What are the responsibilities and job description for the Ophthalmic Technician position at Kings Eye Center?
POSITION: Ophthalmic Technician
DEPARTMENT: Back Office
REPORTS TO: Back Office Supervisor(s)
- Job Summary: This individual is responsible for perform all duties of an ophthalmic assistant, for all providers in the practice, with strict adherence to HIPAA regulations regarding patient privacy and confidentiality.
Education and Experience:
- High school diploma or equivalent.
- Previous ophthalmic technician or medical assistant experience preferred.
- Current CPR certification.
Essential Skills and Abilities:
- Demonstrated ability to communicate well with people, both internally and externally utilizing both written and verbal means.
- Exceptional skills in keyboard and operating computer systems.
- Ability to work in a structured environment with a diverse workforce.
- Empathetic to patients and staff needs and concerns.
- Attention to detail while demonstrating multi-tasking skills.
- Ability to make quick, accurate and appropriate decisions.
- Treat patients and co-workers with respect, maintaining appropriate standards of quality, honesty, and patient service.
- Ability to help motivate, train, and mentor new and existing staff members.
JOB SPECIFIC DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:
- Communication & Patient Care/Education/Clinic Responsibility
- Acquaint all new patients with the office procedures to which they will be exposed. Inform patients of the purpose of all tests performed and how they will be affected during the tests.
- Perform accurate and consistent documentation.
- Review proper use of medications with patients.
- Make sure patients know how to check vision at home, including the use of the Amsler grid.
- Communicate effectively with all patients in a professional and courteous manner; act as a role model to fellow employees.
- Obtain patient history to include chief complaint, history of present illness, review of systems, past history (ocular and general), family history (ocular and general), social history, and history of allergies and medications.
- Test patient’s visual acuity.
- Perform visual field tests, confrontation visual field, tonopen, auto refraction, pachymetry, Schirmer tear tests, color vision tests, stereo tests, keratometry, OCT, IOL Master, Argos, Pentacam, fundus photos, external ocular photos, margin reflex distance measurements, Hemoglobin A1c, and pre-op vitals including blood pressure, pulse, and temperature.
- Read patient’s glasses on lensometer and clean glasses.
- Train contact lens patients.
- Electronically route medications to the pharmacy.
- Write prescriptions for glasses and medications. Handwriting must be neat and legible.
- Dilate patients as appropriate for type of exam, or as directed by the doctor.
- Administer other eye drops as instructed.
- Assist with office surgical procedures, including room set-up and cleaning.
- Clean exam rooms between patients.
- Restock and deep clean exam rooms as needed, including cleaning trial lenses. Your assigned exam rooms are rooms _________________.
- Answer patient questions, including telephone and e-mail inquiries.
- After appropriate training, assist the doctor by fulfilling the role of a scribe.
- Patient Flow
- Review schedules in advance to assure a smooth patient flow and identify any potential scheduling problems.
- Monitor patient flow to ensure patients are seen in a timely manner with limited wait times.
- Determine which patient should be taken next from the waiting room and/or to have testing initiated. Escort patients from room to room and following testing, inform as to who will see them next, making them comfortable during the wait.
- Direct patient flow for the doctors to maintain a smooth flow of patients, altering the testing sequence as needed.
- Communicate with co-workers to facilitate proper patient flow.
- Communicate with front desk when patient flow is delayed so it can be relayed to waiting patients and their family members.
- Assist all doctors as needed.
- Administrative
- Referrals:
- Send specialty referrals (outgoing referrals). This includes obtaining prior authorization, timely follow-up to ensure the referrals requests are received and appointments are scheduled, and keeping the patient informed of their referral status. You must also maintain and keep an up to date referral spreadsheet. Your assigned doctor is ___________________.
- Fax communication to referring physicians (incoming referrals). This includes but is not limited to faxing copies of exam notes and pertinent information to patients’ referring physicians. You must also maintain and keep an up to date referral spreadsheet. Initial here that you understand this job is assigned to you. ________
- Manage medication refills including phone, fax, eRx and Medinformatix downloaded renewals.
- Order and check-in contact lenses, complete route slips for charge entry, verify and calculate vision insurance benefits for billing, and communicate with patients regarding all contact lens related issues.
- Manage digital and printed photos.
- Check calibration of equipment and make adjustments as needed. Ensure back office supervisor is aware of all maintenance issues including the ophthalmic equipment.
- Check expiration dates on pharmaceuticals and supplies.
- Return patients calls and assist them as needed. Ensure proper documentation is made in patient chart.
- Schedule office procedures and surgeries and all post-operative related appointments.
- Complete surgical paperwork including authorization sheet, surgical packet, and allergy bands and input documentation into patient’s electronic health record for their pre-op appointment.
- Copy and restock surgical paperwork as needed.
- Follow up with patients who do not make or keep appointments by reviewing charts and printing and mailing letters.
- Perform other tasks as required.
- Referrals:
- Travel
- It may be necessary to travel and work in satellite offices. Employees must maintain a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance.
Physical Capabilities
- Light physical effort (lift/carry up to 25 lbs.)
- Occasional reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, and crouching.
- Frequent, prolonged standing/sitting/walking.
- Occasionally assist patients with sitting, standing, and transferring to the exam chair.
- Must be able to see, hear, and respond adequately.
- Extensive computer work.
- Frequent use of telephone and fax.
- Travel to other offices based on business necessity.
Working Environment
- Sufficient noise and interruptions to cause distraction.
- Frequent exposure to video display terminals.