Clinical Office Assistant, Lead

Who we are: La Clínica de La Raza is a community-based health center committed to providing culturally appropriate, high-quality, and accessible health care to the diverse communities of the San Francisco Bay Area. We have spent over 40 years advocating for and creating a health home for the many that have been denied access to care. As health care activists, we are dedicated to ensuring that individuals who do not have healthcare coverage receive the same quality healthcare as those who do. From our genesis as a community health center in 1971, we understood that we cannot heal our communities without also addressing the economic and social factors that affect health. Many times, this requires that we go outside and provide services in other settings that link individuals to our health center for preventive and primary care. Over 90,000 individuals come to La Clínica because it is a welcoming place that addresses the whole person, coordinating and connecting them to a broad network of services to improve and maintain their health and well-being. While we are still known for our activism and spirit of social justice, we are also proud to have grown into a sophisticated provider of primary health care services with 35 sites across Alameda, Contra Costa, and Solano counties.

Who you are: We are looking for Clinical Office Assistants who are inspired to deliver a great experience to our patients and who want to play an important role in patient-centered care. Clinical Office Assistants are the first face and point of contact with our patients. You will be challenged to be an efficient taskmaster while at the same time providing a human touch and excellent overall patient experience. Many people excel in one of these areas, but it takes someone with a special combination of skills and character to do both. To be successful, you need to enjoy interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, to feel energized by a fast-paced clinic environment and remain cool under pressure even when serving a person who is upset, disrespectful, or impatient. You should have a successful history of being responsible, reliable, and capable of solving problems while being friendly and helpful in seeking ways to support other care team members.

Major Areas of Responsibility include but are not limited to:

Customer Service

• Welcome patients and visitors, ascertain purpose of visit, and register patients in the appropriate electronic system.
• Determine source of payment by verifying program eligibility in government insurance plans.
• Collect payment for services rendered, operate cash register, and maintain an accurate till.
• Hear and resolve patient complaints or escalate to supervisors appropriately.
• Participate in problem-solving to ensure that targets for revenue and customer satisfaction are met.
• Answer telephone inquiries and provide information or route incoming telephone calls to the appropriate person or department.
• Schedule, confirm, and process appointments. Collaborate with Care Teams to help patients meet health goals including routine health maintenance items.
• Collaborate with Registration staff and leadership to ensure patients have adequate and accurate insurance coverage for all visits.

General Office Duties

• Perform general office duties such as sorting mail, filing and photocopying.
• Receive and route messages or documents, such as laboratory results, to appropriate staff.
• Retrieve and enter data into medical records system.
• Assist patients in completing forms.
• Operate standard office equipment including computer, calculator, fax and copy machines.
• Screen and monitor requests, completing or routing as assigned.
• Inventory stock, order, and verify receipt of medical, lab, or office supplies or equipment.
• Perform record keeping duties as required.

Commitment to Quality

• Contribute to a welcoming clinical space and healthy work environment through proactive relationship building, direct communication, and practicing sound judgment.
• Communicate and work effectively with all members of the care team to best serve patients.
• Participate fully in huddles, staff meetings, team building activities and assigned development opportunities.
• Adhere to La Clínica's ethical and professional standards, including policies and procedures.
• Complete required trainings and policy acknowledgements in timeframes granted.
• Perform other related duties as required.

Knowledge

• Knowledge of office procedures and processes
• Effective approaches to customer service delivery.
• Modern medical office and computer systems and applications.
• Knowledge of Electronic Health Records and Electronic Practice Management systems preferred.

Abilities

• In conjunction with Clinic Manager or Supervisor, be responsible for overall coordination of the COA activities in the section.
• Assist, advise, and coach COAs on day-to-day tasks and workflows, as well as professional interactions and development.
• Maintain COA schedules.
• Share day-to-day COA functions as necessary.
• Identify and solve problems in a timely manner.
• Serve as expert for insurance related processes, procedures, and questions.
• Work closely with Registration staff to ensure patients' insurance coverage is accurate and if under- or uninsured, that they are assisted to apply for whatever additional coverage they are eligible for.
• Serve as a key resource for section in the development of the Team Based Care approach to delivering patient care services and clinic flow.
• Participate in interview panels.
• Help resolve patient complaints.
• Interact effectively with on-site security staff.
• Provide support and serve as liaison for all section members as needed.
• Participate in training programs; attend staff meetings and case conferences as required.
• Perform other duties as assigned.
• Demonstrate good judgment in identifying effective solutions or approaches to customer service-related problems.
• Ability to maintain strict confidentiality regarding patient information.
• Clear and effective written and verbal communication skills in English.
• Ability to follow oral and written instructions.
• Bilingual in English and Spanish required.
• Ability to perform arithmetic calculations.
• Minimum typing speed of 25-30 wpm.
• Self-motivated and able to work independently as well as collectively to complete daily tasks.
• Ability to perform detailed administrative work methodically with speed and accuracy.
• Demonstrate flexibility and ability to accept changes gracefully.
• Ability to work professionally and collaboratively in a team environment.
• Ability to communicate and work congenially with people from various ethnic, socio-economic, and educational backgrounds and life experience.
• Ability to participate with other staff in Saturday and/or evening rotation as required.

Other Certifications and Experience

• High school diploma/equivalent.
  • 1 or more years of experience in a clinical or similar professional office setting. Customer service roles and continuous volunteer experience will also be considered.
  • Meet all health clearances required for healthcare settings.
  • Medical Office Assistant Certification preferred.