Joseph Cuomo
Rapid City,SD
Summary
Hardworking and focused Administrative professional offering excellent communication, planning and prioritization skills demonstrated through 2.5 years of performance. Skilled at drafting reports and business correspondence, managing mail and updating tracking spreadsheets. Exceptional leadership skills with expertise in streamlining workflow to optimize personnel strengths.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
Work History
Medical Administrative Assistant/Administrative Officer of the Day (MAA/AOD)
Department of Veteran Affairs - VA Black Hills Health Care System
09.2021 - Current
- Serve as designated Administrative Officer of the Day during WHEN hours of operation and act as administrator of the medical center
- Knowledge of medical and technical terminology, including medical center functions outside of my scope, such as social work, nursing, laboratory, radiology, etc
- Knowledge of computer hardware and VA software and programs, including the ability to walk staff through simple procedures and processes to assist with simple and basic IT requests to avoid delay of patient care
- Person-of-contact for code blue alerts and rapid responses, as well as emergency responses to severe and extreme weather and disaster plans and procedures. This also includes facility requests, such as housekeeping and facility repairs and maintenance
- Knowledge of safety and fire prevention
- Responsible for veteran temporary lodging, sometimes including staff in emergency situations, utilizing our on-campus housing (hoptel) or community resources, such as motels, hotels, and inns
- Responsible for patient funds and/or valuables, to be dispersed as requested or released to beneficiaries upon veteran death
- Knowledge of medical resources in the surrounding community and other states
- Coordinate inter-facility transfers to and from private facilities
- Coordinate calls from physicians, clinics, hospitals, nursing homes, other VA facilities and medical centers staff regarding admission/transfer of patients to and from our Medical Center
- Utilize proper ADP security measures to safeguard confidential information at workstations
- Follow HIPAA patient privacy rules and regulations
- Knowledge of Privacy Act and Freedom of Information Act regulations
- Subject Matter Expert with a working knowledge of the procedures and programs, including: VES, Vista, CPRS, DPRIS, VIS, VBMS, ICB, Bed Management Systems (BMS), Beneficiary Travel, ECAMs, Open Encounters management, Message Manager, Secure Messaging, Viewpoint, EDIS, Word, Excel, VA Knowledge Base, ILER
- Determine and accurately document eligibility and other entitlements/benefits associated with VA and non-VA care
- Accurately enter all information from application forms and obtains all supporting documents in a timely fashion
- Ensure that eligibility is verified during intake and that supporting documentation (HINQ or DD214, signed means test or additional supporting documentation) is obtained and copies are scanned into the administrative section of the patient's medical record
- Verify the eligibility on each veteran seeking emergency treatment
- When eligibility cannot be determined, I ensure that the applicant is advised of the potential for billing to occur should they be subsequently found ineligible
- Knowledge of applicable laws, VA policies and regulations regarding inpatient and outpatient care, including community care, domiciliary care, dental care, hospice care, etc
- Precise knowledge of specific US Titles and Codes
- Acts as decedent affairs officer, processing all deaths accurately, ensuring that appropriate forms are completed correctly
- Comply with the standard operating procedure for obtaining telephone consents, follows standard operation procedures for all admissions, ensure all admits are entered accurately and in a timely manner
- Responsible for releasing of the deceased and affects to funeral homes from the medical floors and the morgue
- Maintain an accurate, timely, and professional log of all actions occurring during tour of duty to be presented daily at the director's morning meeting
- Validate accuracy of daily bed control activities using Gains and Losses in Vista
- I ensure accuracy of daily G&L's and correct any patient movement errors within 24 hours
- Complete all routine and special assignments including audits of data capture and administrative processes in an accurate and timely manner
- Subject matter expert in supporting management and administrative reporting
- Single-handedly created easy-to-use, streamlined, updated AOD log and on call provider/tech schedule from the ground up
- Consistently demonstrated excellent customer service to all internal and external customers
- Pleasant and attentive to our veterans' care needs
- Make exceptional efforts to engage our Veterans
- Always friendly, receptive, tactful, empathetic, and accommodating
- Interact in a serene and comforting demeanor with all patients and their families I am always willing and eager to assist in whatever is needed from me
- Monitor Inpatient admissions/discharges and streamlined their processes
- Present to work daily professional and ready to help, prioritizing my day, tasks, and training new and old AODs
- Perform all scheduling attempts
- Demonstrated an understanding of the sensitive nature of the processes related to inpatient/outpatient procedures and can prioritize and accomplish all my assigned tasks promptly and accurately
- Willing and able to learn new procedures and technology and am a Subject Matter Expert for my team
- Respond appropriately to new or changing situations
- Work well with all levels and types of people
- Stay informed of changes in polices and staff responsibilities that occur in the Medical Center
- Demonstrated the ability to adjust to change or work pressure readily and in a pleasant manner, and function as a team member, helping the group effort where possible to facilitate the accomplishment of the work of the organization and contribute positively to the effective operation of the unit
- Always available for recall on emergency bases for staff call-outs and coverage during all hours
- Facility person-of-contact (POC) for name changes and updates
- Make decisions based on immediate, emergent, potentially uncommon or unusual occurrences and circumstances
- Coordinate efforts with all scopes of staff, including, but not limited to, police, fire department, facilities management, medical/surgical/psychological officer on duty, technicians, etc
- Ability to keep calm, cool and collected in situations that may present themselves as dangerous or hazardous to my or my staff's health, including, but not limited to, violent, homicidal and/or suicidal patients, patients under the influence of alcohol or illicit substances, mentally or emotionally disturbed patients, grieving families, in person, as well as over the phone
- Comfortable working in a small and busy office space, as well as a large emergency room
- Fully capable of walking around the entire facility with knowledge of the location of all important areas.
