Clinical Inbox Coordinator

Putnam County Hospital Physician Clinics is seeking an experienced Medical Assistant (MA) to serve as a Clinical Inbox Coordinator. This position is primarily dedicated to managing clinical patient communications and provider inboxes to ensure patient needs are addressed safely, efficiently, and within expected timeframes.

This role is a great fit for someone who is organized, comfortable reviewing patient charts, able to prioritize competing needs, and willing to provide flexible support across both the clinical and front office areas as needed.

Primary Responsibilities

The Clinical Inbox Coordinator will:

• Manage patient calls and MyChart/inbasket messages for clinic providers throughout the day.
• Review inboxes routinely and prioritize urgent/red messages, time-sensitive clinical concerns, and the oldest unresolved messages.
• Triage patient concerns within LPN/MA scope and established clinic protocols.
• Review the patient's chart and investigate concerns before routing messages to reduce unnecessary provider work and duplicate patient contacts.
• Answer patient questions independently when appropriate and route concerns requiring provider judgment or orders.
• Monitor clinical results and communicate provider-reviewed results and instructions to patients.
• Provide appropriate patient education and next steps based on provider instructions.
• Process medication refill requests according to clinic refill protocols, including verifying medication/dose, last appointment, required labs, and follow-up needs.
• Communicate with patients when additional information, appointments, labs, or provider review are needed before a refill can be completed.
• Maintain clear, complete, and timely documentation of patient communication and actions taken in the medical record.
• Work collaboratively with providers, rooming staff, and front office staff to prevent duplicate work and unnecessary patient touch points.
• Re-check inboxes throughout the day to identify new urgent needs and prevent messages from aging.
• Help maintain the clinic expectation that patient messages and refill requests are addressed within the established 48–72 hour timeframe.
• Review outstanding messages before the end of the shift and appropriately hand off unresolved or time-sensitive concerns.
• Identify recurring workflow concerns, high message volumes, or delays and communicate trends to clinic leadership.
• Provide rooming MA/LPN coverage during call-offs or unexpected staffing shortages as needed to maintain clinic operations.
• Provide front office cross-coverage as needed, including answering incoming phone calls, assisting patients with scheduling or general questions, supporting registration/check-in workflows, and helping maintain front desk operations during staffing shortages or high-volume periods.
• Assist with basic insurance-related workflows within role expectations, including reviewing insurance information, identifying missing or inaccurate information, and directing patients or concerns to the appropriate resource.
• Balance cross-coverage responsibilities with inbox management, with urgent and time-sensitive clinical needs remaining a priority.

The ideal candidate will have:

• Current Medical Assistant qualification/credential appropriate for the position.
• Previous outpatient, physician practice, or primary care experience preferred.
• Epic experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of common front office and patient access workflows preferred.
• Knowledge of health insurance, eligibility, benefits, and basic insurance processes preferred.
• Comfortable answering phones and communicating with patients regarding both clinical and non-clinical needs.
• Strong clinical judgment within their scope of practice and the ability to recognize when a concern requires escalation.
• Strong chart-review and critical-thinking skills.
• Ability to organize and prioritize a high volume of patient messages without losing attention to detail.
• Clear and compassionate patient communication skills.
• Strong documentation habits.
• Ability to work independently while maintaining close communication with providers and the clinic team.
• Flexibility and willingness to work across clinical, inbox, rooming, and front office responsibilities based on clinic needs.