Virtual Medical Assistant – Ophthalmology Front Desk, Insurance Support

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in Philippines.

📋 Description

• Professionally respond to inbound calls from patients and promptly return any missed calls or voicemails.

• Collect precise patient information to determine the appropriate next steps.

• Appropriately escalate urgent or clinical issues without providing any medical advice.

• Create to-do tasks in Practice Plus / Nextech for refill requests, patient inquiries, and administrative follow-ups.

• Accurately route messages to the physician, technician, or the suitable team member.

• Monitor pending requests to ensure no patient issues are overlooked or unresolved.

• Assist both new and returning patients with appointment requests following the clinic’s approved procedures.

• Complete necessary triage steps prior to scheduling patients needing physician review.

• Accurately schedule or reschedule appointments based on approved guidelines and urgency criteria.

• Send appointment reminder texts through Reach UC using the clinic's approved scripts.

• Handle all scheduling-related communications in a professional and clear manner.

• Coordinate with the clinic team via Microsoft Teams concerning breaks, updates, and pending matters.

• Submit a daily end-of-day report summarizing completed tasks, unresolved issues, and escalations.

• Maintain accountability, responsiveness, and adherence to schedule throughout the shift.

• Verify insurance eligibility and benefits through Medicare and commercial insurance portals post-training.

• Review copays, deductibles, coinsurance, and the expected patient financial responsibility.

• Assist in determining amounts to collect during patient visits.

• Support referral processing and patient scheduling from various referral sources.

• Follow up on claim denials or billing issues as assigned.

• Conduct professional balance collection calls for overdue patient accounts.

⛳️ Requirements

• A minimum of 1 year of healthcare administrative experience in a patient-facing role within the U.S.

• Experience in managing patient phone calls, scheduling appointments, and following up on voicemails.

• Familiarity with verifying insurance benefits, copays, deductibles, or patient obligations.

• Excellent spoken and written communication skills in English.

• Professional, friendly, and confident demeanor on the phone.

• Strong attention to detail when documenting patient information and requests.

• Ability to meticulously follow protocols and escalate concerns when necessary.

• Demonstrated reliability, ownership, and follow-through on tasks.

• Capacity to work independently in a smaller clinic setting.

• Availability to work the designated Eastern Time schedule.

• A reliable internet connection, functional computer, clear headset or microphone, and suitable backup resources.

• Preferred experience in supporting an ophthalmology, optometry, retina, cataract, glaucoma, or eye care clinic.

• Preferred experience using Nextech / Practice Plus.

• Preferred experience with Reach UC or comparable medical phone and texting systems.

• Preferred experience with triage-based scheduling workflows.

• Familiarity with Medicare and commercial insurance portals like Availity is preferred.

• Preferred experience in supporting referrals, handling claim denials, or managing patient balance collections.

🏝️ Benefits

• Comprehensive health benefits package.

• Opportunities for professional development and training.

• Supportive and collaborative work environment.