Referral Specialist - Department of Surgery

UIOWA•Iowa City, IA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The University of Iowa Health Care, Department of Surgery is seeking a patient-focused Referral Specialist to support our department. This position is responsible for obtaining and organizing external medical records, outside labs, scans, and other needed information following referrals to ensure continuity of care within the assigned clinic. The primary role involves reviewing external referrals and coordinating communication between internal and external providers to facilitate timely and accurate information exchange. The Referral Specialist acts as a liaison between patients and the clinic, anticipating patient needs and advocating on their behalf using independent judgment to address requests and concerns. The role requires maintaining departmental standards of quality, professionalism, and service excellence while providing mentorship, coaching, and serving as a role model to peers. In addition, the position may include participation in special projects or attendance at meetings as a subject matter expert on referral scheduling.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience in a health-related field, such as Health Information Management, or experience and in-depth knowledge of health care systems in order to provide services that support care delivery.
1+ year administrative experience.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to work well within a multi-disciplinary team and collaborate effectively with internal and external customers, as well as colleagues at all institutional levels.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office products and database applications.
Strong organizational and multitasking abilities.
Strong critical thinking skills and ability to problem-solve.
Ability to work collaboratively in a team-oriented environment while managing own work autonomously.

Nice To Haves

Minimum of one year of experience in a supervisory or leadership role.
Minimum one year experience collaborating with interdisciplinary teams.
3+ year of customer service experience.
Knowledge of medical terminology.
Experience with hospital operations and/or Ambulatory Clinic operations.
Previous experience with reports through Epic and/or PowerBi.
Experience with the Epic System or other EMR.

Responsibilities

Responsible for communication with appropriate clinical department(s) to minimize delays in the referral process, including managing and monitoring the external referral WQ and ensuring appropriate medical records are requested and received.
Gather all records of testing for new established UI Health Care patients by contacting referring provider’s office for referral form/notes/imaging and other records.
Act as a liaison between patients and internal and external healthcare providers to facilitate smooth and effective communication.
Will include making outbound calls for records.
Maintain detailed and accurate records of all activities including patient information, status, and necessary follow-up actions within the referral.
Provide exceptional customer service to external providers and patients.
Work collaboratively with multidisciplinary team.
Regularly attend departmental staff meetings.
Serve as intermediary between patients and nursing personnel concerning scheduling status and coordinating necessary testing to minimize delays that would negatively impact the patient and/or future scheduling.
Communicate records retrieval delays that may impact future scheduling with staff/supervisors.
Collaborate with peers and co-workers to enhance the delivery of health care.
Provide feedback to management on means to achieve goals and resolve service issues.
Contribute ideas and seek ways to improve assigned processes.
Serve as mentor, role model, and service excellence ambassador for staff, co-workers, patients, and visitors.
Ensure all processes comply with UI Health Care regulations and policies.
May perform other duties as assigned.