Medical_Support_Assistant_(Duties)_REVISED_07.25.2018.pdf

TASK, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND REQUIREMENTS

(MEDICAL SUPPORT ASSISTANTS)

This section lists specific tasks that must be performed by the medical support assistants.

This list may not be all inclusive. Mandatory orientation and training must be completed and all contractors are required to wear the NIH picture ID and name tag, at all times. The duties to be performed are dependent on the location that the contractor will be assigned to work.

SCHEDULING ACTIVITIES (Patients and Staff)

PATIENT APPOINTMENT ACTIVITY

Have knowledge of the Enterprise Scheduling System and any other Institute specific patient appointment scheduling system.

Have knowledge of the specific scheduling guidelines for the area assigned.

All appointment requests should be submitted via the electronic appointment request (EAR) in CRIS, unless there is a CRIS downtime. Notify government supervisor if requests are being submitted in other formats.

Schedule patient appointments in the Clinical Center’s primary appointment scheduling system (Enterprise Scheduling) and IC scheduling systems in designated areas.

Print daily appointment rosters and distribute to research teams, as directed.

Print patient itineraries and explain to patients how to view appointments on the Clinical Center Patient Portal.

Status all appointments in the system (mark the appointment as: patient arrived, no showed or cancelled) by the end of each day.

Reschedule patient appointments, as requested.

Assist clinical & administrative personnel with questions regarding electronic scheduling systems.

Prioritize requests for appointments and schedule appropriately based on written guidelines or guidance from clinical staff.

Notify clinical staff of patients who call to cancel and or reschedule appointments.

Reschedule appointments only as instructed by clinical staff.

Provide patients with special instructions for appointments per established guidelines.

Verify visit intensity for day hospital patients & update appointment to corresponding intensity level.

Submit requests for new provider/equipment/room schedules or changes, as directed.

Contact ancillary departments to schedule appointments for patients, according to specific guidelines.

STAFF SCHEDULING ACTIVITY

Have knowledge of the Automated Nurse Scheduling Office System (ANSOS).

Enter approved staff schedules in the Automated Nurse Scheduling Office System (ANSOS) as directed.

Enter schedule variances (sick leave, annual leave, class time, etc.) that occurred after the schedule was entered into staff scheduling system.

Print out staff schedules and provide to nurse manager for approval prior to entry into the staff scheduling system

ADMISSION AND OUTPATIENT REGISTRATION ACTIVITIES

Have knowledge of the Admissions/Travel/Voucher (ATV) application and the data elements required for an admission request.

Patient requests for admission are sent electronically via Admissions/Travel/Voucher (ATV) system. Review requests for completeness and follow up with requestor concerning incomplete or inaccurate requests.

Verify patients do not already exist within the system; patients shall not have 2 assigned medical records (two medical record numbers).

Perform a status update in ATV for all requests received electronically.

Have knowledge of hospital Admission/Discharge/Transfer (ADT) screens in the Clinical Research Information System (CRIS) and the data elements required to register a patient in the system.

Have knowledge of the inpatient admission and outpatient registration policies & procedures.

Have knowledge of guidelines related to registering patents with pediatric custody/guardianship issues or adult patients who do not have the capacity to provide consent.

Perform bedside admission registration for patients who are unable to come to the Admissions Office.

Perform outpatient registration for off-site patients, as requested.

Greet all arriving patients, visitors and staff in a courteous and professional manner.

Ensure patient name and date of birth are listed accurately in ADT system.

Verify demographic information for accuracy.

Enter information into all required fields into the ADT system and shall document in ADT reasons why information not provided by patient.

Review general admission consent form, information practices form, relationship to child form & patient handbook with the patient.

Witness signature & sign name acknowledging this on consent form & information practices form.

Ensure that the patient name & date of birth are accurate before applying wristbands on patients.

Provide guidance & answer questions from patients & families concerning facilities and services.

Notify government supervisor if a patient needs to store or retrieve items from Admissions safe after-hours, weekends and holidays.

Prepare offsite patient admission packets upon request from clinicians or supervisor.

Have general knowledge of patient handbook, available resources, departments, directions, and facilities.

Update any patient demographic information in the ADT, accurately and in a timely manner.

Ensure all patients receive a patient wristband and verify with patient their name and date of birth prior to applying the wristband on the patient.

Notify nursing staff or supervisor of any patient safety concerns, such as hazard in the environments.

