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Referral Coordinator Resume Samples
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0-5 years of experience
Responsible for completing referrals for 12 family practice providers.
- Expedited patient referrals to specialty offices, faxed medical records, answered patient and specialty office calls and completed referral requests.
- Ability to work independently and unsupervised maintaining a superior work ethic.
- Called insurance companies for patients to obtain benefits and precertification.
- Established a close working relationship with diagnostic imaging centers to facilitate urgent scheduling of MRI’s and CT Scan’s for high risk patients.
- Knowledgeable with CPT and ICD-9 codes. High level of proficiency relating to medical terminology and strong healthcare background.
- Entered referrals on line to Clarity Health Referral System. Excellent computer skills.
- Prioritized work load and maintained an organized work space.
0-5 years of experience
Utilized the Aprima System to handle referrals and other requests coming from various offices
- Tracked prior authorizations from patient’s insurance companies for things like MRI’s CT Scans etc.
- Maintained medical records for patient’s, updated charts, composed invoices and accepted co-payment
- Answered phones when needed, scheduled and confirmed appointments
- Interacted with patients to discuss reason for visit and also worked in back office (Clinical) 3 days a week with the Doctor
6-10 years of experience
Established and maintained relationships with referral sources within seventeen counties
- Coordinated referrals and completed patient assessments
- Coordinated and provided in-services for referral sources
- Attended/Exhibited at conferences and seminars
- Organized facility tours
- Made recommendations for brochures, pamphlets, or other marketing materials
- Assisted with complaints/concerns and provided feedback to appropriate personnel
- Monitored outside relationships with other facilities and other public relations activities
10+ years of experience
Manage and maintain the Extended Care and Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility referrals for appropriate placement.
- Conduct insurance pre-certifications and maintain the inventory management of Assessment and Referral Center.
- Conduct new hire screening, assist in interviewing candidates and facilitate the Error Prevention Training to newly hired employees.
- Oversee payroll administration for the Assessment and Referral Center and Telecommunications staff.
- Increased efficiency of payroll by 80% within one month of promotion by streamlining procedures with Kronos Payroll System software.
- Monitor and provide weekly reports related to the staffing needs of Assessment and Referral Center.
- Conduct routine analysis and provide reports as needed on a daily and weekly basis.
- Successfully redesigned and implemented employee time sheets for greater effectiveness
- Initiated unit-based and facility reward and recognition program, which created increase in employee engagement and fostered an environment that would enhance productivity.
- Consolidated functions of two+ staff while maintaining efficiency levels by identifying redundancies and reorganizing workloads, thus saving organization $70,000 in annual salaries.
0-5 years of experience
Processed all referrals via phone, fax, and web and scheduled the evaluation date/time. Repetitively used the phone and computer to collect and transfer data to various computer systems.
- Scheduled evaluation appointment dates, assigned children to Enrollment Coordinators and Therapists, conducted audit reports and reconciled necessary data confirming all info was correct in all systems and completed by the State required due dates.
- Trained all oncoming staff on referral/intake process.
- Translated for the Therapist and Clients during the evaluation or therapy session, and translated documents.
- Prepared ECI pamphlets and public outreach presentations to give to service providers or public.
0-5 years of experience
Successfully implemented a clinic-wide referral workflow to ensure proper diagnoses and insurance coverage are established prior to appointments.
- Established an effective and highly efficient workflow ensuring insurance-based authorizations are obtained for all diagnostic procedures (stress echocardiogram, nuclear test, echocardiogram, TEE, and various hospital procedures).
- Strong skills in utilizing written, telephonic and online systems to obtain, verify, document and communicate referral and preauthorization information with the clinic and affiliate hospitals.
- Processed office claims in EPIC workqueue; knowledgeable in cardiology-related CPT and ICD-9 codes.
- Verified, updated and corrected patient-related information including registration, insurance information, and referrals on a daily basis.
- Ability to effectively communicate patient account inquiries, and resolve insurance and billing issues by utilizing all resources for account resolution.
- Strong competency in tracking daily clinic and outpatient procedure schedules.
0-5 years of experience
Received and processed referrals based on standard procedures and policies of [company name].
- Scheduled patient appointments with specialists and remind patients of the appointments.
