Surgical Services Coordinator II - Boston

Tufts Medicine•Boston, MA

5d•Onsite

About The Position

The Surgical Services Coordinator II monitors and coordinates surgical scheduling functions for the department. This includes responding to patient inquiries, conducting initial patient interviews, scheduling surgery with patients and their families or support systems, and ensuring that surgeons’ preferences for surgical sites, assistants, processes, and necessary materials are accommodated. The coordinator prepares complete pre-operative surgical packets for the appropriate surgical location, helping ensure procedures proceed as scheduled, and supports accurate, timely coding and billing information. The role also establishes systems for tracking department surgical activity and serves as a liaison between the department, other departments, and external organizations. The position coordinates operating-room scheduling and pre-operative tests, gathers and submits patient information and documentation, verifies referrals and authorizations, and obtains pre-operative clearance. It maintains surgical logs, supports billing and reimbursement, helps resolve patient billing inquiries, updates patient information packets and departmental policies, and keeps patients informed about pre-operative guidelines and last-minute questions. The coordinator works collaboratively with colleagues and communicates problems to the manager. The role is based at the New England Eye Center, 260 Tremont Street, 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02116. It requires frequent sitting, occasional standing or working, and lifting 10–15 pounds. The work may involve dust and typical office-like discomforts, and requires fine manual dexterity for keyboard use, the ability to see a computer screen and read reports, and the ability to hear instructions from physicians and clinical or nursing staff.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Two years of experience scheduling clinical procedures.
Computer literacy, including familiarity with word-processing programs and electronic spreadsheets, and ability to learn new applications.
Excellent interpersonal, customer-service, and telephone skills.
Tact when interacting with patients, physicians, and insurance companies.
Ability to perform operating-room scheduling using Meditech and MSM.
Knowledge of medical terminology and CPT coding standards.
Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work independently with minimal supervision on routine matters.
Ability to follow up and follow through on scheduling-related items.
Self-motivated.
Ability to prioritize work and be flexible with work assignments.

Responsibilities

Coordinate surgical site and appointment scheduling for physicians at the assigned department location while following Medical Center standards and regulations.
Conduct patient interviews and document pre-operative status.
Make arrangements to qualify patients for surgery.
Coordinate pre-operative tests and surgical procedures.
Gather patient information during pre-operative stages and submit a complete surgical packet to the facility.
Follow Federal CPT coding policies, record surgical procedure codes, and provide post-operative charge reports to the billing coordinator; obtain missing codes from surgeons within 24 hours after surgery.
Work with the billing coordinator to forward batched reports to TMCPO.
Retrieve operative notes within 24 hours of surgery and ensure surgical documentation is properly filed in patient charts and with the billing coordinator.
Maintain a surgical log containing patient, procedure, scheduling, and billing information, including billed amounts and reimbursement dates and amounts.
Maintain communication with the manager and report problems or difficulties to the site manager immediately.
Contribute to creating and updating departmental policies and guidelines for screening and booking patients for surgery.
Work with billing to support appropriate billing and reimbursement for each case.
Verify surgical referrals and authorizations before and following appointments and surgeries.
Create and update patient information packets, maintain necessary supplies, and coordinate packet distribution to patients and medical staff.
Represent the department in relationships with other Tufts Medical Center departments.
Work with the billing coordinator to resolve surgical billing inquiries and complaints from patients.
Communicate with patients’ primary care physicians to obtain pre-operative clearance.
Respond to patients’ last-minute questions before surgery.
Maintain collaborative working relationships with peers and colleagues to support team goals and a positive work environment.
Inform patients of necessary pre-operative guidelines and forward information packets to patients.