Surgery Scheduler

County of Santa Clara; California; On-site; USD 25,000 - 39,000; Part time

Job summary

County of Santa Clara is seeking an organized clerical professional to support surgical scheduling across hospitals and clinics. Under minimal supervision, you will arrange pre-authorizations, book pre-operative and post-operative appointments, and manage operating room schedules while keeping accurate databases.

This role requires strong medical terminology knowledge, attention to detail, and the ability to work across sites.

Qualifications

• Experience scheduling surgical procedures and coordinating pre-/post-operative steps.
• Ability to maintain master surgery calendar for physicians.
• Experience obtaining authorizations and pre-authorization referrals.
• Ability to educate patients on surgical processes and appointments.
• Proficient in medical terminology and patient interactions.
• Strong data entry and CPT/ICD-9 coding knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Schedule patient surgical procedures and coordinate appointments to optimize OR usage.
• Maintain master surgery calendar for physicians.
• Request authorizations and pre-authorization referrals for procedures.
• Procure required surgery equipment and supplies.
• Educate patients about procedures, tests, insurance, and appointments.
• Input CPT/ICD-9 codes for billing.
• Maintain files, records and databases of surgery schedules.
• May be assigned as Disaster Service Worker.

Skills

Office administration

Medical terminology

Interviewing techniques

Customer service

Scheduling

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

Word processing

Spreadsheet

Database

Billing software

Job description

Description

Under minimal supervision, to perform a combination of specialized clerical tasks related to the effective scheduling of surgeries, including; obtaining pre-authorizations, scheduling of pre-operative and post-operative appointments, scheduling operating rooms and database maintenance of schedules.

This recruitment is to establish an eligible list for Extra-Help opportunities.

Final Filing Date: The recruitment may be extended or closed as early as 10 days after issue date.

The Power of WE

Together, we can make a greater impact. Bringing better care and expanding healthcare services across the community.

Santa Clara Valley Healthcare (SCVH) is the second largest public health care system in California and includes four acute care hospitals, 14 clinics and 60+ specialty and sub‑specialty services. Our mission is to provide high‑quality, accessible healthcare and excellent service to everyone in Santa Clara County.

Because we serve patients throughout multiple hospitals and clinics, you may have to work at different sites. We will meet any obligations we may have when this occurs.

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center

- SCVMC is a full‑service tertiary acute care teaching hospital with 699 licensed beds providing a wide range of specialized services, including Rehabilitation, Burn, Trauma, and NICU. SCVMC was ranked by U.S. News and World Report as #6 Rehabilitation Hospital in the nation and #1 in the West and designated as a 2024 High Performing hospital for Maternity Care, Heart Failure, Stroke, Hip Fracture, and Pneumonia.

O'Connor Hospital

- O'Connor Hospital (OCH) is a 358 licensed bed acute‑care facility offering a full range of inpatient and outpatient medical, surgical and specialty programs to residents of Santa Clara County. It was founded in 1889 as one of the first hospitals in the county. OCH has grown significantly over the past five years in both its inpatient volume and its Emergency Department visits. Along with these volume increases other ancillary and clinical departments like imaging, lab, pharmacy, and respiratory have seen growth as well.

St. Louise Regional Hospital

- Since 1989, St. Louise Regional Hospital (SLRH) has been caring for the residents in Santa Clara and San Benito Counties, offering a wide range of inpatient and outpatient medical specialties. SLRH has 93 beds, is a Designated Primary Stroke Center, and is the only acute care hospital in the area. Located in Gilroy, SLRH maintains a CALSTAR 2 emergency helicopter base on the premises.

Regional Medical Center

- Regional Medical Center (RMC) is a 265‑bed hospital that is the main emergency healthcare provider for East San José, treating a wide range of critical and life‑threatening conditions for more than 60 years. Since the SCVH integration of RMC effective 4/1/25, RMC has expanded the critical services including Level II trauma, Thrombectomy capable Stroke Center and STEMI care, and has been seeing an increased number of emergency visits and inpatient volume.

Typical Tasks

• Schedules patient surgical procedures; prioritizes ancillary appointments; and coordinates pre‑operative and post‑operative procedures, essential equipment, and supplies for various medical clinics in order to optimize operating room usage;
• Maintains master surgery calendar for physicians;
• Requests authorizations and pre‑authorization referrals for surgical procedures;
• Procures required surgery equipment and supplies;
• Educates patients regarding surgical processes, pre‑operative and post‑operative appointments, testing procedures, medical insurances, and contacts clients to remind them of future appointments;
• Interviews patients regarding medical history and prescribed medications;
• Prepares patient charts, pre‑operative packets ensuring all information in the packet is accurate including, x‑rays and pertinent lab work, prior to surgery; prep‑rients necessary for medically urgent surgery cases;
• Maintains files, records and databases regarding surgery schedules, and backup logs per pending patient surgery..
• Inputs appropriate Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) and International Classification of Diseases 9 (ICD-9) codes into the computer system for billing purposes;
• May be assigned as a Disaster Service Worker, as required;
• May perform any related duty, as required.

Employment Standards

Sufficient education, training and experience to demonstrate the possession and direct application of the following knowledge and abilities:

Training and Experience Note

The required knowledge and abilities to perform this function are attained through the possession of a high school diploma or equivalent

AND

Two (2) years of work experience in a medical setting that required the knowledge and use of medical terminology and direct contact with patients.

Knowledge Of

• Modern office practices and procedures and the operation of standard office equipment;
• Standard medical terminology;
• Interviewing techniques;
• Customer service principles, which include interacting with distressed or irate people;
• Policies and procedures related to medical client services for requesting referrals;
• Types and functions of the various outpatient clinics;
• Computer applications such as word processing, spreadsheet and database.

Ability to:

• Perform a variety of clerical duties under stressful situations;
• Work effectively and prioritize conflicting tasks, sometimes in difficult and stressful situations;
• Work independently, exercise sound judgment and make appropriate decisions;
• Use a keyboard with accuracy and moderate speed;
• Explain, verify and/or clarify information necessary in the completion of the medical forms;
• Optimize operating room usage through effective surgery scheduling;
• Organize and maintain accurate files and records;
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with all levels of medical professional, administrative and support personnel, and clients contacted in the course of work;
• Utilize specialized computer systems.