Practice Assistant II

• High school diploma or GED is required.
• Office experience of 2-3 years is required.
• Knowledge of office operations and standards and understanding of office procedures including filing, copying, scanning, printing and faxing.
• Ability to use phone system and manage more non-routine phone calls and solve routine issues as appropriate.
• Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience and talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents, to correspond and communicate with others clearly and effectively (including composing/editing e-mail, memos and letters), and to take complete and accurate messages.
• Well organized and good time management skills to manage multiple tasks effectively, follow established protocols, and work within systems.

Job Specific Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Office Operations:

• Respond to a variety of incoming calls to the physician's practice, handle patient inquiries and issues in a timely and effective manner
• Treat all customers with dignity and respect.
• Return all patient phone calls within the same day.
• Provide patients with progress updates on appointments, procedures, etc.
• Interact with Brigham and Women's Hospital departments, referring clinics and physicians' offices in order to coordinate services for patients.
• Sort and review all physician correspondence.
• Maintain clinical and administrative meetings calendar for the physician(s).
• Assist physician with travel, lecture arrangements.
• Assist physician with submission and tracking of all business expense reimbursements in conjunction with the Finance Manager.

2. Clinic Responsibilities:

• Schedule new and established patient visits in Epic and diagnostic testing as required.
• Prepare and send out new patient greeting letters with appropriate paperwork for the upcoming visit.
• Prepare charts for clinic ensuring that the chart is up to date and contains all patient correspondence received prior to the visit, as well as diagnostic results.
• Notify Operations Manager and/or clinic staff to block off the physician schedule in Epic when surgeon is out of the office; inform him/her that surgeon is out of the office as soon as information is known (add this information to the MD Away Calendar as well to ensure OR time is released)
• Run patient eligibility in Epic prior to clinic to ensure patients have active insurance information on file.

3. Billing Function:

• Serve as a liaison to insurance companies and provide them with all necessary information in order to obtain prior authorizations.
• Ascertain work related visits and cases; obtain all necessary worker compensation information necessary to initiate and complete negotiations and billing.
• Complete referral management process in conjunction with Patient Service Center, including reviewing, updating and completing and missing information.
• Ensure that referrals obtained for all clinic visits are up to date and accurate.
• Perform demographic and insurance eligibility checks in Epic, Nehen and Emdeon. Review and correct any information that is found through eligibility checks.
• Review surgical schedule and work with Billing Manager to ensure charges are going out appropriately.
• Review logs of outstanding OR dictations and work with physician to ensure timely signing and finalization of operative notes.
• Ensure all physician notes are dictated and final signed within the required time period so billing can go out.

4. Surgical scheduling:

• Schedule all surgical procedures and Weiner Center pre-operative screening appointments in Epic.
• Notify patient and confirm arrangements.
• Schedule all radiological testing in Percipio and assist with the prior authorization process.
• Work with clinical team to ensure that patient has all pre-operative educational materials.
• Confirm all bookings in system and with patient prior to the procedure date and within appropriate timelines.
• Notify OR Schedule Manager of any unused surgical block time as soon as the information becomes available.

5. Maintain accurate files:

• Develop and maintain accurate and up to date electronic files for confidential patient information (patient charts), correspondence, administrative issues and research information for articles and papers that are readily available upon request.

6. Prepare all correspondence:

• Provide insurance companies with requested information in order to complete filings and documentation for motor vehicle, worker's compensation, disability claims and insurance inquiries pertaining to our services.
• Review and edit all office notes and transcriptions in Epic.