BCC/MSC Surgical Coordinator

Job Description Summary

Under the direction of the Operations Manager, the Surgical Coordinator is responsible for following all policies and procedures for scheduling surgical tests, treatments, and pre/post operative appointments for patients seen within the Breast Care Center and Multi-Specialty Services within the Ambulatory Cancer Center. The Surgical Coordinator performs a variety of administrative tasks to ensure the appropriate coordination of surgical testing and operative appointments for all patients. In order to ensure optimal patient care, the Surgical Coordinator communicates on a daily basis with multiple personnel and departments within the South Shore Hospital, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Faulkner Hospital as well as other physicians and their offices and patients and families. The Surgical Coordinator acts as a resource in providing all patients with the highest level of service. Schedule surgeries for 5 physicians from 2 specialties including Breast and Gyn-Onc Schedules all pre-op testing and pre/post operative surgical appointments.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities:

1. Schedule surgeries for 5 physicians from 2 specialties including Breast and Gyn-Onc  Schedules all pre-op testing and pre/post operative surgical appointments in a professional, accurate and customer–oriented timely manner.  
a. Accurately selects correct medical record number and account number when scheduling the appointment. 

b. Updates patient demographic information as appropriate.
c. Collects/files patient records and maintains accurate patient file for day of surgery.
d. Secures history and physicals, informed consents, pre-operative orders, and medical summary, when required, prior to patient's pre-test appointment. Faxes all pertinent information to Pre-Test Admitting Department in a timely manner.
e. Communicates with surgeons' and physicians' office staff as required to assure all documentation present at time of pre-test in order to ensure optimal patient care within the OR.
f. Prints hospital registration sheet and assembles patient’s medical record.
g. Retains and understands complex information and medical terminology related to various patient conditions and surgical procedures.
h. Understands the impact on hospital and the centers' operation of various data collected.er towards the organization.

 2. Collects the pre-authorization from insurance companies for patients' surgeries.  
  a. Initiates phone communication to receive pre-authorization in a timely manner.     
  b. Collaborates with SSH Pre-Cert Specialist (when appropriate) to ensure authorization has been received.     
  c. Troubleshoots any issues with Pre-Cert staff, Practice Manager, Physicians or Physicians' offices if challenges arise in obtaining prior authorization.     
    
 3. Communicates and provides vital information to families/others in the Ambulatory Cancer Center, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Faulkner Hospital as appropriate.  
  a. Greets and communicates with patients/visitors in friendly, caring and professional manner at all times. 
    
  b. Provides wheelchair and assists patients/visitors when necessary.  
    
  c. Educates patients and families on all of the details regarding pre-op testing and administrative information regarding patient's surgery. 
    
  d. Informs patient and families in real-time within the ACC of surgery date/information as well as calls patients in a timely manner with surgery/test dates and information. 
    
    
 4. Manages, reviews and ensures the physicians' OR schedules are maintained appropriately in an effort to ensure optimal patient care as well as physician efficiency.     
  a. Communicates with providers on a daily basis to change physician OR schedules in order to ensure that critical patients receive earliest OR date.  
    
  b. Maximizes physician availability to ensure physician productivity. 
    
  c. Communicates re-scheduled date/time of surgery to patient, family, physician and staff in a timely manner.  
    
  d. Maintains updated OR surgery dates/time in each surgeon's outlook calendar in an effort to ensure all team members are apprised of correct MD schedule in real time. 
    
    
 5. Technology – Embraces technological solutions to work processes and practices.    
  a. Meets the technological requirements of the department and unit-specific competencies. 
    
  b. Utilizes Outlook to access emails and utilizes Lotus Notes for mandatory educations. 
    
  c. Uses web-based incident reporting system as indicated. 
    
  d. Demonstrates competence in using Meditech admissions module, and Picis OR Manager schedules. 
    
  e. Demonstrates required telephone and office equipment competencies.  
    
  f. Is able to access payroll and manage personal clockings and calendar in Time PC application. 
    
