Maria Cruz Ferrel
Gainesville,GA
Summary
Practice Manager with over 15 years of Medical Office experience. Knowledgeable healthcare administrator prepared to lead and manage medical practices efficiently. Strong focus on team collaboration, optimizing operations, and achieving results. Expertise in staff management, patient relations, budgeting, and compliance. Reliable and adaptable, ensuring seamless practice operations and high-quality patient care.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Practice Manager
Northeast Georgia Physician Group Infectious Disease
Gainesville, GA
08.2023 - Current
- Managed clerical and clinical tasks to support healthcare delivery and patient care.
- Provided comprehensive assistance to physicians and staff, ensuring optimal patient care and satisfaction.
- Achieved seamless scheduling for providers, residents, medical students, and staff through effective management of monthly calendars. Enhanced accuracy in the Epic system by implementing timely updates for any changes.
- Monitored and coordinated routine tasks, focusing on operational excellence.
- Led initiatives to implement strategic changes that enhance operational efficiency. Developed improved processes to address identified deficiencies.
- Coordinated the distribution of information among departments to support operational efficiency.
- Trained staff on access control procedures and certification requirements. Supported team members in understanding compliance protocols. Assisted in maintaining secure access to facilities.
- Ordered equipment and maintained office supplies to support office operations. Flagged items for repair and reported safety issues by submitting bio med tickets.
- Engaged appropriate leadership channels to address and resolve complex issues beyond personal resolution capabilities.
- Developed and refined reports to assess workflow efficiency and identify areas for improvement.
- Conducted weekly meetings with staff and providers to discuss ongoing projects and address concerns. Collaborated with team members to ensure alignment on goals and tasks. Supported staff in achieving their objectives through regular communication.
- Executed projects assigned by director, ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
- Run Tier 1 & Tier 2 Huddles
- Monitor census for my two outpatient clinics (NGPG Presurgical Clinic Aug 2023- Aug 2025)
- Monitor Department Metrics daily and report them out weekly at Tier 2
- Coordinate monthly meetings between Presurgical Clinic, Presurgical Testing and Anesthesia.
- Collaborate with Presurgical Testing on any workflow changes necessary
- Conduct any investigations as requested by Dr. William Potter, Medical Director for Anesthesia
- Maintain CME Balances for seven physicians and two APPs
- Submit reimbursement requests for any expense for my 9 providers.
- Maintain/Provide PTO Balance, make necessary Outlook Calendar changes as needed
- Participate in interview process for anyone in my departments and Presurgical Testing
- Schedule monthly provider meetings, staff meeting meetings with anesthesia's medical director and Presurgical Testing Leadership
- Participate in the New Provider Onboarding, ensure providers have all the access and or applications they need.
- Complete employee/provider evaluations and provide them with feedback
- Address Resolve and or Submit RL6
- Work with CBO to identify opportunities for improvement
- Investigate expense variances for my six departments
- Perform revenue management function for each department
- Present at MOR with director to our NGPG President and VP
- Maintain accurate Payroll for all my providers and staff
Practice Supervisor
Northeast Georgia Physician Group Internal Medicine & Academic Internal Medicine
Gainesville, Ga
05.2017 - 08.2023
- Collaborated with the Practice Manager/Office leader providing the necessary administrative and clerical support structure to encourage a patient centric environment.
- My Tasks included:
- Lead Readiness Huddles for the team for both clinics
- Virtual Huddle Board and In-Person Huddle Boards
- Create weekly staff schedule for both clinics
- Escalate any issues or barriers to Tier 2
- Manage Staff and Provide PTO Calendar for both clinics
- Conduct office walk throughs for new GME classes
- Prepare itineraries for PGY1 that would join IM
- Helped coordinate Check-off PGY3 upon completing their residency with NGHS.