- Maintained liaison with insurance companies to ensure completion of all referral related activities.
- Maintained records of completed as well as in-process referrals.
- Obtained RQI’s, Prior-Authorizations and delivered to required medical staff by fax.
0-5 years of experience
Coordinated referrals for group of six primary care physicians including securing insurance pre-authorizations and recommending specialists.
- Answered phones, scheduled appointments, and organized billing.
- Handled patient intake on the appointment and walk in side of office
- Generated charts for new patients and updated charts for existing patients.
0-5 years of experience
Management and triage of referrals for medicine specialties and radiographic imaging for 7-8 medical providers
- Initiation and evaluation of referrals for home care, sleep studies and other ancillary medical purposes
- Management and use of prior-authorization protocols for Medicare/Medicaid, Tricare and private insurers
- Office communications liaison for medical vendors, hospital registrars, imaging facilities, professional home health, and medical specialists
- Use of EMDs EMR to facilitate referral process; improved tracking method and implemented new referral process.
0-5 years of experience
Provided direct patient care under the direction of Nurse Practitioner and medical oncologist.
- Administered injections and other medications, performed and ordered procedures and other testing related to patient care, assessed patients response to medications, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
- Welcomed new patients to practice, identified and introduced care providers, set expectations for program services.
- Coordinated intake of new patient information including obtaining medical records, scheduling visit according to treatment plan.
- Communicated with patients/families to assess needs and develop an individualized continuing care plan in collaboration with physician and all members of multidisciplinary team.
- Monitored patient’s progress to discharge, intervening as necessary and appropriate to ensure plan of care and services provided were patient focused, efficient and cost effective.
- Collaborated and maintained active communication with patients, families, referring providers and healthcare companies in regards to patient status.
- Ordered/obtained authorizations for initial and refills of medications/procedures reviewed and completed disability claim forms.
- Triaged patients, patient-family education, managed physician schedules, reviewed and scheduled all patient appointments.
0-5 years of experience
Responsible for processing inbound physician office calls to determine if requested procedure met medical necessity criteria.
- Responsible for eligibility verification and knowledge of covered benefits of managed care plans HMO, POS and PPO
- Coordinated the entry of referrals for DME, diagnostic procedures, outpatient surgical procedures and 24 hr. observation in to the clinical system.
- Knowledge of ICD-9 and CPT coding terminology for referral authorizations
- Mentored new employees
0-5 years of experience
Oversee the reviewing and processing of all diagnostic, specialty, and physical therapy referrals requested by [company name] Medical Centers, covering 5 markets and more than 12 centers.
- Provide medical records, obtain necessary insurance authorizations, and schedule patient referral appointments.
- Foster positive, productive relationships with providers and payers, maintaining open communication and enabling immediate access to vital patient information.
- Established and tracked group key performance indicators, facilitating staff training on processes and procedures that streamlined overall operations.
- Trusted to update patient database due to the professional handling of sensitive, confidential information.
10+ years of experience
Prepared all new patient intake. Answered and coordinated all messages for incoming front and back office staff
- Scheduled and coordinated patient care to specialist’s appointments and for our medical staff. Obtained authorizations for diagnostic procedures and scheduled exams once authorization was approved for the procedure
- Coordinated patient’s care and focused on their healthcare network guidelines, also obtained eligibility for patient’s on current appointment schedules.
- Restock and maintan replenshiment of items needed for office
- Ordered all supplies needed such as toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels and cleaning supplies, hand soap, sanitizer etc.
- Did cleaning of entire practice to include 5 bathrooms, 3 reception areas, 4 office areas and 5 exam rooms twice weekly.
0-5 years of experience
- Ensured complete and accurate registration, including patient demographic and current insurance information.
- Assembled information concerning patient’s clinical background and referral needs. Per referral guidelines, provided appropriate clinical information to specialist.
- Scheduled patients accordingly based on a variety of factors; urgency, patient needs, insurance coverage, providers abilities, etc.
- Implemented a system of order amongst several weeks worth of referrals as an easy way to access each patient once contact has been made.
- Utilized programs such as ShorTel and Unifier to increase efficiency
- Completed training for AethnaHealth Services and became proficient in the use of Aethna to maintain physician’s schedules and patient’s charts.
