Clinical Assistant

Description

Summary 

The Clinical Assistant – Nurse Line supports Christ Health Center’s clinical operations by serving as a central point of communication for patient phone inquiries across clinic locations. This role assists the clinical care team by facilitating patient communication, supporting nurse triage processes, and ensuring patient concerns are directed to the appropriate clinical staff. The position contributes to patient safety, care coordination, and a positive patient experience through effective communication and support of clinic workflows. 

Supervisory Responsibilities: None 

Requirements

Call Monitoring and Intake 

• Monitor incoming patient calls through the Phreesia On-Call dashboard during assigned shifts. 
• Review call transcriptions and recordings to ensure patient concerns are accurately understood and documented. 
• Identify and match calls to the correct patient record within the Athena electronic medical record system. 
• Monitor matched, unmatched, and unidentified call cases and ensure proper patient assignment. 

Triage and Escalation 

• Categorize calls according to the Christ Health Center Nurse Line triage workflow (Emergent, Urgent Class 1, Urgent Class 2, High Priority Clinical Review, Routine/Administrative). 
• Escalate emergent concerns by instructing callers to contact emergency services (911) or seek emergency care when appropriate and notifying the Nurse Manager. 
• Route urgent and clinical concerns to the appropriate Nurse Manager, Lead Nurse, or provider for further triage and review. 
• Assist with coordination of same-day appointments or work-in visits when clinically indicated. 

Documentation and Case Routing 

• Accurately document patient communications, call details, and triage actions within the electronic medical record. 
• Assign the appropriate department and provider within Athena and route cases to the appropriate inbox or task queue. 
• Create follow-up tasks to support care coordination and ensure timely resolution of patient requests. 
• Maintain clear documentation of clinical escalation, provider notifications, and follow-up actions. 

Patient Communication and Support 

• Provide professional and compassionate communication with patients and families during phone interactions. 
• Use active listening to identify patient concerns and determine appropriate triage routing. 
• Provide clear instructions to patients regarding next steps, appointments, referrals, or follow-up care when appropriate. 
• Maintain patient confidentiality and adhere to HIPAA privacy regulations. 

Team Collaboration 

• Serve as a liaison between patients, providers, nurses, and administrative staff. 
• Maintain open communication with Office Managers, Medical Assistants, Registered Nurses, and providers. 
• Participate in team huddles, staff meetings, training, and quality improvement initiatives. 
• Support clinic operations through coordination and administrative assistance as needed. 
• Perform other duties as assigned. 

Required Knowledge/Skills/Abilities 

• Ability to assess patient concerns and apply structured triage workflows. 
• Strong organizational and multitasking skills in a fast-paced clinical environment. 
• Knowledge of HIPAA privacy regulations and healthcare confidentiality requirements. 
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and general computer systems. 
• Ability to maintain professionalism, empathy, and effective communication during patient interactions. 
• Self-motivated with the ability to adapt to clinic and patient care needs. 

Qualification, Education, Experience 

Preferred Qualifications 

• Clinical or healthcare experience preferred. 
• Experience in phone triage, patient communication, or clinical support roles preferred. 
• Experience with Electronic Medical Records (EMR), preferably Athena. 
• CPR certification preferred.  

Minimum Qualifications 

High school diploma or equivalent required. 

Attendance Standards 

Punctual and dependent for assigned/confirmed shifts. 

Language Skills 

Ability to read and comprehend simple instructions, short correspondence, and memos; ability to write simple correspondence and reports; Ability to effectively present information in one-on-one and small group situations to patients, visitors, and other employees of the organization. 

Mathematical Skills 

Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, and decimals; ability to compute rate, ratio, and percentage. 

Reasoning Ability 

The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among unrelated events) and to convey the information to others. 

Physical/Mental Demands 

• Work requires the ability to lift objects weighing up to 20 pounds. 
• Work requires the ability to carry objects weighing up to 20 pounds. 
• Work requires the ability to sit or stand /- 90% of the time. 
• Work requires ability to stoop and bend, to reach, and grab with arms and hands to include manual dexterity. 
• Work requires proofreading and checking documents for accuracy. 
• Work requires the ability to use a keyboard and visualize a computer monitor to enter words or data. 
• OSHA personal exposure risk category II. 
• Airborne personal exposure risk category I. 

Environmental/Working Conditions 

Normal office