RECEPTION ACTIVITIES

Greet all arriving patients, visitors and staff in a courteous and professional manner.

Provide an atmosphere that is welcoming and shall provide reception to patients, visitors and staff and be able to answer customer questions in a courteous and professional manner.

Adhere to regulations and directives concerning patient confidentiality, such as the release of medical information and keeping patient information secure.

Use secure e-mail when sending any patient information.

Contractors must indicate in their e-mails that he/she is a contractor when sending e-mails.

Schedule conference rooms upon request.

Insert updated information and remove outdated information in administrative manuals.

Answer patient call lights in inpatient and day hospital areas of the hospital.

Provide tour of patient care inpatient unit and escort patient to room.

Explain to inpatients how to use the telephone, nurse call light, bed controls, etc.

Provide each clinic patient with a Patient Demographic Update Form to review and send any changes to Admissions.

Answer queries related to knowledge of work and processes.

Provide NIH campus shuttle service information via fax or schedule handout primarily during weekends, after hour and holidays.

Refer all press inquiries to the Clinical Center Communications Department.

Check out keys from Admissions for opening clinic rooms.

Ensure work environment is conducive for patient care (lights, temperature, turning on computer systems, etc.) & ensure patient rooms are appropriately setup and maintained throughout the day.

Ensure all rooms are stocked with all appropriate medical supplies and forms.

Ensure all rooms including common areas are free of obstructions, litter, etc.

Ensure patient snacks are stored appropriately in patient waiting room and/or refrigerator.

Contact housekeeping for areas that require cleaning (patient/clinic rooms), paper towels and soap stock, and/or trash removal.

Ensure that copiers and fax machines are operational and stocked with toner and paper.

Ensure patient education material is stocked in brochure racks.

Ensure current versions of on-call staff phone lists are available.

Maintain and update list of frequently called phone numbers.

Answer the phone in a courteous and professional manner and triage incoming calls.

When answering the phone utilize the four part greeting. Example: Good morning, 3NE, this is Kathy, how may I help you?

Accurately record and communicate messages to appropriate personnel and retrieve messages from voice mail and provide to appropriate individuals.

Assist callers with questions and provide general guidance and instructions.

Page clinical staff upon request.

Notify physician or nurse or other clinician upon patient arrival.

Notify supervisor if patient is not seen within 15 minutes of arrival.

Ensure patients sign-in in designated areas.

Track patient wait time in designated areas.

Assess need for escorting customers to rooms and locations.

Initiate contact with appropriate departments for emergency and non-emergency situations.

Contact appropriate government personnel (Admissions Supervisor/Designee) in order to dispense authorized money from the Patient Emergency Fund (PEF).

Issue a NIH Property Pass for property (wheel chairs) authorized to be removed from the building and notify supervisor of all non-returned property.

Contact inpatient units to get approval for patient to accept flowers/gifts delivered to Admissions.

Contact employees and notify them of flowers/gifts delivered to Admissions.

Have knowledge of physical layout of Clinical Center.

Have knowledge of the policies and procedures relevant to the specific patient care or service areas and be able to communicate directions and instructions.

Have knowledge of various methods for obtaining interpreter services, including arrangements with social workers, TTY/TDD, or the use of the language line.

Have the ability to be sensitive to patients/visitors that may be hearing impaired or who do not speak English.

Knowledge of the guidelines related to arranging authorized taxi, air/train and ambulance transport for patients.

Arrange for patient taxi or air/train transportation arrangements, after-hours, weekends, and holidays.

Arrange ambulance transport for patients coming to and leaving the hospital.

Notify supervisor if unable to stay to close clinic (after final patient leaves).

Ensure that all patients have vacated the clinic/ancillary department.

Remove and replace sharps containers, located in the exam rooms, when items are near or have reached the designated fill line.

Ensure lab specimens have been picked up by messenger/escort service.

Prepare work environment for closing (turn off lights, turning off computer systems, etc.), and lock rooms in the clinic.

Return checked out keys to Admissions.

PATIENT RECORD ACTIVITIES

Follow guidelines regarding release and transport of any medical records. Note: The Clinical Center has an electronic medical record system but there are still some paper documents that need to be sent to the Medical Record Department for scanning into the electronic record.

Prepare any paper documents that are required for specific visits.

