This position is responsible for providing administrative support to the Department of Radiation Medicine, including ensuring an outstanding patient experience through the development and maintenance of quality and timely patient access.  Involvement in continuous improvements in process, productivity, and the success of the Department is a key responsibility of this position. 

 

The Department Support Specialist provides high-quality customer service to patients, providers, staff, and insurance carriers that meets or exceeds the service standards of the health care industry.  This duty includes prompt and professional communication, face-to-face customer contact, crisis management, complaint processing, flexible coverage of internal service needs, and the continuous application of process improvement methods and skills.  Interacts with internal or external services to coordinate patient and provider services and activities.

 

This position performs in a manner which maintains the confidentiality and privacy of each patient and promotes professional habits through personal appearance, work ethic, attitude and ability to work as a team member.  Able to be flexible with hours/schedule/location to provide cross coverage as needed.

Key Responsibilities & Performance Standards

 

Scheduling:

• Schedules patient appointments. Obtains medical records. Creates a medical record if needed. Arranges transport stretchers, wheelchairs, and interpreters, and accommodates other special needs.  Provide personal reminders to patients about upcoming appointments. 
• Arranges and coordinates associated clinical, diagnostic, or laboratory services; may obtain or support authorization process.
• Triage incoming patient referrals in the referral work queue, correspond with providers to discuss referral details, and schedule accordingly. May direct some referrals to other clinics and clinical services. Initiates authorization requests for subsequent care.
• Checks out patients and schedules any requested follow up diagnostic, laboratory, and clinic appointments.
• Provider template maintenance and appointment rescheduling when needed.
• Manage and coordinate appointments, events, and schedules.
• Prepare, edit, and collate correspondences, agendas, materials, and documents.
• Assists in scheduling surgeries, maintaining information regarding surgery schedules, and correspond with the surgery office to maintain an avenue of communication and serve as a liaison and information resource for the nursing team, radiation therapists, and physicians.

Clinic Support:

• Greets patients and confirms admission details and/or purpose for visit. Inspects insurance and identification cards and ensures accuracy of demographics, registration and billing information for the visit, updating as needed. Determines urgent/emergent medical situations and activates the rapid response team or engages the assistance of nursing staff to assist.
• Answer department phone lines: Triage calls; provide information about OHSU services, procedures, and policies accurately and appropriately.  Effectively and independently evaluates the urgency of incoming matters and escalates appropriately.
• Verifies insurance coverage is currently active. Identifies and collects deductible payments, co-payments, and deposits on services; provides receipts and completes necessary accounting procedures.  Explains and satisfies any necessary patient signature requirements.  Manage patient valuables process. Validates parking.
• Opens and closes clinic. Overtime may be required if needed to support safe environment for patients.
• Determines appropriate billing for type of service patient will receive. Knowledgeable about and provides patient education regarding OHSU financial assistance and pre-service or co-pay payment policy, Patient Rights, Advance Directive, CMS and Medicare rules, and use of patient information and/or specimens in OHSU research.
• Triage incoming faxes; scan and/or distribute accordingly
• Gathers and/or verifies patient information including demographics, insurance coverage, and financial status. Confirms patient eligibility for health care coverage and clarifies any managed care arrangements.  Obtains authorizations for clinical care, procedures, and laboratory studies.  Enters all information accurately into the medical record.  Follows up on pending authorizations until they are obtained.  Contacts patients in advance of future services to pre-register, validate billing information, discuss payment requirements, and collect pre-service deposits via telephone. 
• Collect and accurately documents inquiries from patients including complaints, general information, preparation for upcoming admissions, financial and billing information, and directs patients to appropriate resources for other health care related issues. Route such information or requests promptly to the appropriate staff member. Provides registration and admitting process support to other OHSU departments.
• Create and maintain files, including both hard copy and electronic document management systems.
• Administrative support for clinic, including data entry, scanning, copying, medical records requests, etc.

Continuous Quality Improvement:

• Participate in and lead continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• Identify process improvement opportunities and provide input to leadership on how to enhance the quality and efficiency of the work performed and/or departmental processes.

Other duties as assigned:  Other special projects, as assigned. 

• One year of experience in a medical office setting, including high-volume direct patient contact, scheduling of appointments and may require experience obtaining managed care authorizations (dependent on position description). OR one and a half years of work experience in a high volume direct public contact position and 6 months experience in a medical office setting.  The candidate must have a thorough knowledge of PAS policies and procedures. Candidates will have demonstrated advanced PAS user skills as well as extensive knowledge of integrated care at OHSU.

Knowledge and Skills Required:

• Basic computer skills including word processing. Windows applications, on-line scheduling, and a preference for data-base skills. Excellent verbal and written communications skills.  Strong customer service orientation.  Demonstrated effectiveness in confrontational customer interactions.

• High School Diploma
• Excellent collaborative and customer service-oriented skills; ability to make sound decisions and creatively problem solve; working competency in a variety of technologies.  Ability to quickly learn and maintain competency in various technologies, including EPIC, Mosaiq, Microsoft Suite, etc.
• Ability to work in a team environment and independently and to make quality decisions in an efficient manner without compromising accuracy and adherence to requirements and procedures, while maintaining positive engagement with a team.
• High degree of comfort working with various computer programs; ability to learn and adapt to technology and process changes in a timely manner.
• Provide superior customer service at all times. Ability to communicate calmly, effectively and appropriately to patients, providers, peers, staff, management, and others in a professional manner.
• Excellent organizational skills with an ability to effectively and independently prioritize a variety of tasks/projects and to work calmly under pressure with tight deadlines while maintaining customer service and quality/accuracy standards.
• A resourceful and self-sufficient professional who stays current with information, technology, trends, and developments in the field and recommends applicable and reasonable process changes.
• Exceptional professionalism in all interactions and commitment to confidentiality.
• Engaged team player with a positive “can-do”, problem-solving, and enthusiastic attitude.

Oregon Health & Science University values a diverse and culturally competent workforce. We are proud of our commitment to being an equal opportunity, affirmative action organization that does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of any protected class status, including disability status and protected veteran status. Individuals with diverse backgrounds and those who promote diversity and a culture of inclusion are encouraged to apply. To request reasonable accommodation contact the Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity Department at 503-494-5148 or aaeo@ohsu.edu.