- Set Out of Office reminders within Epic for PGY's that were on PTO
- Workday timecards for both clinics
- Streamline SOW for Clerical staff
- Order placement for clinician and clerical supplies for both clinics
- Arranged and lead staff and provider meetings, create agenda and meeting minutes for both clinics
- Create and modify provider clinic schedules for Internal Medicine
- Modify as necessary any changes to Academic Internal Medicine
- 50 residents and 3 attendings
- Maintain up to date scheduling rules for both clinics
- Maintain schedules up to date on Trello for visibility of all staff for both clinics
- Disseminate important information to both clinics
- Handle FMLA and Disability Paperwork for providers for Internal Medicine
- Initiate Medication Prior Authorizations via Epic for pharmacies for both clinics
- Promptly have providers sign Medication Assistance forms for both clinics and specialty clinics
- Interpretation between patient providers, and pharmacists for both clinics and specialty clinics
- Submit IT/Plant Ops/Bio Med tickets as necessary
- Manage day to day operations situations or barriers
- Participate in monthly MOR reviews
- Manage Priority Plus Patients (Lumeris) with 72 hr follow up call for both clinics
- Prioritize tasks while helping cover other areas within our department (Front Desk, Referral Coordinator, Call Center Medical Assistant) and ensuring to stay on top of my duties for both clinics
- Precepting staff for both clinics and other offices
Unit Secretary
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Ronni & Greer Heart Center
10.2015 - 05.2017
- Answered all phone calls and routed to correct nurses.
- Promptly answered patient intercom, notified appropriate nurses of 'stat' and 'now' orders.
- Made necessary diet requests
- Accurately update patient information tracking board
- Process all reports (patient condition reports, floor census for medical records, physicians list)
- Obtained emergency contact information for families for all patients that had scheduled surgeries and update family members of surgery status.
- Would bring family back to conference room to discuss surgery outcome with surgeon
- Assisted surgeon and other physician in placing orders
- Alerted nurses when their patients were coming into unit from surgery
- Interpreted for any provider in our department cardiology floor
- Place Plant Ops tickets for any repairs needed in department
- Bio Med tickets for any medical equipment that needed to be repaired
- Timekeeper (Kronos) for 150 employees and helped with their schedules (Bid shift).
- Trained new secretaries as needed.
Office Manager
First Look Primary Care, P.C.
01.2012 - 01.2015
- Verify insurance coverage for every patient
- Collect co-pays and balance
- Submit medical bills to appropriate insurance company either via mail or directly into insurance portals.
- Payment entry
- Made daily bank deposits
- Tracked claims
- Posted EOB
- Submitted and obtained authorizations for office visits and medications
- Helped with checkout
- Assisted with referrals and prior authorizations as needed
- Create Standards of Work for clinic
- De-escalate situation and help mediate initiation of new protocols.
- Triaged patients for vitals and chief complaints.
- Blood Draws
- Fingersticks
- EKGs
- Answered phones, made necessary return calls, forwarded calls to appropriate staff.
- Updated system with patients' most accurate information.
Education
High School Diploma -
Gainesville High School
Gainesville, GA01-2011
Skills
- Strong communication
- Accuracy and attention to detail
- Problem Solving
- Referral management
- Staff management
- Practice management
- Schedule management
- Workflow management
- Policy implementation
Affiliations
NGHS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council
Certification
- Notary
- Registered Medical Assistant
- Certified BLS
- Certified NGHS medical interpreter (Spanish and English)
- Completed NGHS Emerging leaders Program
Languages
Spanish
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Practice Manager
Northeast Georgia Physician Group Infectious Disease
08.2023 - Current
Practice Supervisor
Northeast Georgia Physician Group Internal Medicine & Academic Internal Medicine
05.2017 - 08.2023
Unit Secretary
Northeast Georgia Medical Center Ronni & Greer Heart Center
10.2015 - 05.2017
Office Manager
First Look Primary Care, P.C.
01.2012 - 01.2015
High School Diploma -
Gainesville High School