Referral Coordinator – Ophthalmology – Full Time 8 Hour Days (Non-Exempt) (Union)

The Referral Coordinator reports to the Department Leader. The position is responsible for coordinating all components to successfully clear a patient to be seen for initial consultation. This includes the following: receiving the referral and uploading it to the EMR, creating patient profiles with demographic information in the Keck and EMR, obtaining additional medical records as needed, verifying basic insurance eligibility, acknowledging receipt of referral to patient and referring source, requesting patient clearance from the clinical and financial coordinators and scheduling the initial appointments with the patient. The referral coordinator will know how to effectively triage urgent and acute cases for referred patients. Additionally, he/she is responsible for updating system information to effectively track patient throughput. This includes reporting to his/her supervisor any outlying cases, active backlog or failure to deliver excellence in customer service. The referral coordinator is also expected to use critical thinking skills to evaluate better ways to expedite patient clearance, streamline process flow for increased performance and program growth. The referral coordinator acts as the primary and first point-of-contact for patients and all referral sources.
The Referral Coordinator is responsible for coordinating all components to successfully clear a patient to be seen for initial consultation. This includes the following: register, schedule appointments, authorization retrieval and modifications, and request medical records prior to all new patient appointments. All data is documented in the electronic medical record. The Referral Coordinator manages all referrals in the Ambulatory Referral Management system within Cerner. Additionally, creates patient profiles with demographic information, obtaining additional medical records as needed, verifying basic insurance eligibility, acknowledging receipt of referral to patient, and referring source, requesting patient clearance from the clinical and financial coordinators, and scheduling the initial appointments with the patient. The referral coordinator prioritizes urgent and acute cases for referred patients. Additionally, he/she is responsible for updating system information to effectively track patient throughput. This includes reporting to his/her supervisor any outlying cases, active backlog or failure to deliver excellence in customer service. The referral coordinator is also expected to use critical thinking skills to evaluate better ways to expedite patient clearance, streamline process flow for increased performance and program growth. The referral coordinator acts as the primary and first point-of-contact for patients and all referral sources. Must have excellent communication skills, including the ability to speak, read and write English proficiently. Must be comfortable with computers and medical terminology. In-depth knowledge of all insurance types. Provides back-up to Ophthalmology Pre-Arrivals and HIM as needed. Assists the office with clerical duties and other duties as assigned.

Essential Duties:

• Mastery of Ophthalmology
• Thorough understanding of insurance plans and how these can expedite, impede, or delay services and scheduling. Can effectively communicate with patient when insurance is not accepted and why.
• Ability to use hospital and department EMR effectively and accurately without error.
• Ability to communicate directly with patients regarding status of financial clearance, appointments and troubleshoot/triage issues as needed.
• Ability to apply critical thinking effectively to problem-solve immediate and impending issues.
• Communicates areas of concern to supervisor in real time to alleviate backup and bottlenecks.
• Provides excellent customer service in person and over the telephone to patients and referring providers.
• Makes pro-active suggestions for workflow modification as needed to reduce multi-step processes.
• Tracks patient movement through referral process and addresses any delay of service
• Accepts referrals in the Ambulatory Referral Management application immediately once a patient is financially cleared.
• Acts as a patient liaison and single point of contact for patients and caregivers and takes accountability for their patient experience. Utilizes courtesy, compassion, kindness, and honesty while interacting with the public, patients, and all clinic personnel. Greets patients in a courteous and professional manner.
• Acts as a liaison between USC and referring physicians
• Reconciles patient case load in real-time to assure all cases have been addressed in timely fashion.
• Participates in process improvement projects to improve flow and efficiency. Provides documentation and recommendations for process improvement as well as participating in the implementation of new processes.
• Demonstrates flexibility in covering other staff members for sick time, vacation, or leave of absence.
• Possesses ability to work independently and in a team setting. Maintains an open line of communication with management and other staff and always demonstrates a professional demeanor.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• High school or equivalent

• 2 years Experience in Medical setting.
• 2 years Experience in registration and financial clearances (insurance verification authorization retrievals).
• 2 years Experience in working with insurances.

• Excellent interpersonal and telephone skills.
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite, computer literacy.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in related field

• Bi-lingual Spanish

Required Licenses/Certifications:

• Fire Life Safety Training (LA City) If no card upon hire, one must be obtained within 30 days of hire and maintained by renewal before expiration date. (Required within LA City only)

The hourly rate range for this position is $20.80 – $35.36. When extending an offer of employment, the University of Southern California considers factors such as (but not limited to) the scope and responsibilities of the position, the candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, federal, state, and local laws, contractual stipulations, grant funding, as well as external market and organizational considerations.