Ophthalmic Assistant

Colorado Coalition for the Homeless; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 30,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance - HMO or PPO

Dental plans

Vision insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Basic life and AD&D insurance

Employee Assistance Program

403(b) retirement matching

Paid time off

Job summary

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless seeks an Ophthalmic Assistant to generate preliminary information for Eye Clinic providers, review patient status, and perform tests such as refraction, OCT, and tonometry. This on-site role involves case management and helping patients overcome barriers to eye care at 2130 Stout Street, Denver.

Credentialing and privileging steps precede start date; a valid driver’s license is required; COA certification is preferred but not required.

Qualifications

• Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) certification preferred.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required or to be obtained within 90 days of hire.
• One year of experience as an Ophthalmic Assistant/Technician required.
• Experience with EHR systems, scheduling, referrals, and insurance enrollment.
• Healthcare administration experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Perform ophthalmic diagnostics and exam preparation, including history, visual acuity, fields, OCT, pachymetry, tonometry, dilation and refracting with phoropter.
• Assist with procedures alongside providers and laser/injection procedures as directed.
• Triage patients, assess risk, and escalate urgent concerns per protocol.
• Order medications via EHR based on assessment and plan.
• Document ICD-10 route slips and submit to Revenue Cycle promptly.
• Track high‑risk return visits and schedule timely follow-ups.
• Coordinate care with Stout Street Health Center and partners; communicate with medical team.
• Provide trauma‑informed education on diagnosis, treatment and care plan.
• Perform optical duties: frame selection, fitting, measurements, lab portal orders, lensometry checks.
• Verify frame orders, adjust/repair frames, and stock exam lanes.

Skills

Attention to detail

Trauma-informed care

Patient advocacy

Communication with patients

Certified Ophthalmic Assistant

Education

Formal ophthalmic/healthcare training

Tools

EHR systems

Lensometer

Job description

This position will be posted for a minimum of 5 days

The mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is to work collaboratively toward the prevention of homelessness and the creation of lasting solutions for homeless and at-risk families, children, and individuals throughout Colorado. The Coalition advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and a variety of services to improve the health, well-being, and stability of those it serves.

Our Philosophy of Service:

• Honoring the inherent dignity of those we serve, affirming their capabilities and fostering their hope that a better life is possible.
• Building strong, caring and trauma-informed communities through the integration of housing, health care and supportive services.
• Advocating for social and racial equity, inclusion and diversity, and challenging the status quo in partnership with our workforce members and those we serve.
• Achieving excellence through continuous quality assurance, innovation and professional development.
• Using resources judiciously and effectively.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless seeks an Ophthalmic Assistant who generates important preliminary information to be used by Eye Clinic providers, reviews patient status, and performs refracting and other medical tests. Other essential job duties include case management, assisting patients in overcoming barriers they may encounter in obtaining eye care, providing advocacy to ensure that patients receive necessary and, in some cases, sight‑saving services. This position is located at 2130 Stout Street Denver, CO 80205.

NOTE: In order to ensure that our consumers receive the best possible care the candidate chosen to fill this position will be required to complete our internal credentialing and privileging process prior to a start date. The credentialing and privileging timeline is dependent on the selected candidate’s submission of documents necessary for clearance. Please note that a start date will be scheduled once credentialing and privileging is complete.

Additional Requirement

• Valid driver’s license required. This requirement may be waived, if necessary, based on overall candidate experience and current needs of the business and/or role.

Coalition Benefits

• Choice of HMO or PPO health insurance coverage options: full‑time employees contribute only 1% of their earnings for their own HMO health coverage and no more than 4% of their earnings for coverage of eligible dependents. We’re proud to offer same‑and opposite‑sex domestic partner coverage.
• Choice of dental insurance or discount plan.
• Vision insurance.
• Flexible spending accounts for health care / dependent care / parking expenses.
• Free basic life and AD&D insurance coverage.
• Employee Assistance Program, a problem‑solving resource available to you and your household members.
• Dollar‑for‑dollar retirement plan matching contributions up to 5% of earnings with 3‑year vesting.
• Extensive paid time‑off, including 9 holidays, 12 days of sick leave, and three weeks of vacation for new full‑time employees in their first year.

The effective date for your benefits will be the first of the month following your date of hire.

What You’ll Do

• Perform ophthalmic diagnostics and exam preparation, including obtaining relevant history and outside eye records; visual acuity, visual field testing, OCT (optical coherence tomography), pachymetry, tonometry, dilation as directed/appropriate, and refracting patients using the phoropter.
• Assist with procedures alongside providers (e.g., laser procedures, intravitreal injections).
• Triage patients to determine risk level and urgency of evaluation using knowledge of common ophthalmic symptoms and established clinic workflows; elevate urgent concerns to providers per protocol.
• Order medications for patients through the electronic health record based on the assessment and plan as directed by Eye Clinic providers.
• Record and complete ICD‑10 billing route slips based on provider notes and submit documentation to Revenue Cycle in a timely manner.
• Track high‑risk return visits for patients with pathology and in need of follow‑up appointments, notifying them and scheduling timely visits.
• Integrate Eye Care services with Stout Street Health Center staff and outside partners by coordinating care based on eye‑visit findings (e.g., diabetic retinopathy, hypertension‑related concerns, neurological findings, and relevant labs/cultures) and ensuring appropriate follow‑up and communication with the medical team.
• Build trusting relationships with patients to support adherence and improved eye health by providing trauma‑informed education on diagnosis, treatment, and plan of care (including medication instillation, bandage changes, and eye prosthesis insertion/care as applicable).
• Perform optical duties including assisting patients with frame selection, fitting, measurements, and order submission through the lab portal.
• Verify completed frame orders for accuracy using a lensometer, adjust glasses, and repair frames.
• Order supplies and eye medications; clean and stock exam lanes.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

What We’re Looking For

• Certified Ophthalmic Assistant (COA) certification preferred.
• Completion of a formal ophthalmic/healthcare training program may substitute for certification preference.
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification required or must be obtained within 90 days of hire.
• One year of experience as an Ophthalmic Assistant/Technician required.
• Experience with EHR systems.
• Experience with patient scheduling, referrals, and insurance enrollment.
• Experience with healthcare administration is preferred.

$22.22 - $26.31 an hour

WHERE A CANDIDATE IS PLACED IN THE COMPENSATION RANGE DEPENDS ON TOTAL RELEVANT YEARS OF EXPERIENCE

Employee must be able to perform essential job functions with or without reasonable accommodation and without posing a direct threat to safety or health of self or others. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential function satisfactorily. Employee will perform job according to applied laws. The requirements listed above are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

We offer a full suite of benefits for our eligible employees and their dependents. We’re proud to offer same‑and opposite‑sex domestic partner coverage.

• Health Insurance - HMO or PPO
• Dental plans, vision insurance, flexible spending accounts, supplemental life insurance
• Company paid basic life and AD&D insurance coverage, Employee Assistance Program, 403(b) retirement savings matching,
• Extensive paid time‑off, including holidays, sick leave, and vacation

The effective date for your benefits will be the first of the month following your date of hire.

The Colorado Coalition for the Homeless is committed to delivering services, making employment‑related decisions, selecting volunteers, and selecting vendors without regard to age over 40, race, sex, color, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, disability, genetic information, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, medical condition related to pregnancy, military status, or any other applicable status protected by law.