 6. Safety Awareness – Fosters a “Culture of Safety” through personal ownership and commitment to a safe environment.  
  a. * Successfully answers safety questions in annual mandatory education program 
    
  b. Understands individual roles/responsibilities during hospital codes (e.g., Code Green, Code Red) 
    
  c. * Utilizes proper body mechanics when performing all aspects of job 
    
  d. * Operates equipment safely 
    
  e. Maintains a neat, organized work environment  
    
  f. * Knows where to find material safety data sheets (MSDS) for items used to perform job 
    
  g. Adheres to respiratory etiquette guidelines 
    
    
 7. Ensure appropriate communication regarding the below:  
  
  a. Changes in schedule (surgery schedule, pre-test schedule) with Surgeons, SSH Private Office staff, and patients. 
    
  b. Prints OR schedule on a daily basis when surgeon is in clinic. 
    
  c.  Communicates with staff/patients concerning pre-test or day of surgery cancellations.  
    
    
 8. Ensures the following with respect to patients' charts:   
  a. File reports into the patient's chart in appropriate areas 
    
  b. Maintain patient charts for OR until surgery has been completed. 
    
  c. Ensures that OR has the appropriate patient information before and on date of patient surgery.  
    
  d. Ensures that the surgeon has all of the necessary paperwork/information before the surgery date.  With eight of our surgeons working at 2 to 3 other institutions, it is the responsibility of the Surgical Coordinator to ensure that surgeon has the necessary information before performing surgery in the OR.  Must be organized, proactive and detail-oriented on a daily basis. 
    
    
 9. Supplies/Services  
  a. Assists in the ordering of administrative supplies from as well as other clinical supplies when needed. 
    
  b. Builds positive relationships with Purchasing Dept and other hospital staff to ensure accurate ordering of supplies. 
    
  c. Obtain services of Facilities Environmental Services and Security as needed. 
    
  d.  Initiate emergency calls to the main hospital operator by dialing 7777 to report problem (ex. code red).     
    
 10. As of October 2009, Surgical Coordinator has increased workload by taking on additional responsibilities for providing the surgical coordination for Multi-Specialty Services.  Surgical Coordinator performs the following tasks on a daily basis:   
  a. Communicates with SSH Private Office staff to coordinate surgical date for patient seen within the MSC.   Surgical Coordinator will complete booking form in a timely manner, fax to SSH Private Office and will communicate surgery details to patient upon receipt of confirmed surgery date info from SSH Private Office or other Private Office (BWH Office - 90 Libbey Street). 
    
  b. Maintains close communication with 6 different offices regarding various patients' surgery dates.  
    
  c. Communicates re-scheduled appointment time/date of surgery to patient when receiving this information from outside offices.  
    
  d. Reviews MD schedules in Outlook to ensure there are not any errors or disparities. 
    
  e. Directly schedules surgeries for various MSC surgeons when appropriate and will complete all of the necessary steps to ensure smooth coordination of pre-testing/prior authorization/etc and all of the details for the patient to have an optimal surgical experience within South Shore Hospital.  
    
 11.  Surgical Coordinator schedules all of the new cancer patients into our surgeons' schedules and prepare the patients' charts for their upcoming appointments.  
  a. Takes all incoming new patient calls from referring physicians' offices, patients and family members and will schedule the appointment with the appropriate surgeon. 
    
  b. Prepares the chart in a timely manner - on a regular basis, this needs to be completed by Surgical Scheduler within the next few hours of the appointment being scheduled because our new cancer appointments are usually scheduled within 2 days from the incoming call. 
    
  c. Answers all appropriate questions from patients regarding their upcoming appointment and will alleviate any concerns - as appropriate.  Surgical Coordinator's knowledge of the flow for a patient diagnosed with breast cancer is vital to ensuring patients receive all of the necessary information before their appointment with the surgeon.  
    
  d. Schedules all of the post-op appointments for patients and ensures that paperwork for appointment is complete and readily available to surgeon and RN team. 
    