Ensure that any loose medical records or consent documents are properly labeled with patient name and medical record number are returned to the Medical Record Department for scanning into the electronic medical record.

Assemble the inpatient patient chart according to the required format

Disassemble inpatient chart into appropriate format for scanning in the electronic Medical Record.

Fax completed admission Medication Reconciliation form to Pharmacy, as directed.

Ensure that the appropriate fax guidelines are followed with faxing clinical information to approved sources. This includes having the appropriate release of information, review by the patient’s physician and the confidential fax cover sheet.

Fax completed admission Medication Reconciliation form to Pharmacy, as directed.

CLINICAL SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

Assign cell phones to nurses & patient rooms on nurse call system for each shift (three times a day), & are assigned in 1NW, 3NW, 3SE, 3NE, 3SWN, 3SWS, 5SW, 5SEN, 5SES, 5NW & 7SWN locations.

Write patient and nurse assignments on white board.

Print, sort, staple and distribute patient care plans to nurses at the beginning of each shift for inpatient units.

Prepare identification labels for patient room doors.

Respond to nurse call lights, if nurse is not available.

Remove lab orders from printer and attach corresponding lab labels from label printer.

Dispose of bio-hazard waste, confidential waste and sharps in accordance with policies and procedures.

Perform daily environmental assessment and notify appropriate personnel of any issues.

Witness signature on clinical research protocol consent form.

Escort patients upon request and escort and remain with patient during tests, after hours, as directed by nursing personnel.

Label broken equipment to be picked up by Bio-Med Engineering & track in an equipment log.

Participate as a member of the team in semi-annual environmental safety rounds which are conducted to comply with Joint Commission standards and ensure environmental safety.

Ability to distinguish different types of alarms and know how to respond; i.e. negative flow room, nurse call, IV pump, electronic transport system and pneumatic tube system.

Have knowledge of appropriate departments and personnel to follow up on issues discovered during semi-annual environmental safety rounds.

Ensure red emergency phones work properly and test results are documented in log.

Ensure that the certificate of death is completed in accordance with state guidelines.

Go to inpatient unit and assist physicians with completing physician’s portions of the form.

Ensure that each action on the expiration worksheet is documented by the individual completing the action. Communicate to the next shift, any pending tasks.

Initiate and ensure completion of the expiration worksheet for all patients that expire in the hospital in addition to bodies brought in for an autopsy.

Make arrangements with Clinical Center contract funeral service for any services required domestically or internationally.

Make arrangements for transport of the deceased patients.

Inform physician and/or pathologist of any potential delay in transport of body to the NIH for autopsy prior to the body being transported.

Have knowledge of Clinical Center policies and procedures regarding patient expiration process and funeral arrangements including transport of deceased patients.

Complete all forms for disposition of the body.

Instruct grieving family members about the purpose of the forms and how to complete them.

Ensure the correct death certificate accompanies corresponding deceased patients accepted into the morgue.

Ensure all patients receive a patient wristband and verify with patient their name and date of birth prior to applying the wristband on the patient.

Know the emergency management procedures for the hospital and work location.

Know the location and how to use the fire extinguishers and alarms.

Know how to call for a Code Blue, Rapid Response, Fire, NIH Police or Stat Page

Admissions staff must enter into the shift report log, any significant or pending issues that occurred on that shift.

Provide other administrative support activities, as directed.

EQUIPMENT, MATERIAL AND SUPPLY SUPPORT ACTIVITIES

Ensure expiration dates have not been exceeded on all medical supplies and equipment received, stored and stocked.

Maintain appropriate levels of medical & pharmaceutical supplies, medical equipment & forms.

Order medical and take home supplies via Hospital Services intranet interface.

Return incorrect items received to Central Hospital Supply (CHS).

Ensure supplies and forms are appropriately stocked throughout the day.

Provide office supply requests to appropriate personnel for authorization.

Request office supplies and forms at least once a month.

Stock office supplies in appropriate locations.

Submit meal requests for eligible outpatients to the Nutrition Department for breakfast and lunch.

Maintain appropriate level of snacks in designated inpatient, day hospital and clinic locations.

Obtain snacks 3 times a week from clinic supply room and record in log.

Obtain snacks once a week for inpatient units.

Ensure stored food for patients has not expired.

Ensure patient nutrition and specimen refrigerator temperatures are within the required range.

Document in a log the temperature of nutrition refrigerators on a daily basis.

