Medical Assistant – Primary Care

Employment Duration: 6 months

Under the supervision of the Medical Assistant Supervisor, guided by policies and procedures of Ambulatory Services, and in collaboration with the Clinical Nursing Staff, the Hospital Assistant III assists in the delivery of care to patients in the Bayfront Medical Building. Work includes a variety of personal care and clinical procedures, including ensuring positive care outcomes. The Hospital Assistant III performs assigned patient care and laboratory procedures supporting the specialty care services provided to patients within the practices and is required to learn and be able to assist in multiple departments across Bayfront. The Hospital Assistant III is required to adhere to the Telephone and House Standards as adopted by the Medical Center.

This position makes a difference for patients in an outpatient care unit by providing excellent customer service, facilitating and ensuring the accuracy of the information flow between medical and hospital staff and departments to maximize unit efficiency. The Hospital Assistant III functions in outpatient clinical settings at all UCSF Health sites, including Parnassus, Mt. Zion, joint UCSF Health partnerships, Satellite Clinics, or with UCSF Faculty at other off-site clinic sites.

Key Responsibilities:

Clinical Functions

• Performs routine clinical functions and documents in the patient chart, including but not limited to vital signs, height, weight, pain screening, and documentation of chief complaints.
• Documents use of interpreter as appropriate. Works with interpreting services to facilitate interpreter participation for medical appointments in person, by phone, or by video, if available.
• Assists nurses, providers, and patients in preparation for exams and/or procedures.
• Successfully completes all appropriate competencies to perform or assist with procedures as required for department specialty and determined by the Nurse Manager/Supervisor or Administrative Director, which may include but are not limited to:
  • Performs disinfecting and pre-cleaning processing procedures in the outpatient clinic and maintains all appropriate logs.
  • Cleans and prepares instruments for transport to the sterile processing department.
  • Assists in in-clinic complex medical procedures and diagnostic testing/imaging, including but not limited to laser, nasal endoscopy, laryngoscopy, stroboscopy, EMG, Botox, fine needle aspiration, ultrasound, cystoscopy, UDP, and vasectomy.
• Acts as chaperone as needed for medical providers.
• Works as an internal float for the department as requested by the supervisor.
• Transports patients as directed and ensures their safety.
• Monitors patient flow in and out of the clinic.
• Sets up exam rooms in preparation for the provider and patient based on the patient's chief complaint/reason for visit.
• Obtains specimens and performs simple testing as directed, including QA/QC.
• Obtains specimens and performs simple laboratory procedures conforming to all policies and procedures related to specimen handling and processing.
• Participates in updating mandatory logs, including temperature, disaster cabinet, and crash cart logs.
• Facilitates referrals to other providers as ordered by the physician.
• Obtains authorizations from insurers for medications.
• Performs clinical activities in an accurate and timely manner.
• Assists physician staff in writing and sending out patient communications.
• Complies with all Ambulatory Services and Medical Center policies and procedures for infection control, safety, administrative, and clinical practice. Complies with activities mandated by JCAHO/Title 22.
• Ensures all medication cabinets remain locked at all times.
• Provides patient and family education as needed and documents in APeX.

Patient Communication

• Demonstrates courtesy, common sense, and follow-through in all telephone communications, maintaining the Medical Center Telephone Standards.
• Ensures a professional and helpful working environment by upholding the House Standards as adopted by the Medical Center.
• Notifies providers of patient delays and service issues. Acts as an advocate for patients by helping to facilitate provider punctuality to maintain optimal clinic schedules.
• Communicates provider delays to the front office team and makes regular announcements to patients in the waiting room or exam room as needed when delays are over 30 minutes.
• Shares pertinent information and observations with other health team members and communicates critical issues, abnormal results, and excursions in a timely manner.
• Identifies and communicates problems to nursing staff or the appropriate supervisor.
• Offers suggestions for change or improvement in clinic/practice operations.
• Assists patients with issues and complaints utilizing conflict management skills.
• Contacts labs, pharmacies, and physician/provider offices as needed to obtain necessary patient information, complying with HIPAA guidelines.
• Utilizes the Electronic Health Record (APeX) for documentation within the scope of practice of a Hospital Assistant, which may include but is not limited to:
  • Documentation of vital signs, height, weight, and pain scale.
  • Entering patient chief complaint and history, including tobacco/family history and medical/surgical/social history.
  • Entering patient-reported allergies and medications.
  • Following department and APeX protocols.
  • Documentation of test results.
  • Entering and "pending" scripted orders from providers.
  • Opening a Medication Refill Encounter for the provider.
  • Scheduling laboratory, radiology, and other testing with a written order from a provider.
  • Opening telephone encounters.
  • Opening staff messages.
  • Updating and maintaining pharmacy information in APeX.
  • Ensuring patient care team information is current.

