Practice Coordinator

Please note: this is a temporary assignment (6 months) with potential to extend. Fully onsite at Mt. Zion.

As a patient-focused organization, UCSF Health is committed to enhancing the health and well-being of people through patient care, research, and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. UCSF Health seeks faculty and staff who are committed to the values of professionalism, respect, integrity, diversity, and excellence that are integral to our mission.

The Practice Coordinator 3 (PC3) serves as a key member of the administrative team and represents the practice as a professional and welcoming point of contact for patients, families, providers, and staff. The PC3 works closely with administrative, clinical, and management teams to support daily practice operations, promote excellent customer service, and assist with customer service recovery and intervention efforts.

The PC3 provides comprehensive administrative and clerical support across a variety of practice functions, including CRM messages, telephone encounters, referrals, APeX in-baskets, scanning, filing, authorizations, billing, patient scheduling, check-in/check-out, and other patient access and practice operations activities.

The PC3 maintains routine clerical operations and communications while adhering to UCSF House and Telephone Standards and demonstrating sensitivity to the needs of patients, staff, and providers. This position requires a collaborative and flexible team member who can adapt to changing priorities, work independently with minimal supervision, and use sound judgment to prioritize work, resolve problems, and facilitate complex transactions.

The PC3 plays an important role in the outpatient care environment by providing excellent customer service and facilitating accurate and timely information flow among patients, medical staff, hospital departments, and other stakeholders to maximize operational efficiency and support high-quality patient care.

Responsibilities

• Patient Scheduling & Access: Schedule new and established patient appointments using APeX/Cadence, coordinate appointments, tests, and procedures, and support timely patient access. Manage referral workqueues and ensure scheduling follows practice guidelines and provider templates. 
• Front Desk & Patient Check-In: Welcome and register patients, collect copays and account payments, maintain efficient patient flow, assist with kiosk check-in, monitor waiting areas, and address delays or service concerns. 
• Telephone & Electronic Patient Support: Respond to patient calls and online appointment requests, schedule appointments, document interactions accurately, route messages and telephone encounters, and involve clinical staff when urgent or emergent concerns arise. 
• Patient Care Coordination: Coordinate appointments, procedures, tests, referrals, and administrative aspects of patient care. Provide patients with appropriate instructions and information and collaborate with clinical staff to address urgent or complex scheduling and care coordination needs. 
• Referral & Authorization Management: Process incoming referrals, verify insurance coverage, obtain and document authorizations, maintain accurate referral records, and ensure required information is available for visits and procedures. 
• Revenue Cycle Support: Collect payments, communicate financial and administrative policies, obtain insurance authorizations, support accurate billing, and use CPT and ICD coding information as needed for scheduling and authorization processes. 
• APeX/EPIC Administration: Manage referrals, workqueues, CRM messages, telephone encounters, MyChart communications, patient letters, and other administrative workflows within APeX/EPIC. 
• Patient Records & Documentation: Maintain, scan, import, and track patient records and related materials while ensuring accurate documentation and compliance with confidentiality, HIPAA, and medical records requirements. 
• Customer Service & Patient Advocacy: Provide professional and responsive service across phone, electronic, and in-person interactions; address patient concerns and complaints; communicate delays; advocate for patient needs; and support service recovery when appropriate. 
• Team & Operational Support: Collaborate with providers, clinical staff, supervisors, and administrative teams; provide coverage as needed; participate in training, performance improvement, and customer service initiatives; and identify opportunities to improve clinic operations and patient convenience. 
• Safety, Compliance & Environment: Follow infection control, safety, ergonomic, confidentiality, and regulatory requirements and report equipment or environmental concerns.

Qualifications

Required:

• High school graduation or equivalent with four years of related experience; or a college degree with six months of related experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• Successfully passes required fingerprinting protocol and is approved to function as a cash collector.
• Strong computer skills, including basic keyboarding proficiency and experience with at least two office software applications, such as Outlook, Word, or Excel.
• Demonstrated ability to navigate multiple patient record and information systems.
• Demonstrated administrative and office coordination skills.
• Demonstrated knowledge of medical practice terminology.
• Ability to analyze situations, prioritize workload, develop solutions, and make appropriate recommendations.
• Ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Ability to exercise good judgment and make decisions independently, including when working under deadlines or pressure.
• Excellent customer service, communication, and interpersonal skills, both in person and by telephone.
• Excellent organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written communication skills, including the ability to compose, edit, and proofread a variety of documents and communications.
• Basic math skills.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with a wide variety of individuals.
• Demonstrated ability to interact with patients in a sensitive, respectful, and effective manner.
• Ability to sit at a computer terminal and use telephone/headset equipment for extended periods of time.
• Ability to adapt to changing priorities and work collaboratively as part of a multidisciplinary team.

Preferred:

• Demonstrated experience in a healthcare environment, which may include medical, dental, or veterinary settings, particularly in one or more of the following areas:
  • Patient scheduling
  • Insurance verification
  • Medical record data abstraction
  • Patient financial services
• Prior experience with appointment scheduling, ancillary service scheduling, surgical scheduling, or a combination of these functions.
• Prior experience using Epic/APeX.
• Bilingual or multilingual skills, particularly Spanish, Cantonese, or Russian.