Patient Services Specialist - Referrals

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; Amarillo (TX); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Plans + Supplemental Coverage

Paid Time Off

Retirement Plans

Wellness Programs

Certified Mother-Friendly Workplace

Job summary

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center is seeking a Referral Coordinator to ensure smooth clinic patient flow and serve as the primary contact for patients. You will schedule appointments, prepare paperwork, receive patients, and maintain records while handling charges and insurance claims.

You will coordinate referrals for Pediatric General and Specialty clinics, verify documentation, and act as a liaison among providers, hospitals, insurers, and families with strong customer service and

Qualifications

• Requires a High School diploma or GED and 1 year of customer service or related experience.
• Experience with medical terminology and healthcare insurance processes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Coordinates and processes referrals for Pediatrics clinics in a timely and accurate manner.
• Reviews referrals for completeness and obtains missing documentation as needed.
• Serves as liaison between TTUHSC Pediatrics, providers, hospitals, insurers, and patients.
• Uses EMR and referral tracking to document activity and follow up through completion.
• Tracks milestones from receipt to appointment completion and communicates updates to providers.
• Works with Authorization Specialist to secure pre-authorization for referrals as needed.
• Assists patients and families in navigating the referral process with confidentiality.
• Communicates with providers, nurses, clinic staff, and external organizations to resolve issues.
• Identifies delays or workflow concerns and escalates them per department processes.
• Maintains knowledge of payer requirements and scheduling protocols.
• Participates in process-improvement initiatives to enhance referral turnaround and access.
• Performs duties using EMR, referral tools, and Microsoft Office applications.

Skills

Customer service

Communication

Cash handling

Education

High School diploma or GED

Tools

EMR systems

Referral management systems

Microsoft Office

Job description

Position Description

This position is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the clinic patient flow and serving as the primary contact for patients. Responsible for scheduling appointments, preparing necessary paperwork before the patient visits, receiving patients, and maintaining records. In addition, this position is responsible for processing charges for clinic services, filing insurance claims, responding to requests for information from patients and insurance companies and maintaining related information for the department. Employees may have cash-handling responsibilities.

Position Description

This position is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of the clinic patient flow and serving as the primary contact for patients. Responsible for scheduling appointments, preparing necessary paperwork before the patient visits, receiving patients, and maintaining records. In addition, this position is responsible for processing charges for clinic services, filing insurance claims, responding to requests for information from patients and insurance companies and maintaining related information for the department. Employees may have cash-handling responsibilities.

Major/Essential Functions

• Coordinates and processes incoming and outgoing referrals for Pediatric General Pediatrics and Pediatric Specialty clinics in a timely and accurate manner.
• Reviews referrals for completeness, verifies required clinical documentation, and obtains additional information as needed to facilitate timely patient scheduling.
• Serves as the primary liaison between TTUHSC Pediatrics, referring providers, specialty practices, hospitals, insurance companies, and patients/families regarding referral status.
• Utilizes the electronic medical record (EMR) and referral tracking systems to accurately document referral activity, monitor referral status, and ensure timely follow-up through completion.
• Tracks referral milestones including receipt, processing, scheduling, appointment completion, and communication back to referring providers when appropriate.
• Coordinates with the Eligibility/Authorization Specialist to ensure referrals requiring insurance authorization are processed efficiently prior to scheduled appointments.
• Assists patients and families in navigating the referral process while providing exceptional customer service and maintaining patient confidentiality.
• Communicates professionally with providers, nurses, clinic staff, and external healthcare organizations to resolve referral-related issues and remove barriers to patient care.
• Identifies referral delays, incomplete documentation, or workflow concerns and escalates issues through established departmental processes.
• Maintains knowledge of payer requirements, referral guidelines, and departmental scheduling protocols.
• Participates in continuous process improvement initiatives designed to improve referral turnaround times, patient access, and operational efficiency.
• Demonstrates proficiency with electronic medical records, referral management tools, Microsoft Office applications, and other software necessary to perform assigned duties.
• Performs additional duties as assigned in support of departmental operations.

Required Qualifications

A High School diploma or GED. 1-year Customer Service, office, or related experience. Additional education may substitute for the experience requirement.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
• Knowledge of medical terminology and healthcare insurance processes preferred.
• Experience with electronic medical records and referral management systems preferred.

Required Attachments

Resume / CV

Benefits

TTUHSC is committed to creating an environment where our team members can do their best work, with programs and benefits to support head-to-toe well-being. Explore just a few of the advantages of being a TTUHSC team member:

• Health Plans + Supplemental Coverage Options – Individual health insurance provided at no cost for full-time team members
• Paid Time Off – Including holidays, vacation, sick leave and more
• Retirement Plans
• Wellness Programs
• Certified Mother-Friendly Workplace

Additionally, TTUHSC invests in the success of our team members by providing opportunities for personal and professional growth, including lifelong learning programs, recognition programs, and health and wellness initiatives. Team members also enjoy a variety of other perks, such as special membership rates at local gyms and golf courses, access to state-of-the-art software and facilities, and discounts on travel, technology, entertainment and more.

Pay Statement

Compensation is commensurate upon the qualifications of the individual selected and budgetary guidelines of the hiring department, as well as the institutional pay plan. For additional information, please reference the institutional pay plan website at https://app4.ttuhsc.edu/payplan.

EEO Statement

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information or status as a protected veteran.