Referral Specialist

Mountain Area Health Education Center - MAHEC•Asheville, NC

3d•$24•Onsite

About The Position

PRIMARY ACCOUNTABILITY Provides business office support to the providers and patients of MAHEC Family Health Centers, MAHEC OBGYN, MAHEC Internal Medicine, and MAHEC’s Center for Psychiatry and Mental Wellness. Primary duties include following up and tracking of outgoing, external referrals in a timely manner, as ordered by MAHEC providers. Reviewing patient electronic health records to determine the status of referrals, obtain appropriate documentation on appointments, and maintain open lines of communication between referrals team, ordering providers, and offices to which referrals are sent. SPECIFIC RESPONSIBILITIES Daily Management of Referrals and Patient Appointment Follow Up Manage and prioritize follow up on outgoing referrals by processing outgoing referrals and monitoring the referral queue daily. Obtain prior authorizations as needed to complete the referral. Schedule appointments for tests, procedures, and consultations for specialty offices outside of MAHEC. Provide patient with appointment date, time, location, and contact number for referral provider. Inform patient of specific instructions or preparations to follow in relation to the referral appointment Conduct follow up by reaching out to specialty offices to obtain referral status and facilitate receipt of accompanying documentation on specialty office appointments. Manage incoming calls from patients and clinicians in regards to all referral updates, changes, or confirmations. Ensure MAHEC providers receive appropriate documentation on outgoing referrals ordered. Enter updates in EHR on appointments for tests, procedures, and consultations for specialty offices outside of MAHEC. Maintain accurate records of contact attempts, correspondence, and referral processing and follow up activities in the EHR, and other established tracking systems. Other duties as assigned by the Referrals Team Lead, and Manager of Health Information Management and Referrals. This job description is a general description of the essential job functions, and is not intended to describe all the duties a Referral Specialist may perform.

Requirements

High School Diploma or equivalent, at least (2) years of relevant experience in a medical office or hospital setting, or a comparable equivalent of combined education and experience required.
Basic typing, Microsoft Office Suite, (Outlook, Excel, Word, PPT), and data entry required.
Strong verbal, oral, and written communication skills, including collaborative, professional, and courteous interactions with patients and staff required.
Must actively support MAHEC’s work philosophy and continuous quality improvement activities.
Must be a team player, while also working independently.
Must be able to work collaboratively with all individuals with whom contact is made with on a daily basis.
Must demonstrate appropriate patient centered service approach during all interactions with patients and providers.
Must have a good understanding of medical terminology.
Must demonstrate appropriate judgement in handling daily workload decisions.
Requires the ability to appropriately and professionally handle multiple competing priorities, and work effectively under pressure.
Must demonstrate discretion in dealing with medical, financial, and personal information as it relates to the position.

Nice To Haves

Strongly prefer individual with working knowledge of medical terminology, referral or scheduling experience, and/or experience working with major health insurance carriers.
Fluency in Spanish also a plus.
Prior call center experience helpful, but not required.
Allscripts EHR experience preferred.
Spanish bilingual strongly preferred

Responsibilities

Manage and prioritize follow up on outgoing referrals by processing outgoing referrals and monitoring the referral queue daily.
Obtain prior authorizations as needed to complete the referral.
Schedule appointments for tests, procedures, and consultations for specialty offices outside of MAHEC.
Provide patient with appointment date, time, location, and contact number for referral provider.
Inform patient of specific instructions or preparations to follow in relation to the referral appointment
Conduct follow up by reaching out to specialty offices to obtain referral status and facilitate receipt of accompanying documentation on specialty office appointments.
Manage incoming calls from patients and clinicians in regards to all referral updates, changes, or confirmations.
Ensure MAHEC providers receive appropriate documentation on outgoing referrals ordered.
Enter updates in EHR on appointments for tests, procedures, and consultations for specialty offices outside of MAHEC.
Maintain accurate records of contact attempts, correspondence, and referral processing and follow up activities in the EHR, and other established tracking systems.
Other duties as assigned by the Referrals Team Lead, and Manager of Health Information Management and Referrals.