Alert appropriate personnel for refrigerators that are not working properly or are out of acceptable temperature ranges.

Request housekeeping to clean specimen and nutrition refrigerators, at least once a week, and as needed.

Monitor delivery of items to the clinics/units/ancillary departments via escort, tube station or electronic transport system. Retrieve items and notify appropriate staff of deliveries.

Know how to operate the Electronic Track Conveyor, Pneumatic Tube System and other clinic/unit/department equipment.

Submit repair requests for items that need to be fixed (equipment, telephones, facilities issues, etc.)

PATIENT TRAVEL AND VOUCHER ACTIVITIES

Transcribe patient travel authorization requests into Admission/Travel/Voucher (ATV) system, as directed in writing by Institute staff, for submission to the Patient Travel and/or Patient Voucher Office.

Print ATV authorization requests, as needed.

Contact appropriate Institute to resolve inaccurate and/or missing ATV requests.

Compare airfare and car mileage costs to determine appropriate reimbursement rate according to travel guidelines.

Review exception forms to ensure documentation is acceptable and inform supervisor of any requests made that appear questionable.

Submit exception forms to approving official.

Ensure that all fields on electronic ATV form are completed.

Create from ATV and submit electronically, via Patient Travel Module (PTM), patient travel voucher reimbursement to authorizing official for approval.

Obtain authorizing signature for each voucher prior to issuing to patient or guardian.

Create and submit electronically, via Patient Travel Module (PTM), patient travel authorizations for government-arranged air/train travel to authorizing official for approval.

Distribute patient travel reimbursement checks to patients or authorized guardian, in person, at the Patient Voucher Office.

Include detailed cover letter with patient reimbursable check to be mailed with information that includes amount and type of reimbursement.

Prepare envelopes for travel reimbursement checks that are to be mailed.

Knowledge of Institute specific patient travel reimbursement guidelines.

When an exception form is required prior to creating travel authorizations.

Review itinerary & ATV requests provided by Patient Travel Office to verify dates & origin of travel.

Review exception forms to ensure documentation is acceptable and inform supervisor of any requests made that appear questionable.

Submit exception forms to approving official.

Create and submit electronically, via Patient Travel Module (PTM), patient travel authorizations to authorizing official for approval.

Ensure that appropriate fields on electronic form are completed according to protocol guidelines and print patient travel authorization.

Create and submit electronically, Patient Travel Module (PTM), patient travel voucher to authorizing official for approval after confirmation of trip completion.

Always comply with required documentation procedures for Patient Travel.

Scan a copy of ATV request, travel authorization, travel voucher and any applicable receipts or travel itinerary and include a copy of reimbursement check and cover letter if mailed to patient.

Provide taxi, air or train service at Admissions desk after hours, weekends and holidays.

Obtain approval for travel and transportation requests before making arrangements.

Maintain log to track authorizations for transportation.

Use designated contract travel agency for government arranged air and/or train travel for patients and use designated contracts for taxi service.

Complete all required fields on voucher for taxi driver and complete voucher for taxi driver to be issued upon completion of trip.

Make arrangements for authorized ground and/or air ambulance transportation according to the NIH Clinical Center guidelines.

STATISTICS, REPORTING & OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE ACTIVITIES

Collect, assemble, enter data, and produce and/or distribute ad hoc reports.

Verify core staff phone numbers, enter changes in staff scheduling system and print monthly emergency call list for managers.

Enter non-clinical occurrence reports in the hospital occurrence reporting system, as directed.

Maintain all prescribed files and purge files according to record management guidelines.

Tabulate patient census data daily for designated areas.

Develop and write basic documents.

Have knowledge of Microsoft office applications.

Have ability to develop and write basic documents, to include memos, simple spreadsheets and administrative procedures.

Document patient wait and processing times and enter into designated software application.

Track patient wait and processing times daily for the Admissions and any other designated area.

Updates information, as directed (phone lists, on-call lists, leave schedules, manuals, etc.)

Admissions staff Issue keys to approved personnel.

Maintain key sign-out logs and ensure transaction information has been properly documented.

Contact holder of key if not returned within the agreed upon time frame.

Notify Admissions Office supervisor of all non-returned keys.

Pick up staff mail from designated remote locations once a day.

Deliver mail to appropriate personnel.

Deliver patient mail that arrives at the inpatient units.

Return mail and packages that arrive after patient discharge.