Scheduler

West Tennessee Healthcare•Jackson, MS

21d

About The Position

The Scheduler obtains, coordinates, and directs information from patients, physician offices, hospital departments, and clinics to schedule patient appointments. The role gathers complete and accurate demographic, financial, and clinical information to help ensure appropriate hospital reimbursement. Under the general direction of management, the Scheduler schedules appointments on an assigned shift, five days a week, and is subject to call-back and overtime as required by the hospital. The Scheduler provides appointment and outpatient testing preparation information, handles patient calls and messages, scans medical record documents into the EMR, and follows up with patients who cancel or miss appointments. The position also supports patient portal enrollment, manages the outgoing EMR transcription queue, and sends reports to referring providers when electronic delivery is unavailable. The Scheduler helps coordinate services across departments and facilities, maintains knowledge of insurance requirements and scheduling software, and contributes to departmental improvement and training. The role requires strong interpersonal and telephone skills, computer and data-entry proficiency, the ability to analyze problems and make decisions, and the ability to work independently. High school-level reading, writing, spelling, and grammar skills are required. Two to four years of clerical or related work experience is preferred; hospital or physician office experience and a medical terminology class are also preferred. Hospital and departmental policies and procedures are learned through three months of orientation. No license, registration, or certification is required.

Requirements

Ability to read, write, spell, and use correct grammar at a level normally acquired through high school graduation or equivalent.
Ability to perform clerical duties normally acquired through two to four years of clerical or work-related experience.
Strong interpersonal skills to communicate effectively with patients, clinicians, and hospital personnel.
Ability to analyze, problem-solve, and make decisions.
Telephone skills that convey competence and a caring attitude to patients, families, employees, and medical personnel.
Computer knowledge and data-entry efficiency.
Ability to work independently and manage one’s workload.
Manual dexterity.
Knowledge of hospital and departmental policies and procedures, acquired through three months of orientation.

Nice To Haves

Two to four years of clerical or work-related experience is preferred.
Hospital or physician office experience is preferred.
A medical terminology class is preferred.

Responsibilities

Schedule patient appointments in accordance with hospital and departmental guidelines.
Obtain and verify demographic, financial, and clinical information.
Provide patients, physicians, and office personnel with appointment scheduling and outpatient testing preparation information.
Answer calls and send patient messages to the nurses’ message box.
Scan medical record documents into designated EMR folders in a timely manner.
Review the daily Televox report and contact patients who cancelled or missed appointments to reschedule.
Attend required staff meetings.
Assist patients with signing up for patient portal access.
Manage the outgoing EMR transcription queue and ensure referring provider contact information is correct.
Fax or mail reports to providers when electronic contact is not an option.
Correctly identify scheduled appointments and enter pertinent, required information into scheduling software.
Provide appropriate information and instructions for the appointment being scheduled.
Maintain knowledge of insurance requirements, including government programs, managed care contracts, and other third-party payers.
Ensure compliance with the hospital’s financial policy.
Coordinate services across multiple entities and identify coordination needs between departments and facilities.
Seek advice from clinical staff as needed.
Coordinate and prioritize daily activities and complete assigned tasks.
Assist with updates to job standards, job duties, and departmental policies.
Help identify and resolve issues to promote continuous departmental improvement.
Maintain knowledge of scheduling software and provide expertise, monitoring, and training.
Work collaboratively and use guest-excellence skills with internal and external customers.
Practice the hospital’s Quality Plus culture and maintain a calm, professional, and flexible approach.
Perform related responsibilities as required or directed and accept additional assignments.