UCSF Health Medical Foundation is a multispecialty physician foundation, and an associated clinically integrated network. Our primary goal is to foster physician collaboration to deliver the most advanced maternal and pediatric care throughout Northern California and beyond. We are committed to valuing diversity and contributing to an inclusive working environment. We have Pediatric and Adolescent Care, After Hours Care, Ophthalmology, OB-GYN and Adult Medicine clinics located throughout the San Francisco Bay area.
Under direct supervision of the Clinical Lead, this position provides clinical support for patients and physicians in the practice by performing a variety of front office and back office, patient-related tasks, and ensuring smooth patient care and workflows within the department.
This position is primarily located in our East Bay clinical settings, with locations in Berkeley and Hercules, but can cover in our San Mateo/Peninsula clinical settings.
MAJOR JOB DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
Service Standards: Demonstrates ability to remain professional even when working through difficult situations. Support the vision of the Care Centers and the core values of UCSF Benioff Children’s Physicians.
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MA Related Functionality
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PSR Related Functionality – Productivity/Efficiency – when called to support
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Manages rooming and patient flow, including pre-visit preparation, assisting with the patient visit, and post-visit duties.
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Escorts patient to the exam room within 5 minutes of his/her appointment time or within 5 minutes of registration time if the patient arrives late.
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Follows all other rooming standards as established by the company.
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Assists the clinician as necessary as a team member when necessary.
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Employs lean techniques to support smooth patient workflows.
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Notifies patient of delays in accordance with UBCP standards, giving him/her the option of rescheduling.
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Informs provider of schedule changes that impact patient flow.
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Prepares patients for appropriate exams/procedures by reviewing EHR (Electronic Health Record) for health maintenance, disease management, overdue or due-soon services and pends orders, when appropriate.
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Gathers appropriate documents and signatures necessary to assist the Clinician in making treatment decisions, i.e., immunization consent etc.
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Ensures that exam rooms are clean, stocked and appropriately set up each day prior to rooming patients.
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Assists in patient education by providing informational pamphlets and after care instructions, and/or after visit summary as instructed by the Clinician or according to the company policy.
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Refers care outside of the Medical Assistant position to the appropriate licensed personnel.
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Assists Clinician with EHR In-Basket management for prescription refills results, authorizations/referrals and non-clinical secure e-messages in accordance with the company standards.
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Follows the company policies and procedures for managing patient and pharmacy callbacks in a timely manner.
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Receives and records lab/radiological test results (may include outside medical records) via telephone or computer and ensures that those results and related reports are with the patient’s medical record at the time of the patient’s visit.
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May communicate normal rest results only to the patient upon the direction of the Clinician.
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Relays Clinician instructions/orders to pharmacy (refills only without changes), patients and other entities via computer, phone, fax or email.
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Coordinates with the clinical teams in the ongoing development and maintenance of patient education materials specific to the patient populations’ needs.
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Supports individual patient learning needs in cooperation with clinicians, and MA-PSR colleagues.
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Serves as hub for assuring complex patients are completing their prescribed care and appointments with specialty clinics, in conjunction with MFM clinicians.
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Provides 1:1 patient educational support by trimester based on standard of care in the OB-GYN setting, based on clinician orders, and/or no less than once in the 3rd trimester.
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Provides 1:1 support in connecting patients in need, with a pediatrician, hospital registration, and pregnancy related courses, and community resources.
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General Duties - PSR: The incumbent must possess exceptional public relations/customer service skills and be able to communicate with patients and physicians in an effective manner. Responsibilities are to identify the needs of the caller and execute a plan to meet the needs for registration, scheduling, billing/claims inequities, My Chart support, and general questions. In addition to being able to assist in resolving issues and improving quality of care, to ensure necessary authorizations are obtained prior to patient visits, to check-in and check-out patients, to post payments in real time, to update patient demographics, and to troubleshoot any billing problems that may arise.
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Answers phones professionally to assist all callers with their healthcare objectives.
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Receives patients at the care center. Tasks include, providing information about clinical services, insurance and payment policies; patient’s registration; processing new patient paperwork; collecting copays; and following up with patients for payment /insurance information when necessary.
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Schedules and confirms appointments. Monitors schedule frequently for capacity.
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Attends to billing corrections in a timely fashion. Asks for assistance as needed to expedite patient concerns as quickly as possible.
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Through Epic/Right-Fax, distributes incoming paperwork, lab results, and scans records into patient chart on a daily basis.
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Helps maintain office supplies, equipment and general office systems.
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Attends to physician and practitioner needs to support patient care and practice development.