- Received raise based on performance
0-5 years of experience
Processed referral request from PCP to Specialist or Radiology providers for care.
- Applied ICD-9 and CPT-4 codes to complete referral requests online or via fax.
- Followed-up to ascertain the final determination of referral requests.
- Advised patients of the status of Referral requests submitted through their Healthcare Provider.
0-5 years of experience
Residency Program/General Practice
- Processed specialty and procedure referrals. As well as scheduled procedures and specialty appointments for patients.
- Supervised / trained fellow co-workers in the referral dept.
- Assisted in managing a good work flow within the medical record dept. As well as providing excellent customer service to patients and outside facilities.
- Operate telephone switchboard to answer, screen, or forward calls, providing information, taking messages, or scheduling appointments.
0-5 years of experience
Greeted and logged in patients arriving at the clinic.
- Prepared patients for examination by performing preliminary physical test; took blood pressure, weight, and temperature, and reported patient history summary.
- Prepared treatment rooms for patient examinations, and maintained the cleanliness of the room.
- Cleaned and sterilized instruments and disposed of contaminated supplies.
- Secured patient information and maintained patient confidence by completing and safeguarding medical records.
- Performed general office duties, referral, and insurance verifications.
- Performed routine laboratory test and sample analyses.
0-5 years of experience
Responsible for providing professional, accurate & timely verification & notification of medical and vision insurance benefits via website and/or calling the payor (Managed Care, Government and Commercial).
- Verifies insurance eligibility, benefits and referrals according to the service scheduled and insurance provided.
- Performs insurance verifications a minimum 2 business days prior for scheduled appointments and add-on appointments. Monitored and addressed throughout the day for more add-ons to same day or next day appointments.
- Communicates and educates patient of referral compliance and need for upcoming scheduled service.
- Validates all necessary referral and/or authorizations for scheduled services are on file and valid for schedule appointments.
- Reviews and resolves referral and/or authorization issues not valid and contacts insurance carriers to verify/validate requirements to ensure accuracy and avoid potential denial and contact physician office if necessary to have authorization submitted.
- Answer daily inbound calls from patients and provider offices regarding insurance and referral requirments.
0-5 years of experience
Provided back office support. Assisted physicians with EKG, ABI, PFT’S
- Prepared samples for laboratory analysis and filed laboratory reports. Called in prescriptions, updated medication. Communicated laboratory results to patients.
- Performed Flu Shots. Process referrals, Run daily provider schedules
- Recorded patient histories monitored and recorded vital signs.
10+ years of experience
Responsible for scheduling appointments for various testing and with specialists for patients.
- Answered phones and assisted patients with appointments or various questions regarding our facility or their health care.
- Responsible for obtaining and tracking authorizations for the Suboxone program counseling visits.
- Gained experience with Medical Manager, MediSoft, Athena and RPMS Electronic Health Records.
0-5 years of experience
Provided staff, providers, and patients with an efficient system of internal and external phone communications, including multi-line phone answering and call triaging.
- Scheduled provider and ancillary service appointments.
- Processed and followed up with patients/clinics on referrals.
- Provided assistance to new and established patients with information and directions.
- Greeted and registered new patients, obtaining patient demographic, financial, and clinical information.
- Successfully trained new staff on Epic and clinic work flow.
- Managed schedules and operated as a lead of six respondents.
- Managed office and clinical supplies inventory.
- Assisted in opening the first urgent care clinic with UW Physicians Network.
0-5 years of experience
Promptly reviews and processes all referrals to the appropriate clinician. Prioritize and work well under pressure.
- Notify supervisor and coworkers of possible problems with insurance or credentialing. Offering ideas to help workflow and streamline processes. Successfully functions as a team member.
- Well organized and detail-oriented. Continually organizing Novata Counseling and Family Forces client charts.
- Created and maintain a referral placement system.
- Performs data entry in Excel and Raintree system to track and maintain client records.
- Develops and maintains effective relations with providers, schools and insurance representatives.
- Generates monthly Macro reports before deadline and is always open to any changes that need to be made.
0-5 years of experience
Verified patient eligibility, processed insurance authorizations for internal and external specialty appointments.
