Surgical Coordinator/Surgery Scheduler/Procedure Scheduler

ACTalent; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 34,000 - 36,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

Life Insurance

401(k) and employee benefits

Paid time off

Job summary

Actalent in Santa Monica, California, is seeking a Surgical Scheduling Coordinator to manage all surgery-related scheduling, verify insurance, and coordinate with physicians and staff. This on-site contract role involves pre- and post-operative scheduling, education enrollment, and ensuring accurate documentation using Epic EMR.

The candidate will serve as the main contact for patients, handle referrals, authorizations, and collaborate with billing and workers’ compensation teams to ensure

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED.
• 2+ years of experience in surgery or procedure scheduling.
• 1+ year of experience handling insurance authorizations.
• Experience working with insurance companies to obtain authorizations.
• Experience using Epic EMR systems.
• Knowledge of medical insurance processes and workflows.
• Proficient in scheduling patient appointments and coordinating multiple providers.
• Strong communication skills with patients, physicians and staff.
• Attention to detail in managing authorizations and scheduling.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks in a fast-paced medical environment.

Responsibilities

• Schedule all aspects of patient care related to surgery, including pre- and post-operative appointments, and reserve OR times.
• Verify insurance coverage and obtain authorizations and health clearances.
• Review risks and benefits with patients and enroll in education classes as directed.
• Serve as primary point of contact for patients and coordinate with physicians and departments.
• Arrange all surgical procedure logistics and specialty equipment as needed.
• Respond to inquiries, provide service recovery, and escalate when appropriate.
• Provide concierge-style coordination between office, patients, and designated representatives.
• Manage physician referral work queues and process referrals promptly.
• Handle physician correspondence, forms, authorizations, calendar management, and transcription needs.
• Prepare patient charts and update demographics and insurance information.
• Collaborate with billing to support audits and ensure proper submission of reports and charges.
• Work with workers' compensation adjusters and case managers to process authorizations.
• Provide clinical or administrative support to ensure smooth operations.

Skills

Scheduling coordination

Insurance authorizations

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Multitasking

Patient service

Interdepartmental liaison

Scheduling with physicians

Education

High school diploma or GED

Tools

Epic EMR

Job description

Job Title: Surgical Scheduling Coordinator

Job Description

The Surgical Scheduling Coordinator plays a key role in ensuring that surgical patients are thoroughly prepared and supported before, during, and after their procedures. This position manages all aspects of surgical scheduling, coordinates closely with physicians, clinical staff, and external partners, and serves as the primary point of contact for patients throughout the surgical process. The coordinator also handles insurance verification and authorizations, maintains accurate documentation, and supports both clinical and administrative operations to ensure a smooth and efficient patient experience.

Responsibilities

• Schedule all aspects of patient care related to surgery, including pre-operative and post-operative appointments, ensuring that pre-op studies are ordered, scheduled, and completed, and that clinical staff and operating room times are reserved for each procedure.
• Verify patient insurance coverage and obtain all necessary surgery authorizations and health clearances, ensuring that documentation is complete and accurate prior to the procedure.
• Review the risks and benefits of surgery or procedures with patients as directed by the physician, and enroll patients in appropriate education classes prior to surgery according to physician instructions.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for patients, acting as a liaison between the physician, patient, and internal and external departments to support patients before, during, and after surgery.
• Ensure that all arrangements for each surgical procedure are in place, including obtaining any special equipment requested by the physician for specific procedures.
• Respond to patient inquiries and complaints related to surgical scheduling and coordination, provide service recovery when needed, and elevate issues to the supervisor when appropriate.
• Provide concierge-style coordination between the office and the patients designated representative to facilitate communication and logistics.
• Manage physician referral work queues by processing and completing referrals in a timely and accurate manner.
• Handle physician correspondence, forms, requests for authorizations, calendar management, and transcription-related needs as required.
• Prepare patient charts and review, perform, and update demographics and insurance information to maintain accurate and current records.
• Collaborate with the billing team by providing information for requested audits and ensuring that surgical reports and charges are submitted correctly to the billing department.
• Work closely with workers compensation adjusters and case managers to process workers compensation authorization requests and follow up to ensure completion of authorizations and documentation.
• Provide clinical or administrative support based on operational needs, contributing to the smooth functioning of the surgical and office environment.

Essential Skills

• High school diploma or GED.
• At least 2 years of experience with surgery or procedure scheduling in a medical setting.
• At least 1 year of experience handling insurance authorizations for medical procedures.
• Demonstrated ability to work directly with insurance companies to obtain authorizations for surgical procedures.
• Experience using Epic electronic medical record (EMR) systems.
• Knowledge of medical insurance processes and medical office workflows.
• Proficiency in scheduling patient appointments and coordinating multiple providers and resources.
• Strong communication skills for interacting with patients, physicians, clinical staff, and external partners.
• Attention to detail and accuracy in managing authorizations, documentation, and scheduling.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and priorities in a fast-paced medical environment.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Previous experience as a Patient Service Representative (PSR) or Medical Assistant (MA).
• Experience working in a surgery center or hospital setting, highly preferred.
• Experience scheduling spinal procedures and total joint procedures.
• Familiarity with concierge-style patient coordination and high-touch patient service.
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to provide effective service recovery when issues arise.
• Ability to collaborate with billing teams, workers compensation adjusters, and case managers.
• Comfort working with electronic health records and other medical office software.
• Organizational skills to manage physician calendars, referral queues, and documentation efficiently.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, day-shift position, typically working on-site from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in a medical office and surgical coordination environment in Santa Monica, California. The role operates within a large, well-renowned medical network in Southern California, offering exposure to advanced surgical practices and multidisciplinary teams. The coordinator works closely with physicians, clinical staff, billing teams, and external partners such as workers compensation adjusters, using Epic EMR and other medical office systems on a daily basis. The environment is professional, fast-paced, and patient-focused, with a strong emphasis on accurate scheduling, thorough preparation, and high-quality patient service.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Santa Monica, California 90404.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $25.00 - $26.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital 401(k) Retirement Plan Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Nov 13, 2026.

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Santa Monica, California 90404.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.