REHABILITATION TECHNICIAN

Job Summary/Overall Objectives

Assists professional staff including PT, OT, SLP, PTA and COTA, in daily delivery of patient care under the direct supervision of clinical professionals. Support is provided by aiding in clinical and clerical aspects of the daily operations of the clinic.  Rehabilitation techs are essential in maintaining organization of the clinic as they transport and set up patients, assist equipment preparation and clean up, change linen, and assist the Therapists with treatment as directed. They are also responsible for administrative tasks such as answering the telephone, greeting patients, scheduling, faxing and scanning. Utilizes time efficiently and effectively.  Staff schedules require flexibility as they are dependent on patient care needs and the needs of the department. Strong customer service and computer skills are necessary.

Essential Job Functions

• Prepare treatment areas and assist professional rehab staff in efficient treatment of patients ensuring safety, respect and confidentiality.
• Monitor safety of patients and self during treatment.
• Communicate effectively with therapists concerning individual patients and their treatments.
• Utilizes consistent courteous communication for all customer contacts on the telephone or in person
• Demonstrates computer skill level to efficiently meet the needs of Rehab Department Operations
• Demonstrate competency in the set-up of modalities, use of rehab equipment and performance of basic therapeutic exercises.
• Coordinate scheduling of patients for rehab departments into appropriate scheduling system and follow all scheduling guidelines
• Accurately obtain necessary patient demographic, insurance and referral information
• Optimize patient and doctor satisfaction, staff availability, and equipment utilization when scheduling appointments.
• Minimize delay of evaluations as availability allows when scheduling outpatient appointments as indicated by monthly statistics.
• Responsible for rescheduling patients to maintain compliance with plan of care.
• Communicate with the Therapist before moving or double booking any patient appointment.
• Interface with physician offices, professional staff and patients regarding insurances, obtaining appropriate referrals and other issues related to authorization and treatment schedules to avoid delays in initiation of treatment.
• Report insurance information including benefits, authorization and LCD to professional staff.
• Correspond with insurances via fax, delivering plans of care and patient updates.
• Work with the treating therapist and revenue cycle specialist to ensure patient authorizations are received and up to date prior to treatment
• Work with registration to ensure patients have up to date and active accounts and manually converting new accounts on a daily basis
• Collect co-payments as required by insurance and enter into EMR and Billing software as necessary
• Scans patient information into EMR in the appropriate time frame.
• Holds self-accountable for departmental processes to obtain maximum reimbursement for services and the successful flow of the revenue cycle.
• Assure proper identification of patients presenting for services following the proper departmental procedures.
• Determine if necessary, authorizations or referrals have been obtained, ensuring each order meets current published standards.
• Investigate and identify patient responsible dollar amounts in order to successfully collect point-of-service payments when appropriate.
• Maintain adequate inventory of all Rehab supplies and forms.
• Replenish supply as needed by ordering via the Purchasing Order System for stock, non-stock items and special orders.
• Inventory and organize supplies as received by the department.
• Maintain the appropriate amount of linen for departmental use and communicates with Laundry Department on a regular basis.
• Maintain care and storage of equipment, following applicable policies.
• Assure all department and system standards are met for cleaning all patient treatment areas and equipment.
• Maintains records for temperatures and cleaning of all appropriate equipment.
• Follows all quality initiatives as determined by department leadership.
• Other duties as assigned.

Competency and Experience [Knowledge, Skills and Abilities]

Required Qualifications/Experience

• High School Diploma, GED or higher level of education.
• Strong leadership ability, good organizational skills, independent and critical thinking skills, sound judgment, and knowledge of legal aspects and liability of rehab services.
• Strong ability to communicate complex and/or controversial topics and concepts to a wide and diverse audience.
• Ability to multi-task.
• One (1) year computer skills.

Preferred Qualifications/Experience

• Technical or Business school diploma.
• Experience in a healthcare setting, with outpatient rehab experience preferred.
• Lifeguard Certification for clinics that offer aquatic therapy.

License, Certification & Clearances

• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) approved curriculum of the American Heart Association (CPR and AED) required.
• Act 33 with renewal
• Act 34 with renewal
• Act 73 FBI Clearance with renewal

Position Type/Expected Hours of Work

• Incumbent will be scheduled based on operational need (rotate shifts, standby, on-call, etc.).
• Travel may be expected locally between System locations.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Independence Health and its affiliated companies are Equal Opportunity Employers. It is their policy to prohibit discrimination of any type and to afford equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, marital status, disability, veteran status, or genetic information, or any other classification protected by law. Independence Health and its affiliated companies will comply with all applicable laws and regulations.

Disclaimer

This job description is not designed to contain a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Moreover, duties, responsibilities and activities may change or new ones may be assigned at any time with or without notice.

Work Environment

Physical Demands

When lift requirement is in excess of 50#, lift assistance (2 person) and/or transfer device is required