Front Desk Volunteer
position description
If you are a
The front desk volunteer is responsible for introducing the patient to the clinic, managing the flow of patients through the clinic, scheduling follow up appointments, and assisting the session coordinator and Urgicare Front Desk staff with clerical and administrative duties. The front desk volunteer is the first and last CoSMo person whom every patient sees.
Beginning of the
session: Helping the Urgi Front Desk person prepare
1 – Introduce
yourself to the Urgicare Front Desk staff
2 – Print out 3 copies of that day’s patient list from Cadence, the software program
- 1 copy for the front desk (if they don’t have one already)
- 1 for the coordinator, and 1 for you
3 – Pull the Charts for follow-up patients (If the Urgi front desk person has not done so)
4 – Hand intake volunteers a stack (~3 each) of the intake questionnaires
5 – Ensure there are patient satisfaction/demographic surveys
NOTE: Intake questionnaires and surveys are in folders at the front of the CoSMO rack at the front desk (the rack closest to the CoSMO front desk chair)
During the Session:
Monitor intake of patients
For a Follow-up Patient~
1- Give patient demographic survey, if they have not already completed it
(Write “completed demographic survey” on the inside cover of the pt chart, once they have completed it)
2- Locate chart (either in file cabinet, at Urgi front desk, or with session coordinator)
3- Verify that HIPAA, registration form, screening form, and continuation sheet are in the chart
4- Give chart to available clinician
a. If a clinician is not available, give chart to social worker
b. If social worker is not available, give chart to available intake person
5- Show patient back to exam room and notify the relevant person
6- Mark on tracking sheet location and progress of patient (i.e. clinician, intake, SW)
For a New Patient~
1 – Wait for Urgi staff to prepare the chart
Follow steps 3-6 from the “Follow-up Patient”
At the End of EACH patient visit
1 – Check with student clinician that patient’s visit is complete
a. Does patient have prescriptions?
b. Does patient need follow-up appt? When
2 – Check with Social Worker to see if patient needs SW follow-up, when?
3 – With patient
a. Hand patient satisfaction survey
b. Ensure follow-up patients have completed demographics survey
c. Make follow-up appointments using Cadence, as needed
(if only needs a Social work or lab results follow-up, write that down under the “notes” section of the appointment)
d. Verify that patient has any needed prescriptions and give them the sheet on how/where to fill them
4- Ensure that the attending has signed the payment form, and write a rough time of discharge on the front, the Urgi staff require this
During Down-Time~
1 – Fill-in tracking sheet for each patient
(You are responsible for knowing where patients and volunteers are – make sure that idle volunteers do not crowd the attending office)
2 – File charts from last week
3 – Work with interpreter to call no-show patients to reschedule
4 – Help coordinator with whatever you can
.
After the Session:
1 – Make sure that there aren’t any patients left waiting in the waiting room.
2 – If there were any problems or suggestions make sure to come to the Governing Council meeting that following week or email them to Dana at dsm2103 that weekend.
3 – Tell the Urgi front staff (as well as the session coordinator) when
you are leaving, and thank them for their help
NOTE:
Be friendly! Expect that the patients will be nervous about using the clinic and perhaps suspicious of the quality of care they will receive.
A) As you walk the patient to the back give him/her a brief introduction to the clinic and what they can expect during their visit. Tell them that the clinic operates just like the hospital: they will be seen by medical students first, then by the physician. Also tell them that there are health educators, a social work student, and interpreters there to help them if they have any questions or problems.
B) If the patient will need an interpreter, tell the students that, and try to find an available interpreter.
Also be friendly to the Urgi Front Desk staff. They are basically volunteering their time to help us out.
Important Numbers:
If you must leave a message for a no-show patient, tell them to call the CUMC call center~ 1-866-463-2778
If you need a patient to call and speak with a clinician, tell them to call Urgi on a Sat during clinic (8:30am-1:30pm) ~ 212-342-4700
The printer # is a208934