- Greeted patients face to face and assisted with referrals
- Answered telephone and assisted patients and providers with appointment scheduling, referral processing, and problem solving.
- Processed incoming and outgoing faxes.
10+ years of experience
Interviewed incoming patients and entered registration information in the system.
- Assisted patients in completing applications for government programs.
- Assessed the financial situations of medical patients.
- Obtained, verified and scanned patient’s insurance and medical cards into the registration system.
- Entered all charges and ensured all diagnosis codes met medical necessity.
- Requested and obtained prior authorizations and referral information.
6-10 years of experience
- Obtained patient information, as well measured their vital signs, weight and height
- Performed EKGs, collected blood, tissue and other laboratory specimens to be sent for testing
- Explained medical treatments and procedures
- Retrieved and filed medical charts, schedule patient appointments, maintained clean front and back area
- Ordered medical and office supplies as needed and maintained inventory
- Referral coordinator, obtained authorizations for all specialists, radiological, and surgical procedures
0-5 years of experience
Successfully implement referral coordination and scheduling responsibilities through doctors’ offices and patient phone calls, emails and faxes utilizing CareCloud electronic health records for a successful neurological office treating over 100 patients each day consisting of 2 neurologists, 4 physician assistants, and 3 technicians offering EEG, Nerve Conduction studies, and Carotid Ultrasound testing. Effectively assist the Office Manager with developing work flow throughout the front office and training new employees in the receptionist/check in and scheduling positions.
- Set up patient charts by entering all demographics, verify insurance information, and schedule appointments for physicians and technicians in 1 main office and 3 satellite office locations.
- Accomplish on going improvements within the medical office, with the most recent transfer of all paper charts to electronic health records as an office wide project in 2013.
- Communicate with a variety of medical offices, medical centers, nursing homes, and patients to assist with scheduling prompt appointments to treat neurological problems.
- Transfer calls to appropriate departments in the clinical staff, medical records staff, and billing staff while providing superior customer service to patients.
- Assist the Office Manager and Practice Administrator with front office projects as needed.
0-5 years of experience
Participated in start-up implementation of home health service management organization.
- Contributed to the development of policies and procedures and design of computer system as well as the intake process
- Coordinate home health delivery requests from physician offices and hospital discharge planners/social workers with home health agencies
- Extract and input intake information from faxed records and track down missing information
- Develop and maintain relationships with referral sources and home health agencies
- Research market, health care reform, performance metrics for VP Managed Care
6-10 years of experience
Assisted Triage nurge with calender, scheduled meetings, events, and maintained log. Scheduled all incoming new patients/referrals to USC Norris, and our sister hospitals such as: Keck of USC, and LAC/ USC, and other facilities.
- Worked with 16 physicians that are site specific physicians: Gastroenterology, Breast, Neurology, Urology, Hematology, Oncology, Dermatology, Pulmonary, and Genetics). Daily interacted with nurse practioners, ambulatory clinic, day hospital, other departments, and physicians.
- In charge of the Multi-Disciplinary Liver Hematology/Oncology Clinic -administer by Tumor Board at USC and LAC/USC.
- Pre-authorization for Medi-cal, TAR, PPO, and HMO insurance
- Generated report, and maintained log
10+ years of experience
Liaison between Referral Source and Field Case Manager. Intake of new referrals from Claims Adjusters/Telephonic Case Managers and assign to a Field case manager to advocate delivery of quality medical care while facilitating patient rehabilitation and recovery in the most efficient and cost effective manner.
- Utilize management skills to supervise employees and evaluate job performance of transcriptionists to ensure an efficient, trained, and motivated team.
- Execute the recruiting, hiring, and training process to meet staffing needs and develop schedules to ensure customer service, productivity and salary cost objectives.
- Process monthly Progress Reports for Worker’s Compensation claims and edit for accuracy and proper documentation.
- Assist case managers in timely production and processing of reports, letters and medical records.
0-5 years of experience
Ensure complete and accurate registration
- Assemble information concerning clinical background and referral needs
- Contact review organizations and insurance companies to ensure prior approval
- Ensure that referrals are addressed in a timely manner
- Remind patients of scheduled appointments via mail or phone
0-5 years of experience
Processed Hospital and Physicians orders for DME equipment.
