Surgery Scheduler/Triage (Northwest Austin) - Texas Orthopedics

ORTHOLONESTAR•Austin, TX

11d•$20 - $26•Onsite

About The Position

Texas Orthopedics, a division of OrthoLoneStar, is hiring a Surgery Scheduler/Triage team member for its Northwest Austin location. The role oversees and coordinates clinical care outside of clinic visits, providing concierge customer service while meeting quality and patient-safety expectations. It coordinates timely communication among patients, providers, and third parties for incoming inquiries and follow-up throughout a patient’s recovery. The position handles incoming calls and voicemails; schedules surgeries, imaging and other procedures, as well as related pre-operative, follow-up and physical therapy appointments; and coordinates authorization and medical-necessity processes with providers, insurers, patients, and other parties. It also manages clinical orders and patient education per physician instruction, documents care and authorization information in the electronic medical record, tracks adverse events and patient-reported outcomes, and provides coverage for peers. Some travel between locations is required.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Two years of experience as a medical assistant in a hospital, home health, or office setting.
Knowledge of computer systems and applications.
Knowledge of medical terminology.
Pharmaceutical knowledge.
Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
Attention to detail.
Excellent problem-solving skills.
Ability to sit for extended periods.
Ability to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
Full range of motion.
Adequate visual acuity to read and ability to interpret and understand written material.
Adequate hearing and speaking abilities to interact appropriately with patients and co-workers.

Nice To Haves

Two years of surgery scheduling experience preferred.
Medical Assistant certification (CMA) preferred.
Medical assistant experience related to orthopedics preferred.

Responsibilities

Receive, document, and handle incoming calls.
Schedule surgeries, MRI, CT scans, myelograms, epidurals, and related pre-operative, follow-up, and initial physical therapy appointments at appropriate facilities.
Complete surgery checklists with appropriate information and knowledge of each physician’s schedule and surgery guidelines.
Submit medical records and work with providers on necessary documentation to obtain pre-authorization.
Consult providers to confirm that a treatment regimen is medically necessary before submitting a request to an insurance plan.
Monitor authorization processes and keep physicians and patients updated as needed.
Document authorization numbers and effective dates accurately in the electronic medical record.
Schedule Peer-to-Peer calls when necessary.
Assist with prior authorization, eligibility verification, and estimates of expected patient costs.
Issue prescriptions, physical therapy orders, home exercises, work restrictions, and other orders according to physician instruction, and assist with patient education.
Help ensure medication requests received before 4 p.m. and patient cases are responded to on the same business day; notify patients when an answer will be provided the next business day.
Facilitate capture of patients’ opioid histories for physician review.
Queue lab results into the system through the EMR interface.
Schedule patient appointments when needed.
Review the assigned physician’s surgery schedule in advance for quality assurance and make corrections as needed.
Work with the Surgery Coordinator/Triage Team Lead and Office Manager to coordinate training on physician preferences.
Track adverse events, including post-operative complications and hospital readmissions.
Facilitate capture of patient-reported outcomes through the appropriate platform.
Monitor assigned voicemail and return calls the same day.
Maintain information in the strictest confidentiality.
Provide peer coverage when assigned and perform other duties as assigned.