Practice Coordinator Lead

South Shore Health; South Weymouth (MA); On-site; USD 60,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

South Shore Health is seeking a Practice Coordinator Lead to support administrative and clinical operations across our practice groups. You will supervise scheduling, patient interactions, and the coordination of referrals, authorizations, and documentation, reporting to the Operations Manager.

You will collaborate with Dana-Farber Access Management staff when needed, ensuring smooth patient flow, timely communication, and adherence to site policies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree and/or 4-6 years equivalent experience preferred.
• Minimum of 4-6 years of experience in a customer service or medical environment preferred.
• Knowledge of managed care policies and medical terminology preferred.
• Working knowledge of GE Centricity or other hospital/professional services billing systems.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills; excellent customer service and communication.
• Self-starter with strong leadership abilities.

Responsibilities

• Administrative support of practice operations including phone triage and patient flow.
• Check-in/check-out, verify patient details, collect copayments, and schedule follow-ups.
• Coordinate referrals, authorizations, and financial counseling with appropriate teams.
• Prepare daily schedules, reports, and workflow documents.
• Manage master schedules for providers and RNs; avoid overbooking.
• Coordinate surgical scheduling and pre-admission tasks when needed.
• Ensure compliance with SOPs and quality standards.
• Lead training and mentoring of staff; act as Scheduling Ambassador.
• Participate in committees and rollout of new clinical applications.
• Participate in recruiting and annual evaluations.
• Allocate resources and assist in budgeting analysis.
• Resolve discrepancy reports and ensure coverage in absences.
• Handle complex intra/inter-institutional coordination.
• Assist with special projects and process improvement initiatives.
• Manage communications with patients and families.
• Support patient flow by directing patients and families and keeping waiting areas orderly.
• Assist with revenue cycle tasks and ensure documentation is complete.

Skills

Customer service

Scheduling

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

GE Centricity

Microsoft Office

Job description

Job Description Summary

In addition to administrative and clinical operations support responsibilities of the Practice Coordinators, the Practice Coordinator Lead assists the clinical practice support management with workflow and allocation of resources within the program/group. The Practice Coordinator Lead reports directly to the Operations Manager and is responsible for supporting administrative duties for the practices. Responsibilities include scheduling, confirming appointments, patient interaction (telephone and in-person), administrative practice support, and special projects. Essential duties include administrative support and coordination for provider, infusion services consisting of physicians, nurse practitioners, physicists, program nurses, staff nurses, and research nurses; scheduling appointments; following guidelines that support safe clinical practice, patient comfort, continuity of care for complex visits; a high standard of timely communication and rescheduling as necessary; and coordination of clinical visit related reports, documentation, requisitions, and other materials. Managing direct communications with patients and family members is critical to this role; he/she provides the first greeting and welcome for patients arriving for appointments and represents the customer service orientation of our practice. He/she is expected to exhibit professional behavior through adherence to DFCI and site-specific policies, procedures, and codes of conduct. The Practice Coordinator will work directly with the Dana-Farber Access Management staff at the Longwoodcampus, as appropriate, to process referrals, authorizations and financial counseling, working together to promptly assist the patient (and resolve discrepancies).