- Maintained excellent professional relationships with all referral sources.
- Verified Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance benefits.
- Submitted authorization requests to various insurance plans.
- Requested and managed all needed patient medical records.
- Checked all daily faxes and saved on appropriate files.
- Collected payment of co-insurance on all accounts where applicable.
0-5 years of experience
Processed more than 80 admissions requests a day through McKesson vital platform in compliance with HIPPA.
- Ensured referral type, clinical records, ICD9 codes, and proper facilities are correct for billing and authorizations.
- Used Vital McKesson systems to process all member referral and admission requests in-network and out-of network medical providers within 24 hours of the request in compliance with HIPPA.
- Processed Medicaid and Medicare member authorizations and approvals letters for healthcare organizations for billing procedures.
0-5 years of experience
Received incoming homecare referrals from various hospitals, SNFs, Rehab Facilities and Physician Offices
- Coordinate care with in network providers for various Medicare, Medicaid and commercial managed care plans
- Adhered to turn-around times on cases to expedite/facilitate the patient’s recovery at home
- Provide Follow-up with both patient and referral source once care has been coordinated
6-10 years of experience
Responds to all external specialist calls and referrals Logs in Specialty Referral into E-Z Cap and CPS database, and ensures all entries were entered in a timely manner.
- Meets all necessary medical requirements to ensure CHAIN approval process
- Review CHAIN referral criteria and provide authorization for Level 2 reviews to Supervisor
- Notified patients and Providers by phone once authorization is approved
- Schedules consultant appointments
- Confirms client appointments, places reminder calls to client and reschedules missed outside consultant appointments or procedures, as necessary
6-10 years of experience
Duties included but not limited to: submit and obtain insurance authorizations for appointments with specialists and procedures, having all paperwork and any information essential to meet the patients’ insurance agency requirements.
- Brief patients on any preparation required for the visits.
- Supervised front office overseeing duties of front office workers.
- Assisted back office medical assistants when needed with rooming patients, vitals, injections, and blood draws.
- Traveled to different clinics to assist doctors with patient care.
0-5 years of experience
Process insurance prior authorizations for diagnostic imaging tests such as CT scan’s, MRI’s, and Nuclear Medicine tests.
- Process primary care insurance referrals for patients being referred to specialists whose insurance requires one.
- Schedule diagnostic imaging tests as well as routine radiology test/procedures.
- Work tasks off of referral team task list, work orders from referral team work list, and take care of voicemails left on the referral line.
- Contact insurance providers to see if certain tests or appointments require prior authorization or insurance referrals.
10+ years of experience
Receive and log referrals from In/Out of Network facilities into access data base.
- Enter client referral, demographics, and insurance information in system.
- Review referrals for required documentation and request additional documentation from referring entities.
- Schedule clinic appointments per phone/letter.
- Processed and scheduled appointments at outside facilities for needed services i.e. Radiology, MRI’s, EMG/NCT, Endometrial Ablations.
- Contact client with appointment location, date, time, and prep instructions.
- Typed and faxed authorizations and corresponding documentation for outside appointments.
- Communicate with physicians, clinical staff, and referring entities regarding referral status.
0-5 years of experience
Responsible for patient referrals for all four of Morton’s locations (Main, Mid-town, Nowata and East)
- Contact the providers office to schedule consultations and diagnostic appointments for patients per provider referral request
- Prepare and fax all required documentation for the patients referral appointment
- Complete requested insurance forms (Commercial, Medicare and Medicaid)
- Obtain insurance authorization for necessary appointments
- Contact the patient with the scheduled appointment date, time and location of appointment
- Answer questions regarding patient appointments and testing
- Respond to voice mails and messages from the patients
10+ years of experience
Review records, and with use of ICD-9 and CPT codes get pre-certifications and prior authorizations on medications, and procedures.
- Triage patients and make appointments for incoming referrals
- Prepare records and refer patients to other clinics and facilities within and outside of Mercy.
- Prepare report for daily deposit of office.
- General Office Duties
- Help within the office as needed.
