Laboratory Support Services Assistant

(Relief)
Pay range: $20.88 - $27.14 +15% Relief Differential in lieu of benefits.

ST. CHARLES HEALTH SYSTEM

JOB DESCRIPTION

TITLE:                                      Laboratory Support Services Assistant  

REPORTS TO POSITION:         Laboratory Support Services Supervisor

DEPARTMENT:                         Laboratory

DATE LAST REVIEWED:          July 2021

OUR VISION:                            Creating America’s healthiest community, together

OUR MISSION:                         In the spirit of love and compassion, better health, better care, better value

OUR VALUES:                          Accountability, Caring and Teamwork

DEPARTMENT SUMMARY: The laboratory departments provide many services to our multi-hospital organization and outreach community including: blood collection, processing, testing, and reporting of results, spanning all disciplines of laboratory medicine.

POSITION OVERVIEW: The Laboratory Support Services Assistant at St. Charles Health System provides support services for St. Charles Health System Laboratories. This position provides excellent customer service by: answering all incoming calls, providing information about specimen requirements, ordering tests, handling courier dispatch and monitoring standing and pending outpatient lab orders. The Assistant will assure clean lab claims are processed. This position does not directly manage any other caregivers, however may be asked to review and provide feedback on the work of other caregivers.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS AND DUTIES:

Assists with the maintenance of chargeable codes and with identifying charging rules in the Laboratory Information Systems (LIS). Assists with new and revised test change requests.

Assists and coordinates with information services and the charge master team on all laboratory specific charge codes, pricing and charge master maintenance. 

Supports the supervisor with updates to procedures, training and competencies.

Performs laboratory office functions (i.e., fax, telephone, distribute reports, data entry, etc.).

Provides voice to voice client services. Communicates priority results to providers, clients and patients assuring excellent patient care. Uses correct resources to find test information.

Assures proper documentation of tests billed from LIS for all patient types according to hospital policies. Monitors, prepares and maintains bills to SCHS laboratory clients and helps reconcile monthly invoices for services provided.

Reviews monthly reference lab invoices and submits for payment in a timely manner. Identifies issues and completes resolutions for discrepancies with charges or payments. Notifies lab management when appropriate. 

Prioritize duties and performs accurate and timely completion of follow up tasks, and add-on tests according to urgency of need and type of tests ordered. Navigates through multiple complex computer systems to meet testing requirements and verify specimen integrity.

Properly dispatches and communicates with Laboratory couriers for all stat and routine requests.

Uses all systems and approved websites necessary to perform charge capture audits, specimen registrations, pre-billing edits, resolution for lab denials and simple visit coding. Troubleshoots identified issues. Makes corrections timely and according to policies assuring clean lab claims are submitted. Notifies patient financials and supervisor for unresolved issues when necessary to assure correct and timely billing.

Monitors, resolves and completes follow up tasks and work queues for result reporting errors, order issues and discrepancies, registration and charge exception issues. Documents and makes corrections according to procedures, notifies supervisor and IT when appropriate for unresolved system issues.

Manages data entry and resolution of lab errors. Maintains Access database. Creates and maintains files and graphs to monitor caregiver monthly performance with key indicators, reports findings in a timely manner to lab management according to procedure.

Understands and accurately quotes lab tests prices. Refers all requests for updated price lists to supervisor.

Delivers customer service and/or patient care in a manner that promotes goodwill, is timely, efficient and accurate.

Supports the vision, mission and values of the organization in all respects.

Supports Value Improvement Practice (VIP- Lean) principles of continuous improvement wit