- Attended personnel meetings and training sessions to improve skills and learn new policies and procedures.
- Mentored junior staff members, helping them develop their skills and advance in their careers.
- Mitigated potential risks by proactively identifying potential issues and implementing appropriate countermeasures or contingency plans as needed.
- Improved overall department efficiency by streamlining processes and implementing new policies.
- Implemented process improvements that streamlined workflows, reducing redundancies and increasing operational efficiency.
- Responded to emergency calls relayed from dispatcher or supervisors and communicated situation details to other officers.
- Coordinated operations with other emergency service groups.
- Reported safety and fire hazards observed on routine patrols and during inspections.
- Conducted surveillance to detect suspicious activity.
- Maintained strict adherence to industry regulations, minimizing risk exposure for the organization.
Medical Biller
Northwell Health - Staten Island University Hospital
02.2021 - 08.2021
- Work claims and claim denials to ensure maximum reimbursement for services provided
- Works directly with insurance companies to get claims processed and paid
- Working knowledge of basic computer functions, with an emphasis on typing and navigating multiple softwares and platforms
- Follow up on claims that are either resolved, pending, or denied, and collect payment information or resolve pending and denied claims via provider web portals or direct phone communication
- Contact patients to obtain relevant information or to give advice to comply with insurance carrier requests for information
- Mail hard-copy documents, such as patient medical records, bills, appeal requests, and other supporting information
- Use a variety of web-based provider portals across multiple insurance carriers to obtain patient eligibility/claim status, denial and appeal information, and authorization status.
- Verified insurance of patients to determine eligibility.
- Communicated with insurance providers to resolve denied claims and resubmitted.
- Managed appeals process for denied claims, resulting in successful reimbursements from insurance companies.
- Ensured timely payments from insurance providers through submission of accurate and complete claims.
- Collected payments and applied to patient accounts.
- Posted payments and collections on regular basis.
- Reduced claim denials by meticulously reviewing patient insurance information and coding practices.
- Liaised between patients, insurance companies, and billing office.
- Delivered timely and accurate charge submissions.
Ambulatory Care Clerk/Pediatric Registrar
Northwell Health - Staten Island University Hospital
04.2020 - 02.2021
- Maintains information in a confidential manner and complies with State, Federal and Practice guidelines
- Greets patients, visitors and answers telephone in a prompt and courteous manner
- Verifies and enters patient information including insurance, eligibility and demographics into patient management system and correct any errors
- Collects and posts co-payments and other out of pocket expensive from patients
- Create patient appointments and follow-ups in-person after visit and attempt to reach out to patients who have not been to the clinic for their regular physicals/immunizations
- Post-visit medical billing and coding.
- Managed incoming calls professionally, directing callers to appropriate personnel or taking detailed messages when necessary.
Clerical Associate/Nursing Unit Clerk
Northwell Health - Staten Island University Hospital
12.2018 - 04.2020
- Performed general office duties; answered multiple phone lines, ordered office and medical supplies, and maintained records management database systems
- Created, maintained, organized, and closed patient charts
- Call consults and input orders for nurses and physicians
- Answer telephone in a courteous manner, exchanging HIPAA-sensitive information in an appropriate manner
- Greeted, assisted and directed patients and their families
- Assisted with the admittance and discharges of the patients in the hospital computer system
- Responsible for reaching out to different departments for maintenance issues, technical support, housekeeping, transportation, bed control and in room dining
- Train new employees.
Education
Associate of Science - Science
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft06.2015
Bachelor of Arts - Criminal Justice
Rutgers University
New Brunswick, NJ01.2009
Associate of Arts - Social Science
Brookdale Community College
Lincroft, NJ06.2006
Skills
- Work Coordination
- Report Writing
- Strategic Planning
- Innovation and Creativity
- Community Relations
- Investigation leadership
- Information Verification
- Emergency and non-emergency response
- Analytical Thinking
- Data Analysis
- Process Improvement
- Audit reporting
- Idea Development and Brainstorming
Accomplishments
- Earned "Heartfelt Award" in 2022 and 2023.
- Earned "Outstanding" Performance Evaluation for 2022 and 2023.
References
- Mark Meersman, (605) 720-7201, mark.meersman@va.gov
- Michelle Anderson, (605) 720-6525, michelle.anderson@va.gov
- Lisa Dryden, (605) 745-2043, lisa.dryden@va.gov
- Cody Goldade, (605) 720-7179, cody.goldade@va.gov
- Thia Derflinger, (605) 720-7034, efstathia.derflinger@va.gov
- Darci Kindred, (605) 745-2885, darci.kindred@va.gov
Timeline
Medical Administrative Assistant/Administrative Officer of the Day (MAA/AOD)
Department of Veteran Affairs - VA Black Hills Health Care System
09.2021 - Current
Medical Biller
Northwell Health - Staten Island University Hospital
02.2021 - 08.2021
Ambulatory Care Clerk/Pediatric Registrar
Northwell Health - Staten Island University Hospital
04.2020 - 02.2021
Clerical Associate/Nursing Unit Clerk
Northwell Health - Staten Island University Hospital
12.2018 - 04.2020
Associate of Science - Science
Brookdale Community College
Bachelor of Arts - Criminal Justice
Rutgers University
Associate of Arts - Social Science
Brookdale Community College
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