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Reports any and all practice workflow, scheduling, and incoming referral unresolved concerns immediately to Supervisor for swift assessment and resolution.
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Stays in daily communication with Supervisor and Clinical Lead for staff huddle and identification of employee learning support needs.
Clinical Support
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Washes or sanitizes hands per hand hygiene policy.
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Appropriately uses personal protective equipment (PPE).
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Maintains Sterile Technique at all times, as appropriate.
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Uses standard precautions, proper technique and always appropriately deploys safety devices on all syringes.
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Performs tests, and collects/prepares specimens per written order specific electronic order of the Clinician.
Medication Management
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Follows the 6 rights of safe medication administration.
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May administer ordered medications (based on specialty specific requirements), up to and including via intradermal, subcutaneous or intramuscular injections, oral, sublingual, topical, vaginal, rectal or inhalation, with evidence of successful completion of formal competency verification; obtained during onboarding process.
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Follows Medical Assistant Medication Review workflow approved by the company.
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Obtains medication review. Notes allergies as well as verifies medications that the patient is currently using. May not independently add or delete a medication from the medication list.
Electronic Health Record (EHR) Documentation
What the Medical Assistant can enter into the record before the Clinician is in the room:
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Consistent with the policies and procedures, MAs must obtain and document in EHR or paper chart complete and accurate vital signs (minimum of three), including blood pressure, pulse, respirations, temperature, weight and height, appropriate for the patient’s reason for visit, prior to the Clinician seeing the patient. Medications being taken and allergies will also be documented at each visit.
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Consistent with the policies and procedures, MAs may document exact quotes of patient’s description of the chief complaint into the EHR. Those notes are to be reviewed and signed off by the Clinician.
What the Medical Assistant can enter into the record while the Clinician is in the room – also known as “Scribing”
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MAs can enter verbal dictation from the Clinician and patient into the EHR.
What types of orders can be pended?
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A Medical Assistant may not execute any unsigned orders until the Clinician has signed off in the EHR.
Care of Medical Equipment and Maintenance Responsibilities
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Cleans and sterilizes medical equipment as outlined by policies and procedures, manufacturer instructions, or by other accepted methods.
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Maintains daily/weekly/monthly logs as required by appropriate regulatory agencies and UBCP policies and procedures (i.e., autoclave, refrigerator/freezers, CLIA binder, etc.)
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Ensures that medical supplies are maintained at appropriate inventory levels and are not expired.
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Maintains the safety and integrity of medical equipment, including inspecting the equipment for damage and/or the need for replacement of faulty equipment. Such faulty equipment must be reported to the appropriate person and removed from service.
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Ensures the proper disposal of biohazards and sharps waste.
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Ensures all medication cabinets are locked according to the policies and procedures. Samples must be stored in a locked cabinet. For routine, non-controlled medicine storage, the medication must be stored in a lockable cabinet. Routing medications should be in an area not readily accessible to non-staff.
Independent Judgment
Universal Criteria – Planning and Time Utilization
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Performs duties in a self-directed manner with minimal supervision or direction.
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Ensures that routine and priority tasks are completed within established departmental timeframes.
Essential Skills, Bodies of Knowledge and Abilities That Are Required for the Position
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Basic anatomy and physiology
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Must be a Certified Medical Assistant, AAMA preferred, with all of the skills required by the State of California for that certification or achieve certification within three months of employment.
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Medical terminology and abbreviations.
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Universal Precautions.
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Medication Administration
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Must have passed pre-screen assessment prior to hire. Completion of medication test is also required. Candidates must pass Medical Assistant competency exam with 85% for consideration.
Special Skills
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High performer expectation with the goal of providing an excellent patient experience for every patient and every family member.
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Teamwork and partnership skills to participate as a teammate with the Clinician and other team members.
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AIDET (Acknowledge, Introduce, Duration, Explanation and Thank You) is a framework for the employees to communicate with customers, as well as with each other. Medical Assistants must be competent and validated in AIDET and other service excellence tools and tactics, as provided by UBCP.
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Competent in adjusting to change and willingness to participate in process improvement projects and tasks.
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Dosage calculation skills as proven by successful completion of medication test and no less frequently than annual competency assessment.
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Possess organizational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks effectively, using lean techniques for standard work.
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Excellent written communication skills, including accurate grammar, spelling and punctuation.
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Computer skills including patient scheduling software and EHR.
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Competent and validated in basic Medical Assisting skills such as medical record documentation, taking vital signs, preparing patients for exam, etc.
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Ability to efficiently operate office equipment, i.e., computer, telephone, fax, photocopy machine, etc.
