at all levels of the medical practice
Ability to handle many tasks simultaneously and deal effectively with changing priorities
Ability to demonstrate full range of motion including handling and lifting patients, manual and finger dexterity, and eye–hand coordination

Nice To Haves

Some college
MA Certification
ACLS certification
PALS a plus
Bilingual (Spanish) highly preferred

Responsibilities

Participates in weekly chart rounds to ensure case management items are presented.
Obtains prior radiation records.
Performs chart prep for both physicians and Nurse Practitioner.
Verifies visit notes are sent to referring provider and PCP.
Assists with transition between health care settings.
Assists with financial hardship resources.
Provides community resources (support groups, housing, transportation, etc).
Addresses barriers to care and involves appropriate resources as necessary.
Coordination of care with Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology, Neuro Oncology and other support services.
Documentation in both the CNS EMR (ECW) and Rad Onc EMR (Aria).
Inventory management for clinical and administrative supplies.
Serves as primary point of contact for Radiation Oncology patients.
Communicates messages to the rest of the healthcare team.
Coordination of concurrent chemo.
Monitors and updates physician team list.
Scans incoming medical records.
Alerts the physician of any special needs that the patient may have (interpretation services, etc.)
Adheres to all meaningful use workflows.
Processes medication orders as directed by the physician.
Obtains approval from physicians for medication refills.
Documents and records all activities, interventions, patient and family responses, medications dispensed/prescribed in each patient’s medical chart.
Answers phone calls and triages messages for the physician.
Returns patient phone calls as necessary.
Checks voicemail throughout the day and returns calls in a timely manner.
Notifies patients of test results as directed by the physician.
Manages incoming and outbound faxes.
Communicates treatment plan details and follow-up care plan with patient.
Assesses patient and family needs and provides education.
Manages complex multi-set patient orders.
Serves as a liaison between both internal and external multi-disciplinary oncology teams.
Submits electronic orders into practice EMR for procedures on behalf of physician in response to written order in Radiation Oncology EMR.
Conducts physical and psychosocial assessments of patient and provides physician with information prior to seeing the patient.
Knowledgeable of reimbursement procedures and documentation requirements.
Records patient data prior to each physician visit, including but not limited to; vital signs, height, weight, allergies, and medication changes.
Accurately records all MIPS measures.
Demonstrates exceptional interpersonal and communication skills.
Demonstrates the ability to manage multiple changing priorities in an organized fashion.
Responsible for assisting clinicians and nurses in providing medical care as well as implementation and evaluation of direct patient care.
Utilizes specialized knowledge, judgement and skills to provide an excellent patient experience.
Acts as a chaperone when needed.
Uses Universal Precautions at all times and personal protective equipment as needed.
Responsible for prioritization of patient flow through clinical processes.
Prioritizes and organizes data from multiple sources to provide the patient and family with updates on patient status.
Coordinates office visits and treatments when the patient is in an inpatient facility, including hospitals, skilled nursing facilities or hospice.
Creates and presents financial liability estimates for patients through financial counseling sessions.
Promotes wellness and recommends community resources to meet patient and family needs.
Follows OSHA guidelines when handling biohazardous waste and any other material potentially infected with a blood borne pathogen.
Adheres to safety guidelines and maintains patient confidentiality.
Completes weekly OTV chart prep.
Creates PSA packets.
Sends weekly OTV notes to Medical Oncologist.
Sends treatment summaries to all doctors on care team.
Coordination of simulation scheduling.
Obtains imaging studies for fusion and treatment planning.
Monitors and updates simulation spreadsheet.
Concurrent chemo patient monitoring.
Monitors labs weekly and records data in spreadsheet in Aria.
Sets up exam rooms for patient care.
Cleans exam rooms, instruments, and equipment between patient visits.
Checks for expiration dates on supplies and places orders as necessary.
Triages side effects of on-treatment patients and relays pertinent information to physicians.
Greets patients on the phone and in-person in a warm, cheerful and professional manner.
Checks in all consult and follow up patient’s intake information including but not limited to: Demographics, Medical/Surgical History, Current Medication List, Allergies, and Family History.
Professionally answers phone in a timely manner that meets departmental protocols.
Accurately screens and schedules patients with an interdisciplinary team focus.
Looks up patients in applicable EMR, obtains required information on patient’s insurance, collects co-pays and schedules appointments.
Verifies outgoing referrals are accurate and match the physician orders.
Processes all incoming referrals and obtains all supporting documents and images.
Assists with scheduling patients for radiation oncologist, CT sims and radiation therapy as well as scheduling and/or authorization for other outside procedures such as MRI and nuclear medicine exams.
Checks EMRs for accuracy and obtains additional information as needed to process patients and insurance payments.
Sends letters to patients when unable to contact them by phone with pertinent information.
Consistently performs administrative tasks related to clinical services.
Maintains payment schedule of on-treatment patient’s financial liability and weekly payment plan.
Confirms insurance coverage and demographics.
Requests prior authorization as needed.
When necessary, helps with back office MA duties including rooming patients, patient assessments, and patient education.
All other duties as assigned