Communications Center Call Representative II

VCU Health; Richmond (VA); On-site; USD 22,000 - 33,000; Full time

Job summary

VCU Health in Richmond, VA seeks an Emergency Communications Dispatcher to provide after-hours answering service, dispatch emergency response teams, and page physicians and on-call staff. This role emphasizes patient and team member safety, HIPAA compliance, and accurate call documentation.

You will handle general information for patients and staff, use Epic scheduling, Spok Console, and other tools, rotate holidays and weekends, and maintain high call quality through monthly reviews.

Qualifications

• Minimum of two (2) years of customer service experience.
• Typing 45+ words per minute or faster.
• Experience with major scheduling or EHR systems (Epic, Cerner, IDX) preferred.
• Ability to prioritize and dispatch emergency communications accurately.

Responsibilities

• Serve as dispatcher for VCU Health emergency response teams.
• Provide after-hours answering service for ambulatory clinics.
• Page on-call physicians and staff as required.
• Provide general information to patients, staff, and the public while protecting HIPAA.

Skills

Customer service

Call center

Emergency communications

Typing 45+ wpm

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Some college / IDX / Epic scheduling training

Tools

Spok Smart Console

Epic scheduling system

Cerner

Database software

Job description

To provide excellent customer service to all VCU Health customers, potential customers and team members. All calls will be customer centered with a focus on patient and team member safety. Essential duties of the position include, but are not limited to: dispatch of all VCU Health emergency response teams, answering service functions for all VCU Health ancillary clinics, paging of VCU Health physicians and other on call team members and general information regarding patients, team members and services provided by VCU Health. Demonstrates compliance with all local, state and federal laws and regulations, including The Joint Commission standards, HIPAA, and VCU Health policies and procedures.

Essential Job Statements

Emergency Communications

Will serve as dispatcher for all VCU Health’s emergency response teams including, but not limited to, all teams outlined in the VCU Health Emergency Operations Plans (Dr. Red , Hostage / violence Situation response , etc.) and VCU Health’s Responding to Medical Emergencies policy (Code Blue, Trauma Team Alerts, Medical Emergency Response Team, Seals Team etc.) W hile practicing safety first in all aspects of their duties. Team members will obtain all necessary information as defined by protocols for the specific emergency response team s . Additional protocols for teams may include contacting outside resources (Richmond 911, VCU Police, etc.), utilizing third party platforms (fire alarm monitoring system), overhead announcements, confirmation phone calls to on call providers and any electronic documentation necessary for regulatory tracing. Team members will perform these duties with no more than one (1) error per quarter.

Answering Service

Provides after hours answering service support to all VCU Health’s ambulatory clinic locations. Team members will be responsible for determining the needs of the caller and managing the call appropriately while practicing STAR Values with all callers. Appropriate actions to be taken by team members will include, but are not limited to, confirming and cancelling appointments in the VCU Health scheduling system (Epic), paging of the appropriate emergency on call physician for the clinic or service as determined by the web based on call schedule, providing general clinic information (contact information, directions, etc.) and appropriate documentation for all calls received. In the event a caller is encountering a life-threatening emergency, team members will connect callers to their local 911 dispatch center to ensure the dispatch of emergency medical services or other necessary emergency response to the patient’s location. All team members are expected to complete these duties with a 95% answering service documentation rate. Team members are also expected to maintain an average call rating of 90% or better as determined through monthly call reviews performed by department leadership.

Telepage Services

Appropriately pages VCU Health physicians, advanced practitioners, technicians and leaders as needed by both internal and external customers while utilizing a safety-first approach and practicing STAR Values at all times. Team members will be proficient in utilizing the VCU Health web based on call schedule to both determine the appropriate team members to page and to adjust the on-call schedule as requested by callers. Proficiency in the use of Spok Smart Console is required to perform duties to include, but not limited to, paging VCU Health team members, assigning pager coverage and activating or deactivating pagers. Team members will also be proficient in utilizing the Spok Smart Center Oracle Database to manage team members’ inclusion and removal from emergency notification and mass notification paging groups. Team members are expected to maintain an average call rating of 90% or better as determined through monthly call reviews performed by department leadership.

General Information

Provides general information and assistance to patients, VCU Health team members, non-VCU Health practitioners and the general public . Assistance provided will include, but is not limited to, forwarding callers to clinics, departments or nursing units within the VCU Health network, verifying appointments utilizing the VCU Health scheduling platform (Epic), providing directions or contact information to callers and communicating general information about services provided by VCU Health. Team members will update listings for patients in the Spok Smart Console application, as needed, to include legal name for patients registered under computer generated name identifiers (X Z patients) and the status of patients identified as no information patients. Team members will perform these duties while ensuring HIPAA protected information is protected at all times. Team members are expected to maintain an average call rating of 90% or better as determined through monthly call reviews performed by department leadership.