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Ability to establish priorities and coordinate work activities paying particular attention to detail.
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The ability to manage multiple priorities and demands on time, while remaining calm.
Professional Development
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Maintain CCMA or AAMA and CPR/BLS certifications from an approved certification agency.
Universal Criteria – Policies and Procedures
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Demonstrates a clear understanding of, and consistently adheres to the policies and procedures.
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Attends and actively participates in department and facility meetings and classes.
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Adheres to the company's Policies and Code of Conduct.
Universal Criteria –Safety
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Follows safety procedures, operates equipment and performs job related duties in a safe manner which prevents accidents from occurring.
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Maintains a clean, neat and safe working environment sufficient to prevent injury.
Universal criteria – Compliance
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Complies with all laws and regulations that govern the healthcare industry.
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Complies with all state laws and regulations as well as the policies and procedures with respect to the Medical Assistant’s role.
Equipment Or Machines That Must Be Operated to Perform the Job Acceptably
Ability to operate following equipment: telephone and headset, computer, fax and copy machines, printers, electronic and manual scales, blood pressure devices, electronic thermometers, fetal heart monitor, colposcope, ophthalmoscope, otoscope, O2 pulse oximeters, syringes, stethoscope, wheelchairs, liquid nitrogen supplies, urometer, glucometer, point of care testing equipment and other equipment used in the medical office.
Working Conditions
Working Relationships/Contacts
Internal
Clinicians to assist as needed; other department personnel to share information needed to complete job duties, peers to share information as needed.
External
Patients and Patient’s Families to assist in implementation of medical care; insurance companies share information; Pharmacies, Pharmaceutical Reps to facilitate medication orders and samples and other medical Clinicians and health care facilities to share information.
Physical Requirements
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to perform the functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions of the job.
An individual will at times be exposed to the following while performing the essential functions of this job:
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Blood and/or body fluids
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Communicable disease
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Needles and other sharps
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Toxic/Caustic chemicals
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Challenging patient interactions
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Electromagnetic energy
Citizenship
Adheres to all the company's policies and procedures (i.e., Administrative and Human Resources), practices safe work habits, and engages in good business standards and practices.
Technical Skills
1. Effectively utilizes electronic health record, Microsoft outlook and MS Office Suite.
2. Takes a proactive view of daily and weekly clinician schedules, fills openings via the waiting lists and through requesting patient names from clinicians. Works diligently to keep clinicians’ schedules full.
Communication
1. Provides friendly, knowledgeable and responsive internal and external customer service. Sets appropriate expectations for patient and staff like.
2. Utilizes EHR to communicate about appointment details. Keeps other administrative team members well-informed of any patient(s) or physicians(s) needs, schedule changes, etc.
3. Keeps Supervisor informed in a timely manner of customer compliments, complaints, or problems with clinical services.
Quality
1. Maintains current knowledge of all physicians on service and at the practice.
2. Maintains charting compliance with current standards.
3. Consistently extends a professional, cordial environment by using a pleasant tone of voice and maintaining attentive respectful composure at all times.
4. Attends staff meetings and other gatherings, as required.
5. Holds self and peers accountable to uphold the Standards of Behavior regardless of race, ethnicity, culture, religious, affiliation, disability, socioeconomic background, education, sexual orientation, marital status, gender, age or position.
Other Job Functions
1. Complies with all HIPAA regulation and standards of patient confidentiality.
2. Accepts and performs other job-related duties, projects and responsibilities, as required.
Requirements
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High School diploma or equivalent
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2 years’ experience as Medical Assistant in OB/GYN or Women’s Health
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Nationally Certified Medical Assistant or California Certified Medical Assistant
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Graduate of an accredited Medical Assistant program, which includes injectable training
Medical Assistants are required to complete their CCMA exam.
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Current certification in CPR/BLS from approved agency
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Evidence of completion of infection control training per 1983 CDC guidelines
Preferred
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Minimum of 2 years of Medical Assisting/Specimen Handling-Phlebotomy
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Bilingual in Spanish is a plus.
Benefits
We offer competitive compensation including a generous Paid Time Off (PTO) plan.
Equal Employment Opportunity
UCSF Health Medical Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. In accordance with applicable law, we prohibit discrimination against any applicant or employee based on any legally-recognized basis, including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniformed service member status, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age (40 and over), pregnancy (including childbirth, lactation and related medical conditions), national origin or ancestry, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, genetic information (including testing and characteristics) or any other consideration protected by federal, state or local law. Our commitment to equal opportunity employment applies to all persons involved in our operations and prohibits unlawful discrimination by any employee, including supervisors and co-workers.
