Patient Services Specialist

Overview

The Patient Services Specialist (PSS) uses experience and knowledge to appropriately triage scheduling and clerical duties. The PSS has the technical knowledge to properly schedule appointments, maintain patient records, and perform clerical tasks. Their work allows physicians and clinical staff to devote time to patient care that requires specialized knowledge. The PSS performs a variety of secretarial and clerical responsibilities in support of physicians and other members of the clinic.

Multitasking abilities and attention to detail with little room for error are required. This description includes full-time, part-time, and PRN PSS roles.

• Gathers pre-admission information from the hospital, patient, or family member on scheduled patients before initial and/or follow-up visits.
• Obtains financial updates, documents in the billing system, completes forms and obtains signatures as alerts request. Ensures patient documents are completely filled out and signed.
• Obtains, verifies, and updates patient information and provides support services to patients and medical staff.
• Locates path reports, outside medical records, radiology reports and retrieves them as necessary.
• Refer patients to the financial counselors when alerted by the billing system or if the patient has billing questions.
• Contacts the social worker for assistance with patient needs such as lodging, transportation, medication requests, or any type of social worker request.
• Forwards any medical records requests to the centralized medical records department.
• Schedules referring and future physician appointments as requested by physicians, including sending required records for the referring appointments.
• Ensures patient’s initial appointments/schedules are up to date in the computer.
• Investigates all “no shows,” documents reasons, and performs appropriate follow-up actions.
• Reschedules cancelled appointments and ensures appropriate follow-up for all patients.
• Maintains daily written or electronic documentation of completed work to provide data for monthly reports.
• Conducts daily review of expired patient information and updates EMR or billing systems; notifies physician and medical records if required.
• Greets, screens, schedules, and directs patients, ensuring they are queued as arrived for services and informing nurses and the radiation therapist of arrivals.
• Prepares and processes correspondence. Answers routine medical inquiries and drafts letters.
• Acts as custodian of the front office multi-function device.
• Prepares and mails new patient packets with the CARTI booklet.
• Cross-trains and learns other clinics.
• Processes EMR messages and worklist queues.

Travel to satellite centers as required.

None

• High school graduate or GED.
• Associate degree in business administration or a secretarial program is a plus.
• Current valid Arkansas driver’s license.

• Minimum of 1 year of customer service work experience required. Medical office setting skills preferred.
• Competent in EMR systems preferred.
• Strong knowledge of medical terminology and office procedures.
• Excellent computer and other basic office equipment skills.
• Knowledge of grammar, spelling and punctuation.
• Skilled in time management and organization.
• Ability to read, understand and follow oral and written instructions.
• Ability to communicate clearly and concisely.
• Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with patients, team members and the public.

• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, or schedule form.

• Must interact and communicate both verbally and in writing.
• Must interact and exchange information regarding patients with physicians and other departmental personnel, and outside agencies while respecting patient confidentiality.

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by…