Medical Assistant, Primary Care

About the Role

The Medical Assistant provides high-quality, direct patient care in a team-based model to BILH Primary Care-Mt. Auburn patients and supports smooth and efficient administrative and clinical practice operations. The Medical Assistant has the ability to work with people from different backgrounds and respects the beliefs of all patients and team members.

Key Responsibilities

• Contributes to patient, practice, and organizational goals through relationship development and care team coordination. Develops long-term empathetic relationships with patients, families, and colleagues.
• Assists patients during visits: facilitates timely flow, informs patients and providers of delays, engages with patients on visit reasons, updates medication and allergy lists, reviews screening questions, and acts as a liaison between patients and practice staff for optimal flow and service delivery.
• Communicates clearly with patients and the care team, providing hand-offs to providers including the reason for the visit, abnormal vitals, and patient stories.
• Performs medical assisting duties under supervision, including:
• Obtaining accurate vital signs, height, and weight measurements.
• Performing EKGs.
• Conducting point-of-care testing.
• Performing phlebotomy.
• Administering immunizations (certified MAs only).
• Assisting during routine procedures.
• Contributes to Population Health efforts by leading conversations to meet quality and population health goals through outreach and health coaching.
• Monitors practice activity, both electronically and in person.
• Identifies, addresses, and conducts outreach to patients with health maintenance or chronic disease management needs.
• Assists with related data gathering and basic health coaching.
• Monitors, orders, and/or maintains medical equipment and supplies, ensuring they are clean, sterilized, stocked, and within expiration dates. Adheres to control standards and maintains an unobstructed area for patient access.
• Works within the electronic health record (EHR) system to queue prescription renewals and add new medications for provider review.
• Enters/scribes orders for tests, services, or appointments in the EHR as directed by a clinician.
• Accurately documents tasks performed during the visit for proper billing.
• Schedules related diagnostic and lab tests, accommodating patient and provider needs.
• Verifies patient insurance, including prior authorizations, referrals, and pre-certifications.
• Identifies OSHA compliance issues.
• Ensures patient safety practices to prevent/eliminate the risk of patient harm.
• Promptly reports adverse patient events and near misses.
• Ensures that Patient Health Information (PHI) is only used for purposes of patient TPO (treatment, payment, and operations).

Requirements & Tech Stack

• High School diploma or GED required.
• Bachelor's degree in Health Science preferred.
• Medical Assistant Certificate preferred.
• Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) registration preferred.
• EMT Basic License preferred.
• Phlebotomy Certificate preferred.
• Demonstrated Medical Assistant (MA) competencies within one year of hire.
• Basic familiarity with computers and ability to navigate web-based applications.
• EHR system experience.

Qualifications

• Decision Making: Ability to make decisions based on specific instructions, standard practices, and established procedures with minimal supervision.
• Problem Solving: Ability to address routine, somewhat repetitive problems by following clear directions and procedures, and identifying opportunities for process improvements.
• Independence of Action: Ability to follow general instructions and procedures; work is monitored by supervisor/manager.
• Written Communications: Ability to communicate clearly and effectively in written English.
• Oral Communications: Ability to comprehend and converse in English to communicate effectively with staff, patients, families, and external customers.
• Knowledge: Full working knowledge of standard concepts, practices, procedures, and policies, with the ability to apply them in varied situations.
• Team Work: Ability to work collaboratively in small teams, offering ideas, identifying issues, and respecting team members.
• Customer Service: Ability to provide a high level of customer service in a professional, service-oriented, respectful manner, using active listening and problem-solving skills. Ability to remain calm in stressful situations.
• Age-based Competencies: Competent to provide patient care to the following age groups: Neonatal, Youth, Young Adult, Middle Age, Elderly.

Physical & Sensory Requirements

• Work Environment: Close attention to task required. Intermittent breaks are permitted. Routine is fairly consistent, but requires judgment to respond to events. Potential exposure to adverse environmental conditions.
• Daily exposures: Protective equipment required (respirator, earplugs, mask, gloves, eyewear, etc.), potential exposure to infectious diseases and/or airborne pathogens, potential exposure to infectious diseases and/or bloodborne pathogens.
• Health Care Worker Status: HCW1: Regular, day-to-day contact; both face-to-face and hands-on.
• Sensory Requirements: Close work, color vision/perception, visual clarity <3 feet, hot/cold, sharp/dull, smell, conversation, monitoring equipment, telephone, background noise.
• Physical Requirements: Medium work; exerting up to 50 lbs of force occasionally and/or up to 20 lbs of force frequently. Job is physical, requiring standing and moving for the majority of the shift. Frequent sitting, walking, standing, bending neck, bending waist, twisting neck, twisting waist, power grasping, fine manipulation, pushing/pulling (both hands), keyboard use, reaching below shoulder height, lifting and carrying up to 10 lbs. Occasional reaching above shoulder height, pushing up to 10 lbs, pushing up to 25 lbs. Rare lifting and carrying up to 25 lbs, lifting and carrying up to 50 lbs, pushing up to 50 lbs, pushing a wheelchair or wheeled bed with a patient up to 250 lbs (with assistance).