0-5 years of experience
Responsible for completing referrals for an IPA of 200 Physicians including Family Practice and Specialists
- Responsible for calling physician offices and gathering progress notes, labs and test results for the Critical Case Management Program.
- Contacting patient in our IPA Group and getting information from recent ER visits to making sure they are following up with their Primary Care Physicians.
- Completing referrals within the required time frame.
- Assisting with other administrative duties like faxing, filing and copying.
- Making phone calls to patients and physicians when required.
- Assisting Executive Administrator with compiling information for monthly Board, Staff and UMM meetings.
0-5 years of experience
Prepare and manage referral requests for 5 physicians
- The ability to manage referral information calls from patients
- Manage patient preferences as to which Specialists they would prefer to see and keep
- Team Leader for my Department of 6 employees.
- Keep great contact lists and insurance lists for Specialists office.
- Kept daily log of all referrals completed.
- Verify Insurance for Referrals
0-5 years of experience
I was hired as a secretary and responsibilities included answering phones, booking appointments and verifying insurance.
- After two months I was given the responsibility of keeping patients up to date with Texas health steps.
- Three months later I became the referral coordinator. Responsibilities included sending referral and on occasion finding a specialist that accepted patient’s insurance.
- One month after I was added the responsibility of lab results. This meant managing outgoing orders both blood and x-ray and incoming results.
0-5 years of experience
Verifying insurance and obtaining authorizations for all new patients for nine specialty clinics including nephrology, genetics, and rehab, medically complex, JAX HATS, Infectious Disease, Weight Management and Neurology.
- Authorizing and organizing the process of Botox injections for the rehab patients
- Ensuring compliance with all company standards and managed care updates
- Managing the schedule for all outpatient procedures and inpatient procedures for wolfsons including Botox and infusions as well as radiology
- Inputting orders and maintaining communication with patients on a daily basis as well as responding to tasks and requests from physicians, staff, and patients on an hourly basis.
0-5 years of experience
Manage a medical front desk in areas of manual and computerized scheduling, billing, and medical/insurance records management, including major carriers and Medicaid
- Process an average of 300 patients on a weekly basis for a fast-paced general practice
- Maintain open lines of communication between patients, physician, and staff
- Schedule patients’ medical screenings and follow up to obtain results
- Respond to priority issues to ensure the prompt referral of urgently needed medical care
- Collect/process patients’ co-payments at close of day
0-5 years of experience
- Chair of Safety and HIPPA Committee
- Managed referrals for both ambulatory and insurance purposes.
- Acted as liaison between patient and clinical staff.
- Managed and prepared appointments and surgeries for patients.
0-5 years of experience
Provide member customer service; initial calls and follow-up.
- Process medical authorization for our members. Request are received via faxes or call- in.
- Utilizing our provider network, assist our members in obtaining fast and quality
- Be familiarized with ICD9 codes in order to match the proper level of care.
- Backup to my team leader. Prepare reports and request to be submitted to our Medical
- Review referral request entered by lower level staff. If needed correct the referral and took the opportunity to teach the lower level staff.
- Met departmental goals in maintaining our fax/phone queues at a compliant level.
0-5 years of experience
Ensure complete and accurate registration, including patient demographic and current insurance information
- Contact review organizations and insurance companies to ensure prior approval diagnosis and prognosis
- Review details and expectations about the referral with patient
- Ensure the referrals and addressed in a timely manner
- Remind patients of schedule appointment via mail or phone
0-5 years of experience
Assessed the appropriateness of the patient as a potential participant for clinical trials, and new patient pre-registration and scheduling.
- Triage patient inquiry and physician referral calls to coordinate intake of new patients between different clinics and schedule all treatments within the clinic.
- Obtained patient’s records and acquired demographic data from the patient and enter the data into the computer system to pre-register the new patient.
- Ensured all elements of scheduling/registration had been completed prior to the date of the appointment.
- Verified all elements of registration and insurance.
6-10 years of experience
- Maintain lawyer referral data base, accounts receivable from referrals, and Customer satisfaction data.
- Customer service for attorneys and the general public. Matched clients with proper attorney assistance.
- Managed attorney resource center – computer, copy, and fax and document delivery services for the office on the go.
- Case evaluation clerk – maintained case data base, accounts receivable and registration for 36th District Court Case evaluation program.