Administrative Functions

• Maintains clean, well-stocked exam rooms, hub rooms, and lab. Responsible for ordering and maintaining supplies and maintenance of lab equipment.
• As requested, reviews the lab log of results and prints results for providers.
• Obtains insurance authorizations for medications, procedures, and film or slide review authorizations.
• Schedules complex procedures and coordinates services for patients.
• Coordinates meal and rest periods with other Hospital Assistants and ensures coverage of the clinic under the direction of the supervisor/manager.
• Maintains supply standards as directed by nursing staff or the appropriate supervisor.
• Adheres to infection control procedures as outlined in the Infection Control Manual.
• Adheres to Ambulatory Service policies and procedures for the cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilization of equipment.
• Participates in various QI and Customer Service initiatives, such as wait time studies and outcome data collection from procedures.
• Performs any other duties related to patient care activities as required.

Service Excellence and Work Environment

• Demonstrates service excellence by following the Everyday PRIDE Guide with UCSF Medical Center standards and expectations for communication and behavior. These standards and expectations convey specific behavior associated with the Medical Center's values: Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity, and Excellence.
• Uses effective communication skills with patients and staff; demonstrates proper telephone techniques and etiquette; acts as an escort to patients or family members needing directions; shows sensitivity to differences of culture; and demonstrates a positive and supportive manner.
• Exhibits teamwork skills to positively acknowledge and recognize colleagues and uses personal experiences to model and teach Living PRIDE standards.
• Exhibits tact and professionalism in difficult situations according to PRIDE Values and Practices.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and adheres to privacy, confidentiality, and security policies and procedures related to Protected Health Information (PHI) or other sensitive and personal information.
• Demonstrates an understanding of and adheres to safety and infection control policies and procedures.
• Assumes accountability for improving quality metrics associated with the department/unit and meeting organizational/departmental targets.
• Keeps working areas neat, orderly, and clutter-free, including hallways. Adheres to cleaning processes and puts things back where they belong. Removes and reports broken equipment and furniture.
• Picks up and disposes of litter found throughout the facility.
• Posts flyers and posters in designated areas only; does not post on walls, doors, or windows.
• Knows where the Environment of Care Manual is kept in the department and corrects or reports unsafe conditions to the appropriate departments.
• Protects the physical environment and equipment from damage and theft.

Responsibilities

N/A

Qualifications

Required Qualifications:

• 6 months of Medical Assistant experience.
• Knowledge and abilities essential to successfully performing the duties assigned to the position.
• Current American Heart Association CPR Certification.
• Ability to work effectively with people from diverse cultures and diverse socioeconomic situations.

Preferred Qualifications:

• 6 months of experience with OHNS, Urology, or similar in an ambulatory setting/medical practice.
• Certification from an approved Medical Assistant program or equivalent combination of training and experience.
• CPT-1 Phlebotomy License preferred.
• Proficiency with EPIC (APeX) electronic health records system.
• Bilingual or multilingual capability (Spanish, Cantonese, Russian) strongly preferred.
• Experience collecting and entering data, identifying errors and missing information, and performing fundamental process improvement analysis.
• Experience with insurance authorizations and interacting with retail pharmacies to refill medications.