Service Response Center Back Up

Provide s backup caller support to the VCU Health Service Response Center (SRC). Team members will obtain the information needed by the SRC to generate a ticket for the appropriate Support Services Team while practicing STAR Values with all callers. Information will be communicated directly to SRC team members to minimize any delays in service to VCU Health patients and team members. Team members are expected to maintain an average call rating of 90% or better as determined through monthly call reviews performed by department leadership.

Knowledge of VCU Health

Displays knowledge of VCU Health facilities, services provided, medical terminology and informational resources available to both team members and patients through the performance of job duties. Communicates time sensitive information (clinic closings, traffic disruptions, changes in service locations or contact information) to team members and department leadership to ensure all team members are informed and application data is updated.

Teamwork & Flex Hours

As a critical service area supporting VCU Health and ensuring patient safety, team members are expected to work collaboratively to both identify problem areas and provide solutions, especially as they may relate to patient safety. All Communications Center team members are designated as essential staff by VCU Health policy.As such, team members are expected to rotate holidays and weekends and are also expected to report to work, as scheduled, during inclement weather or disaster incidents. Team members are expected to be flexible with schedule to ensure continuity of staffing. This may include short- or long-term shift reassignment or overtime to ensure minimum safe staffing needed to continue to provide services.

Miscellaneous Responsibilities

Performs other duties as assigned and/or participates in special projects to support the mission of VCU Health and the Communications Center. Provides assistance to team members. Accepts alternate assignments, as required , graciously. Assists in mentoring and training new team members.

Patient Populatio n: N/A

Employment Qualifications

Required Education: High School Diploma or equivalent

Preferred Education: Completion of some college course work, IDX, Epic or similar scheduling systems training. Experience with database software . Experience with Cerner, Epic or similar electronic medical record system. Training as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (EMD). Training as an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)

Licensing/ Certification

Licensure/Certification Required: N/A

Licensure/Certification Preferred: N/A

Minimum Qualifications

Years and Type of Required Experience: Minimum of two (2) years’ experience in customer service which may include direct interaction with customers in person or via telephone, email, text message, fax, pager and other communications devices. Minimum of two (2) years’ experience using a person computer and typing 45+ words per minute. Previous experience with a variety of software applications including word processing, spreadsheets, database, e-mail, etc.

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Required: Ability to perform daily activities with minimal supervision. Functions in a self-directed manner in the accomplishment of routine activities. Issues that involve violation of VCU Health policies and procedures, involve conflicts of a sensitive nature or that would be considered unusual in nature are to be brought to the attention of the immediate supervisor immediately . Answers incoming phone lines, routes calls appropriately and documents information as required. P rioritize incoming emergency communications calls and dispatch emergency response teams appropriately, to include required post call documentation. Communicate and coordination via telephone and pager with physicians and other VCU Health personnel. Other internal and external communication as required . Additional position requirements: Schedules, including requirements of shift rotations and hours of work may be adjusted as necessary to meet unit requirements and/or as needed to ensure patient safety. Representatives are required to work every other weekend and are scheduled rotating holiday hours.

Other Knowledge, Skills and Abilities Preferred: Previous experience preferably in an active Call Center environment. Previous work experience in a healthcare setting and knowledge of medical terminology. Previous experience as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher/911 Dispatcher. Previous experience as an Emergency Medical Technician.

Working Conditions: Periods of high stress and fluctuating workloads may occur.General office environment. Prolonged periods of working alone.

Physical Requirements

Physical Demands: Lifting/ Carrying(0-50 lbs.), Push/ Pull(0-50 lbs.), Stoop, Kneel, Squat

Work Position: Sitting, Walking, Standing

Additional Physical Requirements/ Hazards

Physical Requirements: Manual dexterity (eye/hand coordination), Perform shift work, Hear alarms/telephone/tape recorder, Repetitive arm/hand movements, Finger Dexterity

Hazards: Depthperception

Mental/Sensory – Emotional
Mental/Sensory: Strong Recall, Reasoning, Problem Solving, Hearing, Speak Clearly, Write Legibly, Reading, Logical Thinking, Other

Emotional: Fast paceenvironment, Steady Pace, Able to Handle Multiple Priorities, Frequent and Intense Customer Interactions, Noisy Environment, Able to Adapt to Frequent Change

Compensation Range
$16.08 - $24.12
Actual salary offers will be based on several key factors to include relevant work experience, credentials, and qualifications.

EEO Employer/Disabled/Protected Veteran