Job summary
A Medical Receptionist is the first point of contact for our patients. This role involves greeting patients, answering phone calls, scheduling appointments, and handling patient enquiries with professionalism and empathy. The Medical Receptionist is also responsible for verifying patient information, processing insurance documentation, managing patient records, and assisting with billing tasks. Strong communication skills, attention to detail, the ability to multitask, and most importantly flexibility in a fast-paced environment are essential for this position. In return they arerewarded with the benefits from working within a great team who support eachother and have support from our Reception Manager for those more challengingenquiries.
Main duties of the job
Key Responsibilities:
1. Greet patients and visitors, ensuring a welcoming environment
2. Answer and re-direct phone calls, manage patient enquiries
3. Verify and update patient information, process insurance forms
4. Handle patient billing and payment processing
5. Maintain patient confidentiality at all times
6. Support medical staff with administrative tasks as needed
Skills Required:
7. Excellent verbal and written communication
8. Proficiency in medical office software and systems
9. Strong organisational skills and attention to detail
10. Ability to handle sensitive information discreetly
11. Familiarity with medical terminology and insurance processes
This role plays a critical part in ensuring smooth operations and enhancing patient experience within the healthcare facility. In addition they process lotsof other enquiries and at times work on using their own initiative when thisis not a medical enquiry.
At times staff doface challenges and will need to be assertive, empathetic and understanding andconsistent with the information they are giving to patients. This role is a shift based rotational role. To discuss this and for further details please contact Tracy Weatherley on the email supplied.
About us
Our Patient list size is circa 8,100 with 3GP Partners, 2 salaried GP's, 1 Advanced Nurse Practitioner and 1 Pharmacist who are strongly supported by our nursing team, admin team and management team and our reception staff who are managed by the Reception Manager.
We aim to offer a first-class patient service which involves going beyond basic expectations and focusing on making every patient feel cared for, respected, and informed at each stage of their visit.
Job description
Job responsibilities
Receive, assistand direct patients in accessing the appropriate service or healthcareprofessional in a courteous, efficient and effective way.
Provide generalassistance to the practice team and project a positive and friendly image topatients and other visitors, either in person or via the telephone
Limits OfAuthority
12. Personnel, does not have the authority over other members of staff.
13. Financial, does not have any authority to commit the practice to spend, without the permission of a manager or a partner.
14. Security has the authority to ascertain the reason for the presence of any unauthorized persons in areas where the practice assets may be at risk.
JobResponsibilities:
15. Ensure an effective and efficient reception service is provided to patients and any other visitors to the practice
16. Deal with all general enquiries, explain procedures and make new and follow-up appointments.
17. Using your own judgment and communication skills ensure that patients with no prior appointment but who need urgent consultation are seen in a logical and non-disruptive manner.
18. Explain practice arrangements and formal requirements to new patients and those seeking temporary cover and ensure procedures are completed.
19. Receive and make telephone calls as required. Divert calls and take messages, ensuring accuracy of detail and prompt appropriate delivery.
20. Enter requests for home visits into the visit book, ensuring careful recording of all relevant details and where necessary refer to Duty Doctor.
21. Receive repeat prescription requests and ensure that they are passed to the prescription clerk in order to be ready for collection by the patient within 48 hours.
22. Handing completed repeat prescriptions to patients ensuring that their name, address and a signature is collected.
23. Clear rooms after surgeries
24. In the event of an IT system failure, prepare lists and notes for all surgeries and clinics held, ensuring completion of all associated paperwork.
25. Advise patients of relevant charges for private (non General Medical Services) services, accept payment and issue receipts for same.
26. Enter patient information on to the computer as required.
27. Patient notes and correspondence:
Retrieve andre-file records as required, ensuring strict alphabetical order is adhered to
28. Make and serve refreshments, ensure the kitchen is kept clean and tidy and air and tidy the waiting room in turn with other staff.
29. Premises:
Switch on allreception computers at the start of the day when first to arrive and make allnecessary preparations to receive patients.
When last toleave at the end of the day, ensure that the reception area is tidy and readyfor the next day
Undertake anyother additional duties appropriate to the post as requested by the Partners, Practice Manager or Reception Manager.
GeneralResponsibilities:
30. Promote a good image of the practice at all times.
31. Read practice procedures and protocols issued and displayed in the staff handbook.
32. To ensure that the practice uniform is worn at all times, when on duty.
Confidentiality:
33. In the course of seeking treatment, patients entrust us with, or allow us to gather, sensitive information in relation to their health and other matters. They do so in confidence and have the right to expect that staff will respect their privacy and act appropriately
34. In the performance of the duties outlined in this Job Description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to patients and their carers, practice staff and other healthcare workers. They may also have access to information relating to the practice as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded as strictly confidential
35. Information relating to patients, carers, colleagues, other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data.
Health &Safety:
The post-holderwill assist in promoting and maintaining their own and others health, safetyand security as defined in the practice Health & Safety Policy, to include:
36. Using personal security systems within the workplace according to practice guidelines
37. Identifying the risks involved in work activities and undertaking such activities in a way that manages those risks
38. Making effective use of training to update knowledge and skills
39. Using appropriate infection control procedures, maintaining work areas in a tidy and safe way and free from hazards
40. Reporting potential risks identified.
Equality andDiversity:
The post-holderwill support the equality, diversity and rights of patients, carers andcolleagues, to include:
41. Acting in a way that recognizes the importance of peoples rights, interpreting them in a way that is consistent with practice procedures and policies, and current legislation
42. Respecting the privacy, dignity, needs and beliefs of patients, carers and colleagues
43. Behaving in a manner which is welcoming to and of the individual, is non-judgmental and respects their circumstances, feelings priorities and rights.
Personal/ProfessionalDevelopment:
The post-holderwill participate in any training programme implemented by the practice as partof this employment, such training to include:
44. Participation in an annual individual performance review, including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and/or professional development
45. Taking responsibility for own development, learning and performance and demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
Quality:
The post-holderwill strive to maintain quality within the practice, and will:
46. Alert other team members to issues of quality and risk
47. Assess own performance and take accountability for own actions, either directly or under supervision
48. Contribute to the effectiveness of the team by reflecting on own and team activities and making suggestions on ways to improve and enhance the teams performance
49. Work effectively with individuals in other agencies to meet patients needs
50. Effectively manage own time, workload and resources.
Communication:
The post-holdershould recognize the importance of effective communication within the team andwill strive to:
51. Communicate effectively with other team members
52. Communicate effectively with patients and carers
53. Recognize peoples needs for alternative methods of communication and respond accordingly.
Contribution tothe Implementation of Services:
The post-holderwill:
54. Apply practice policies, standards and guidance
55. Discuss with other members of the team how the policies, standards and guidelines will affect own work
56. Participate in audit where appropriate.
Person Specification
Experience
Essential
57. Customer Service experience
Desirable
58. Experience of working in a GP Practice
59. Emis User Skills
60. Snomed/read coding
61. Microsoft Office
Qualifications
Essential
62. GCSE A to C in Maths and English