Referral Coordinator Duties and Responsibilities
The referral coordinator’s duties largely depend on the office they work in, but based on postings that we analyzed, most share several core responsibilities:
Coordinate Referral Appointments The primary duty of a referral coordinator is working with patients to arrange and schedule referral appointments. Depending on the office, this can include providing patients with referrals to other care providers, managing incoming patient referrals, or both. Referral coordinators set appointments, send reminders, and provide patients with information about referral appointments.
Maintain and Update Patient Records Referral coordinators ensure that patient records are up to date and kept in accordance with laws and regulations. These records may include information from other care providers, detailed information on procedures and tests conducted within the office, and records of patient ailments and treatments. Additionally, the referral coordinator may provide these records to other care providers.
Verify Patient Insurance Information Many referral coordinators work closely with patients and insurance providers to gather and verify insurance information. They may call or email insurance representatives to verify patient coverage and enrollment information, check to make sure that procedures are covered by the patient’s insurance, and verify copay amounts and billing information that the office sends to the insurance company for reimbursement.
Provide Administrative Support In addition to supporting referral activities, most referral coordinators also provide general administrative and clerical support to medical offices. These tasks can include answering phone calls and emails, managing schedules, and maintaining electronic or paper files and records. They may also check to make sure doctors and nurses have necessary supplies and patient records prior to appointments.
Answer Patient Questions Because they frequently interact directly with patients, referral coordinators regularly assist patients by answering questions and resolving issues that may arise during the course of an office visit. In this aspect of the role, the referral coordinator ensures that patients have the information necessary to make critical care decisions and may provide information to patient caretakers in accordance with HIPAA.
Referral Coordinator Skills and Qualifications
Referral coordinators balance administrative and patient service tasks to support quality care. Medical offices typically hire candidates with at least a high school diploma, experience with customer service within a medical or insurance setting, and the following skills:
- Time management – referral coordinators must be highly organized and able to manage schedules for multiple patients and doctors, ensuring that schedules are up to date and that patient appointments are entered correctly
- Attention to detail – most referral coordinators work with patient information that can include medical histories and insurance information, so they should be detail oriented and focused on maintaining accurate patient information
- Customer service – referral coordinators interact directly with patients, so they should have strong customer service skills and the ability to answer patient questions and resolve issues
- Computer skills – in this role, referral coordinators work with computers to connect patients to resources and other care providers, so they should have some clerical and computer skills
- Communication skills – referral coordinators are liaisons between patients and care providers, so effective written and verbal communication skills are a necessity
Referral Coordinator Education and Training
Referral coordinators typically need a high school diploma or GED. Additionally, at least one year of experience in a medical or health insurance field can help applicants secure a referral coordinator position. Because referral coordinators frequently interact with patients, customer service experience is also helpful in this role, particularly if that experience is in a medical setting. There are significant opportunities for on-the-job training in this role as the referral coordinator gains experience with managing patient referrals. Many medical offices also look for bilingual referral coordinators to better serve a diverse patient base.
Referral Coordinator Salary and Outlook
Both Glassdoor and PayScale have gathered data related to referral coordinator salaries. According to Glassdoor, referral coordinators earn an average annual income of $30,740 based on 162 reported salaries. PayScale’s findings, based on 455 reported salaries, are very similar, with an average hourly rate of $14.80, which is $30,784 per year for full-time employment. While the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) does not provide employment outlook information specifically for referral coordinators, its findings indicate that healthcare occupations as a whole will increase by 18 percent through 2026.
Helpful Resources
We searched the web and found a number of resources if you’d like to learn more about the role of the referral coordinator: “Referral Management” – this in-depth resource illustrates how to effectively coordinate and manage patient referrals to improve outcomes and ensure that patients receive quality care
Primary Care: A Collaborative Practice – read this book to learn how the referral process fits into primary care and helps patients get the help they need
“Simple Tools to Increase Patient Satisfaction with the Referral Process” – this blog post provides referral coordinators with valuable information and advice on improving the referral process and enhancing patient relationships
Referral Development for Healthcare – this book examines referrals from a marketing perspective, exploring how an effective referral program supports healthy practices and builds a robust patient base