Medical Office Assistant I/II/III - Customer Service

Under direct supervision the Medical Office Assistant I (MOA I), general supervision (MOA II), or direction (MOA III) performs a variety of customer service and clerical duties in support of a health or medical care delivery office or program. Support activities may include assisting the public, records maintenance, document production and/or case management/processing.

Distinguishing Characteristics:

Incumbents perform customer service delivery, routine clerical and manual tasks including inputting of data into computers. The higher level in the series, i.e. MOA II/MOA III, require application of specialized program knowledge of ongoing operations and services, interpretation of rules and regulations, and assessment of individual circumstances to determine appropriate course(s) of action.

The Per Diem Pool (PDP) classifications are distinguished from the Regular classifications in that incumbents in these classifications receive limited benefits. They will receive shift differential, standby, and callback premium pay and will participate in the Ventura County Employees' Retirement Association if they are assigned a work schedule of 64 hours or more biweekly. Incumbents hired into these positions are not guaranteed any specific number of work hours per biweekly pay period, and management has the authority to relieve them from duty when there is insufficient work.

APPROXIMATE SALARIES:
Medical Office Assistant I - $15.00 - $19.89 per hour
Medical Office Assistant II - $15.67 - $21.91 per hour
Medical Office Assistant III - $17.25 - $24.12 per hour
Medical Office Assistant I - PDP - $18.13 Hourly
Medical Office Assistant II - PDP - $19.42 Hourly

EDUCATIONAL INCENTIVE: Some positions may be eligible for educational incentive. This incentive may be 2.5%, 3.5%, or 5% for incumbents in eligible positions based on completion of an Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's degree that is not required for the classification.

BILINGUAL INCENTIVE: Some positions may be eligible for bilingual incentive depending on the applicable memorandum of agreement and the needs of the department. To qualify for this incentive, incumbents in eligible positions must take and pass the applicable bilingual fluency examination.

DEPARTMENT/AGENCY: Health Care Agency –various Departments

Medical Office Assistant (all levels) are represented by the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) and are eligible for overtime compensation.

The eligible list established from this recruitment may be used to fill current and future Regular (including Temporary and Fixed-term), Intermittent, and Extra Help vacancies. There are currently four (4) Regular vacancies and three (3) Per Diem Pool (PDP) vacancies at the Ventura County Medical Center (VCMC) Admitting and Ambulatory Care clinics.

NOTE: If appointed at the lower level, incumbent may be promoted to the higher level without further examination upon meeting the minimum requirements, demonstrating satisfactory performance, and in accordance with the business needs of the department.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
OPENING DATE: January 15, 2022
CLOSING DATE: Continuous and may close at any time; therefore, the schedule for the remainder of the process will depend upon when we receive a sufficient number of qualified applications to meet business needs.

Duties may include but are not limited to the following:

• 
  Greets patients, in person and on the phone; determines how incoming calls should be routed; directs people to appropriate locations, service, or information sources; answers routine questions; explains routine procedures, processes, or departmental activities; schedules appointments; obtains factual information to create or update files and charts; refers clients/patients to appropriate resources (MOA II); provides assistance in the completion of forms; assures federal and state confidentiality measures are followed;
• Compiles routine reports, records, and charts by extracting and/or tabulating information from a variety of sources such as files, reports, notes, logs, correspondence, and/or verbal instruction; identifies variations in data (MOA II/III);
• Reviews and manages patient schedules to anticipate for missed opportunities, scheduling errors, registration form updates, insurance eligibility, and co-payments;
• Handles high volume of patients, internal/externals customers, and frequent changes, delay or unexpected events;
• Checks patients in-and-out through the practice management system and verifies information;
• Performs cashiering duties and collects co-payments, payments, and outstanding balances;
• Communicates with patient care team to ensure that patient care needs are addressed;
• Monitors waiting areas and ensures areas are maintained clean;
• Assists with pre-visit planning and confirms appointments;
• Accurately enters and updates demographic and payer data in practice management system (i.e. Cerner);
• Verifies coverage and payer eligibility, which may include programs, private insurances, and Medi-Cal. Performs financial screenings for program eligibility. Requests pre-authorizations when needed;
• May assist patients in coordinating appointments with diagnostic or specialty services;
• May transcribe medical documents (MOA II/III);
• Demonstrates culturally sensitivity and competence with patients;
• Prepares, validates, processes, and/or checks a variety of documents for completeness, accuracy, and submission standards;
• Transfers professional and technical instructions to patient or program files; researches reference materials to respond to client or coworker inquiries;
• Sorts and/or files materials such as charts, correspondence, and miscellaneous documents; maintains files; conducts systematic search for misplaced materials; maintains cross-reference files or indexes; purges filing systems as directed;
• Types a variety of documents such as correspondence, standard forms, charts, proposals, specifications, and reports from written, recorded, and/or printed sources and/or verbal instructions; proofreads typed materials for correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation;
• Operates a variety of automated office equipment including computers;
• May provide back-up for basic patient assistance care when required (i.e., patient vital signs or patient emergency or comfort care);
• May provide assistance with various tasks, which include changing linen and bags, inventory/stocking of units, and general maintenance and cleaning of units; and
• Performs other related duties as required.

