Clinical Secretary - Sr

New London Hospital - Newport, NH

Full-time

Newport, NH

Hospitals

About the position

The position involves providing essential support in a medical setting, primarily focusing on patient interaction and administrative tasks. The individual will be responsible for responding to patient calls, offering general information and education, and greeting patients upon their arrival for appointments. This includes providing appropriate questionnaires, answering questions, assisting with form completion, and utilizing technology effectively. The role requires the ability to acknowledge delays and keep patients informed, ensuring a smooth experience in the healthcare environment. In addition to direct patient interaction, the position entails assessing the needs of patients without appointments and processing requests for prescriptions, forms, and appointments. The individual will review daily schedules for accuracy, manage multiple worklists, and reschedule patients as necessary to ensure that schedules are fully booked and patient needs are met. Follow-up tasks, such as booking appointments and scheduling lab exams, will also be part of the responsibilities, as directed by the After Visit Summary. The role includes handling incoming phone calls from various stakeholders, including providers and patients, assessing their needs, processing requests, and scheduling appointments. Timely monitoring and completion of system messages and incoming faxes are crucial to meet patient needs effectively. The individual will also review provider schedules at the end of the day to identify patients requiring follow-up and manage communication regarding no-shows according to policy. Supporting providers and staff in addressing patient questions and concerns is a key aspect of the role, along with monitoring the waiting room for patients in distress and responding to minor concerns using service recovery tactics. The individual will manage multiple in-baskets, prioritize messages, and complete tasks assigned by clinical staff. Acting as a liaison between primary care providers and specialists is also part of the job, along with participating in initiatives to improve departmental workflows and policies. Additional responsibilities include delivering and picking up mail, completing monthly tracers, and performing system checks. The individual will be responsible for building and editing templates, overriding schedules when necessary, and serving as a preceptor for new staff members, providing on-the-job training and input into performance evaluations. Collaboration with team members throughout the system is essential, and the individual may perform other duties as required or assigned.

Responsibilities

• Responds to patient calls providing general information and education.
• Greets patients arriving for appointments, provides appropriate questionnaire(s), answers questions, and assists patients with completion of forms and use of technology.
• Assesses needs of patients without appointments and processes requests for prescriptions, forms, appointments, or need to speak directly to clinical support.
• Reviews schedules daily for accuracy in scheduling, needed ancillaries, and incoming records and makes adjustments as needed.
• Completes any follow-up needs for patients as directed by the After Visit Summary.
• Receives incoming phone calls from providers, other staff, or external provider offices and patients, appropriately assessing the needs of the caller.
• Monitors and completes system messages in a timely manner to meet patients' needs.
• Monitors incoming faxes regularly and reviews each to determine the proper course of action in a timely manner.
• Reviews all provider schedules at the end of the day to identify and contact those patients who require follow-up and processes letters to no shows in accordance with current policy.
• Supports providers and staff in addressing patient questions/concerns.
• Monitors the waiting room for patients in distress and seeks assistance when needed.
• Manages multiple in-baskets by monitoring, prioritizing, and properly routing the messages.
• Acts as liaison between primary care providers & specialists outside the organization.
• Participates in initiatives to improve department workflows and policies and procedures.
• Delivers mail to the mail room and picks up mail to be distributed within the department on a daily basis.
• Responsible for building and editing templates and overriding the schedules when needed using best judgment.
• Works as a preceptor for new staff members to provide on-the-job training and assure a strong orientation.
• Serves as a resource for clinical secretaries for questions and problem-solving.
• Able to be a team player and collaborate with others throughout the system.
• Performs other duties as required or assigned.

Requirements

• Knowledge of insurance benefit programs and medical terminology preferred.
• Ability to effectively interact with providers, staff, patients, and insurance plan representatives required.
• Must be able to prioritize multiple tasks and work independently.
• Must have prior computer experience, excellent communication skills, and attention to detail.

Nice-to-haves

• Previous experience working in a medical setting preferred.