    
 12. Surgical Coordinator multi-tasks and ensures the high volume of surgeries (15 to 20 per week for Breast Care Center/volume varies in MSC) are scheduled in a timely manner and appropriately - given the surgical blocks associated with each surgeon's schedule.    
  a.  As the "owner" of the surgeons' schedules, the Surgical Coordinator ensures that each surgeon's daily schedule is one that optimizes their time and allows them to be as productive as possible.  The Surgical Coordinator will use her/his judgment to move patient cases as necessary to allow for surgeon to see an urgent case or additional cases.  
    
  b. Contacts the necessary parties notifying them of the change - physicians, physician offices, patient and family, pre-test, and confirm with the OR as necessary.   
    
  c. Books surgeries as appropriate at other institutions, such as the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Faulkner Hospital, on a weekly basis.  Surgical Coordinator will follow the diverse processes at each institution and interface with the various personnel to ensure the appropriate scheduling of surgeries.  Surgical Coordinator must follow-up with the various institutions in a timely manner with outstanding questions/concerns about the confirmation of the surgery date.  
    
  d. Schedules various surgeries for a particular patient on a given day - ie. (breast surgery and plastic reconstruction).  Since this is often very complex given the nature of the surgeries being scheduled, Surgical Coordinator makes  
    
    
 13. Surgical Coordinator functions as an "ambassador/conduit" to all team members in BCC and MSC as well as various departments within South Shore Hospital and other institutions within our Partners network, such as Dana Farber Cancer Institute, BWH and Faulkner Hospital.  
  a. Interface and communicate regularly with the various personnel at numerous institutions and physicians' offices to ensure all of the details regarding patient surgery have been coordinated appropriately (paperwork/testing/dates/communication to patient/etc.). 
    
  b. Spearhead various projects that will improve the clinic flow with respect to the surgical scheduling in the BCC and MSC. 
    
  c. Attend various meetings with managers in Radiology, OR and other departments in South Shore Hospital and the Cancer Center in order to streamline patient care, educate team on changes/protocol in BCC and MSC, and continue to be updated on any new changes within the departments that he/she interfaces with on a regular basis.  
    
  d. Provides volume/stats of surgical appt data to Practice Manager and Practice Administrator as requested. 
    
  e. Forms a close relationship with the appropriate staff in other disciplines in the Cancer Center (Medical Oncology, Radiation Oncology, Imaging) in order to ensure patients are receiving multi-disciplinary care in a timely fashion - as appropriate.  
    
    
 14. Surgical Coordinator assists front desk staff with coverage within MSC and BCC on a regular basis as needed.  
  a. Schedule appointments within MSC and BCC appropriately.  Understand and be able to successfully schedule the variety of appointments in each center (ie follow-up, new cancer, surgical discussion, surveillance, etc) via telephone as well as in person as patients check-out.  
    
  b. Triage calls to BCC and MSC teams as appropriate - ensure calls are directed and received appropriately.   
    
  c. Ensure optimal patient care service with each patient exchange via the phone, live interactions, and with colleagues. 
    
  d. Function as a "leader" providing coverage at Front Desk when needed as well as assist Practice Manager with improving patient flow - as necessary.   
   
 15. Surgical Coordinator has an in-depth knowledge of surgical oncology, specifically with respect to the various ten specialties seen in the two centers, and reflects one's comprehension of the clinical language/process involved with each patient experience as needed.  
  a. Understands and articulates medical terminology involved with patients' conditions, their visits and their upcoming surgeries as appropriate. 
    
  b. Follows the standards/protocol when scheduling the various surgeries by using one's knowledge of the specific surgery scheduled (ie. needle loc times vary pending time of surgery scheduled, etc).    

 I.  Technology and Learning
  a. Participates in continued learning and possess a willingness and ability to learn and utilize new technology and procedures that continue to develop in their role and throughout the organization.
   
   
  b. Embraces technological advances that allow us to communicate information effectively and efficiently based on role.
   
   
UNIT / DEPARTMENT SPECIFIC JOB FUNCTIONS
 1. Assures patients have completed required paper work at time of pretest or day of surgery. (consents for release of medical benefits, patient questionnaire, etc.) 
   
 2. * Completes patient's card on who will pick up patient and how they can be reached. 
   
 3. * Supplies patients with Patient Bill of Rights and Responsibilities. 
   
 4. Communicates with surgeon's offices to procure required patient paper work ( orders, H&P, testing, etc.) 
   
 5. Communicate with surgeon's office if patient's scheduled time changes. 

Other duties as required. 
   
Demonstrates dependability/flexibility in meeting scheduling needs of the unit.  
   
Provides safe uncluttered environment for patients as observed by Practice Manager and Practice Administrator. 
   
Answers phone following SSH&EC standard for telephone etiquette. 
   
Demonstrates a constructive approach during all interactions with staff and Practice Administrator and Practice Manager towards the organization.

Work Schedule: M-F 830-5