These are entrance requirements to the exam process and assure neither continuance in the process nor placement on an eligible list.

EDUCATION, TRAINING, and EXPERIENCE:

Medical Office Assistant I/PDP
Some customer service and/or clerical experience which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities also can be obtained by six (6) months of paid and/or volunteer experience involving high volume public contact in a fast-paced work environment OR a certificate from an approved medical assistant training program. The certificate must be provided to the appointing authority at the time of appointment.

Medical Office Assistant II/PDP
Considerable customer service and/or clerical experience which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities also can be obtained by one (1) year of customer service and/or clerical experience and/or training in clerical occupational fields which included six (6) months of experience in a medical or mental health office environment that required knowledge and use of medical terminology and procedures.

Medical Office Assistant III
Progressively responsible clerical experience in a medical service delivery area which has led to the acquisition of the required knowledge, skills, and abilities. The required knowledge, skills, and abilities also can be obtained by two (2) years of clerical experience, one (1) of which must have been in a health care setting that required knowledge and use of medical terminology and procedures.

Necessary Special Requirements:
Depending on the position, typing and/or bilingual skills may be required.

Desired:
Experience working in a call center where 50+ calls are received daily
Experience with the registration of patrons, customers, clients, or guests
Experience working in a clinical setting
Bilingual (English/Spanish)

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

Working to thorough knowledge of: medical office operations, methods, and practices; medical terminology and procedures; filing systems and procedures; record maintenance systems; report compilation; and public contact techniques.

Working to thorough knowledge of: the operations, procedures, and practices used in support of the function to which assigned; techniques to expedite or improve clerical tasks and record processing; and correct English usage, spelling, grammar, and punctuation.

Working to thorough skill (depending on assignment) in: demonstrating a certain prescribed proficiency in typing or equivalent word processing or data entry and/or taking and transcribing dictation (MOA II/III).

Working to thorough ability to: perform and coordinate difficult and responsible clerical work with little or no direct supervision; set-up and maintain records and filing systems; extract information from a variety of sources; operate a variety of automated office equipment; accurately perform and proof the transfer of information from one document to another, comparing the data from two or more sources for accuracy and completeness; perform basic arithmetic calculations; establish and maintain cooperative working relationships; and understand, follow, and convey written and verbal information/instructions.

Working Conditions:
Positions may involve moderate to heavy public contact, including ambulatory or non-ambulatory patients in an outpatient or inpatient medical service delivery area.

FINAL FILING DATE: This is a continuous recruitment and may close at any time; therefore, apply as soon as possible if you are interested. Your application must be received by County of Ventura Human Resources in Ventura, California, no later than 5:00 p.m. on the closing date.

To apply on-line, please refer to our web site at https://hr.ventura.org/. If you prefer to fill out a paper application form, please call (805) 654-5129 for application materials and submit them to County of Ventura Human Resources, 800 South Victoria Avenue, L-1970, Ventura, CA 93009.

Note to Applicants: It is essential that you complete all sections of your application and supplemental questionnaire thoroughly and accurately to demonstrate your qualifications. A resume and/or other related documents may be attached to supplement the information in your application and supplemental questionnaire; however, it/they may not be submitted in lieu of the application.

LATERAL TRANSFER OPTION: If presently permanently employed in another "merit" or "civil service" public agency/entity in the same or substantively similar position as is advertised, and if appointed to that position by successful performance in a "merit" or "civil service" style examination, then appointment by "Lateral Transfer" may be possible. If interested, please click here (Download PDF reader) for additional information.

SUPPLEMENTAL QUESTIONNAIRE – Qualifying: All applicants are required to complete and submit the questionnaire for this exam AT THE TIME OF FILING. The supplemental questionnaire may be used throughout the exam process to assist in determining each applicant's qualifications and acceptability for the position. Failure to complete and submit the questionnaire may result in the application being removed from consideration.

APPLICATION EVALUATION – Qualifying: All applications will be reviewed to determine whether the stated requirements are met. Those individuals meeting the stated requirements will be invited to the written examination.

WRITTEN EXAM – 100%: A job-related written exam will be administrated the test applicants’ knowledge of Office Practices, Reading Comprehension, Comparison, Vocabulary, Spelling, Math, Filing, Records Management, Interpersonal Relations, and Medical Terminology. Applicants must earn a score of seventy percent (70%) or higher to qualify for placement on the eligible list.

Applicants successfully completing the exam process may be placed on an eligible list for a period of one (1) year.

BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION: A thorough pre-employment, post offer background investigation which may include inquiry into past employment, education, and driving record may be required for this position.

For further information about this recruitment, please contact Nathan Wood by e-mail at nathan.wood@ventura.org or by telephone at (805) 677-5232.