Outpatient Services Technician in Bunkie, Louisiana at Bunkie General Hospital

Job Summary

The Outpatient Services Technician works up incoming referrals, prepares patients for scheduled outpatient services, and provides pre- and post-visit follow-up and instruction. This role scrubs physician orders for completeness and accuracy, clarifies orders with ordering physicians as needed, obtains diagnosis codes, and enters charges. The Technician also supports daily department operations, including room stocking/turnover, crash cart checks, and scope-day scheduling/coordination for Endoscopy. This role collects vital signs and other data as part of patient preparation but does not perform hands-on treatments, injections, or other procedures outside this scope. Candidates with a Medical Assistant (MA), CNA, or medical office background are preferred.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Referral Processing and Order Management

• Works up incoming referrals, including gathering necessary documentation and information to prepare the order for scheduling and service delivery.
• Scrubs physician orders for completeness, accuracy, and medical necessity prior to the scheduled visit.
• Calls ordering physicians' offices for order clarification as needed.
• Obtains and confirms diagnosis codes needed to support ordered services.
• Enters charges for services provided in Outpatient Services.

Patient Preparation and Follow-Up

• Contacts patients prior to their visit to provide onboarding/preparation instructions (e.g., arranging a ride, expected visit duration, NPO status after midnight, contrast allergy screening, or other prep instructions as applicable).
• Screens patients as needed for relevant preparation factors (e.g., contrast allergies, NPO status) prior to scheduled procedures.
• Calls to schedule patients for endoscopy/scope procedures.
• Assists patients to their disposition destination following their visit, as needed.
• Follows up with patients after their visit to check on their experience and address any concerns.

Department Support and Endoscopy Coordination

• Stocks supplies and flips/turns over treatment rooms between patients.
• Checks the crash cart per hospital policy and schedule.
• Assembles and maintains scope charts/documentation while records remain in paper form.
• Collects vital signs and other routine patient data as part of visit preparation to report to the Clinical Coordinator, RN.
• Enters associated charges with the patient’s stay.
• Cross-trains to the Centralized Intake/Scheduling (Outpatient Access Specialist) role to provide backup coverage as needed.
• Performs other duties as assigned to support Outpatient Services operations.

Scope of Practice Note

This role is clinical/data-collection and clerical support in function. The Outpatient Services Technician collects vital signs and supports patient preparation, screening, and follow-up, but does not perform hands-on treatments, medication administration, injections, line care, or other procedures requiring practice at the RN scope of care. Any hands-on treatment or procedure is performed by the Clinical Coordinator RN or other licensed clinical staff as appropriate

Qualifications

Education

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Medical Assistant (MA) certification or CNA credential preferred; medical office background may be considered in lieu of credential.
• Basic Life Support (BLS) per the American Heart Association required within 90 days of hire.

Experience

• Experience in a medical office, outpatient clinic, or similar clinical support setting preferred.
• Experience with electronic health records required.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong attention to detail, particularly in order scrubbing, charge entry, and diagnosis code accuracy.
• Working knowledge of common pre-procedure preparation requirements (e.g., NPO status, contrast allergy screening).
• Strong verbal communication skills, including comfort contacting physician offices for order clarification and patients for scheduling/follow-up.
• Ability to multitask across clerical, data-collection, and department-support duties.
• Customer service orientation and professionalism in all patient interactions.
• Ability to work collaboratively with the Clinical Coordinator RN and Outpatient Access Specialist, escalating clinical questions and concerns appropriately.

Working Conditions / Physical Requirements

Work is performed in a combination of office and clinical treatment room/endoscopy settings within Outpatient Services. Requires sitting and standing for extended periods, telephone and computer use, and assistance with room turnover and supply stocking. Hours align with Outpatient Services operating hours with scheduling as assigned.