Surgery Scheduler/Triage (South Austin Clinic) - Texas Orthopedics

ORTHOLONESTAR•Austin, TX

5d•$20 - $26•Onsite

About The Position

The Surgery Scheduler/Triage oversees and coordinates clinical care outside of clinic office visits, providing concierge customer service while ensuring quality and patient safety expectations are met. The role coordinates and communicates with patients, providers, and third parties about incoming inquiries and follows up on action items throughout patients’ recovery. The position receives, documents, and handles incoming calls; schedules surgeries, imaging, procedures, and related appointments; coordinates authorization and medical-necessity processes; communicates updates to physicians and patients; and documents authorization information in the electronic medical record. It also supports patient education and care coordination, tracks adverse events and patient-reported outcomes, reviews surgery schedules for quality assurance, and provides peer coverage when assigned. 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 of time.
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

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

Responsibilities

Receive, document, and handle incoming calls.
Schedule surgeries, MRI scans, 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 documentation needed to obtain pre-authorization.
Consult with the appropriate provider to confirm that a treatment regimen is medically necessary before submitting a request to the insurance plan.
Monitor the authorization process and keep physicians and patients updated as needed.
Document authorization numbers and effective dates for the episode of care accurately in the electronic medical record.
Schedule Peer-to-Peer calls when necessary.
Assist with prior authorizations, including eligibility verification and estimates of expected patient costs.
Issue prescriptions, physical therapy orders, home exercises, work restrictions, and other orders per physician instruction, and assist with patient education.
Help ensure medication requests received before 4 p.m. and all patient cases are addressed 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 strict confidentiality of information.
Provide coverage for peers when assigned.
Travel to other locations as required.
Perform other duties as assigned.