If you’ve
ever been to a doctor’s office, you may have wondered at some point...What
exactly are they doing?? At Lake Washington Sports & Spine, our new
patient consultations range from 45-60 minutes while follow up appointments
range between 15-30 minutes. Follow-ups can
include imaging/lab reviews, checking your response to a previously done procedure
and/or following up after you’ve completed recommendations set forth by the doctor. A lot of patients do not recognize the time
and effort that is put into each appointment from start to finish. We want to share with you a “look behind the
scenes” at what we are doing to ensure YOU have the best experience and care
with us!
Front Office…Our front office staff includes the
patient care coordinator and billing manager.
They work together to make sure the appointments are scheduled
correctly, any necessary insurance authorization or other provider chart notes have been
obtained and direct calls to the appropriate staff. Overall, they make sure that scheduling,
check-in and check-out run smoothly.
The patient
care coordinator is the first face you see when you walk in. They contact patients to make sure they
arrive on time for their check-in time and organize patient paperwork all the
while answering phones with great customer service. They explain referrals/orders to patients
upon check-out and work with the rest of the staff to make sure the patient has
everything they need before they leave.
They work to send your medical records to the appropriate clinics and
facilities. The coordinator also schedules your follow-up appointment as you
check out, and works with you to find the best day and time available.
The billing
manager checks insurance eligibility for patients and contacts them prior to their
appointment with any concerns. They
answer insurance-related questions in real-time that either the patients or
doctors may have, as well as discuss balances due with the patients. They work with the medical assistants and
doctors during appointments especially before procedures are done and/or scheduled
in order to ensure all aspects of the procedure billing goes well. They code and bill claims that require
immediate payment as you check-out so you leave with a zero balance.
Clinical Staff… Our clinical staff includes the
medical assistants to both our fabulous doctors! They arrive early to prepare the day for the
doctors so when patients are ready to be roomed they have the full appointment
time booked with the doctor. That is why
it is so important for our patients to arrive at their check-in time versus their appointment start time.
The medical
assistants typically review the chart notes for upcoming patients a day or two ahead
of time. If a patient is scheduled for
an imaging and/or lab review appointment, they double check with the other
facilities to make sure the images and reports are completed. If the patient has not completed the needed
orders, they work with the patient care coordinator to contact the patient in
order to reschedule their appointment and/or find out when the orders will be
done. For patients following up for an
in-office procedure, the medical assistants set up the equipment needed ahead
of time for the doctor and also make sure necessary injectables are ready to be
used (like PRP kits, Euflexxa, steroids, ect).
Throughout
the day, the medical assistants are constantly prepping for the next appointment,
while also answering and returning patient calls. They clean and prepare exams rooms before
each appointment and work with each other to ensure that each doctor has access
to the room/equipment he needs. The
medical assistants also input data from new patient and follow-up paperwork and
generate referrals your doctor may recommend.
This is just
a small glimpse into the amount of work being done to make sure you have a 5
star experience at Lake Washington Sports & Spine. Our team is dedicated to keeping you active
and we will ALWAYS go above and beyond to ensure that you receive the best
musculoskeletal care around!
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