Job Description

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• 1. Administrative Support of Practice
  • a. Answer telephone; triage calls as necessary.
  • b. Transition telephones to and from answering service; retrieves messages from the answering service and triages appropriately.
  • c. Handles incoming requests for medical records and mails/faxes information as appropriate; works appropriately with Health Information Management (HIM) on medical requests and changes to personal patient information (i.e. patient name change).
  • d. Facilitates prescription refills for patients, as needed.
  • e. Recognize emergencies and appropriately responds using standard operating procedures and critical thinking skills.
  • f. Supports patient flow by appropriately directing patients and family members and managing the waiting areas.
  • g. Provides customer service to colleagues and other staff members on the use of specific systems as well as on-site and Longwood-based processes.
  • h. Monitors the lobby and waiting areas for neatness and cleanliness and ensures that appropriate assistance is given to the patients and family members.
• 2. Patient Check-In
  • a. Greet patients; verbally verify name, date of birth, telephone number, and MRN; provide and witness signing of consent form (if necessary); arrives patient in IDX; provides patient wristband. Updates patient information in IDX appropriately.
  • b. Collect copayment or coinsurance, document payment in IDX, generate receipt.
  • c. Refer patients to financial counselor as appropriate.
  • d. Direct patient to the appropriate waiting area.
• 3. Patient check-out
  • a. Schedule follow up appointments for exam and infusion services; coordinates ancillary appointments (lab, imaging, radiation oncology, etc.) using IDX, Percipio, ARIA, and other systems.
  • b. Assist in scheduling other ancillary appointments, including but not limited to: imaging and lab. This requires contacting other DFCI departments or other providers and sending order/requisition and patient clinical information.
  • c. Obtain same day insurance authorizations and referrals.
• 4. End of day functions
  • a. Prepare paper forms for appointments scheduled the following day.
  • b. Ensure radiology and lab orders have the required physician signature.
  • c. Print daily schedule/appointment forms and distributes to providers and other staff.
  • d. May run clinic reports such as bump lists, financial reconciliations, next day appt lists, other work lists.
• 5. Manage master schedules for the clinic (provider and RN) – enter templates, ensure providers are booked according to the templates, providers and nurses are not overbooked
  • a. Schedule appointments in accordance with department scheduling guidelines, organize rescheduling of patients as needed.
  • b. Work closely with the CNC to oversee the infusion schedules and that all scheduling guidelines are being adhered to.
• 6. Surgical scheduling (as needed)
  • a. Schedule port placements for IV access.
  • b. Ensure surgical data sheets are complete.
  • c. Ensure surgical order is completed by physician and sent to pre-admission testing.
  • d. Schedule OR time with OR scheduling department.
  • e. Contact insurance payer for prior authorization as necessary.
• 7. Possesses a level of independence requiring knowledge of multiple disease specific programs.
• 8. Functions as a content expert/resource leader/champion in quality improvement/process improvement initiatives and projects.
  • a. Works with Operations Director to develop specific scheduling guidelines and "best practice" procedures for staff, works with staff to implement new procedures, provides education of staff as needed.
• 9. Ensures quality clinical care and adherence to standard operating procedures and compliance requirements.
  • a. Ensures daily tasks are completed (DAR is reconciled, manages referral work queue, AVS’s are completed).
• 10. Oversees accurate completion of designated responsibilities and processes.
  • a. May assist staff with complex administrative responsibilities and intra/inter-institutional coordination and communication.
• 11. Participates in committees, meetings and in rollouts of new clinical applications and programs.
• 12. Participates in the recruiting process (interviewing and hiring) of employees.
• 13. Participates in the annual evaluations of performance for employees.
• 14. Assists in the training and mentoring of staff.
  • a. Develops and leads training programs.
  • b. Handles complex scheduling and is seen as an expert on the scheduling system (aka Training Ambassador).
• 15. Assists with resource allocation and budgeting analysis.
• 16. Responsible for discrepancy report resolution (past pending, charge capture).
• 17. Responsible for ensuring appropriate coverage in the absence of staff or manager.
• 18. Leads staff meetings in the absence of clinical practice support management.

JOB REQUIREMENTS

Minimum Education - Preferred

Bachelor’s degree and/or 4-6 years equivalent experience preferred.

Minimum Work Experience

Minimum of 4-6 years of experience in a customer service or medical environment preferred. Related secretarial and scheduling experience preferred.

Required additional Knowledge and Abilities

• Knowledge of managed care policies and medical terminology preferred.
• Working knowledge of GE Centricity or other hospital/professional services billing systems.
• Strong understanding of Microsoft Office product suite.
• Excellent customer service and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Self-starter with strong team player and leadership abilities.
• Knowledge of medical terminology preferred.
• Minimum of 4-6 years of experience in a customer service or medical environment preferred. Related secretarial and scheduling experience preferred.