Sharon Dest
Naugatuck,USA
Summary
Medical professional with extensive experience in managing healthcare front office operations and improving patient interactions. Known for achieving seamless office workflows and maintaining high standards of accuracy in patient records. Valued for collaborative approach, adaptability, and strong problem-solving abilities essential for dynamic healthcare environment.
Overview
27
27
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Lead Medical Receptionist
Young Eyes
Newtown, CT, USA
07.2019 - 10.2021
- Managed front desk operations, including greeting visitors, answering phone calls, and directing inquiries to appropriate staff members
- Maintained a professional and welcoming reception area, ensuring a positive first impression for all guests
- Scheduled appointments and meetings for executives and staff members using an online calendar system
- Efficiently handled incoming and outgoing mail, packages, and deliveries
- Provided administrative support by preparing documents, reports, and presentations as requested
- Resolved customer complaints or issues in a timely manner to ensure high levels of satisfaction
- Maintained confidentiality of sensitive information while handling employee records or confidential documents
- Trained new front desk staff members on company policies, procedures, and customer service standards
- Maintained cleanliness in common areas such as lobby/reception area throughout the day
- Achieved a customer satisfaction rating of XX% through consistently providing excellent service at the front desk
- Mentored new hires on front desk procedures and customer service best practices
- Demonstrated strong problem-solving skills when addressing guest inquiries or complaints
- Maintained accurate records of visitors' information using electronic sign-in systems
- Fostered positive relationships with clients through exceptional communication skills and attentive service
- Trained and mentored junior reception staff, enhancing team performance and customer service standards.
- Oversaw patient scheduling, ensuring efficient appointment management and minimal wait times.
- Implemented electronic health record systems, improving accuracy of patient information retrieval.
- Managed front desk operations, facilitating effective communication between patients and healthcare providers.
Patient Service Coordinator
MyEyeDr.
Hamden, CT, USA
04.2016 - 01.2020
- Greet and assist patients.
- Verify and update patient information as needed.
- Hear and resolve complaint from patients and visitors.
- Schedule appointments, and maintain appointment calendars. Monitors doctor's patient schedule to insure good patient flow.
- Answer and respond to incoming calls, triage and distribute calls as needed.
- Receives payment and records receipts for services.
- Posts and balances daily batch. Makes bank deposits on a daily basis.
- Observes patient and telephone flow; offering or requesting assistance as needed.
- Facilitates communication to the MD.
- Maintain records of communications from patients, family members or caretakers of patients, referring and consulting MDs and vendors.
- Positive attitude consisting of cooperation, self-motivation, courtesy, and professionalism.
- Assists in training of other Front Desk
- Coordinated patient scheduling to optimize appointment flow and enhance service delivery.
- Managed patient inquiries, ensuring timely resolution and high satisfaction levels.
- Developed and maintained comprehensive patient records using electronic health record systems.
- Collaborated with clinical staff to streamline communication and improve patient care processes.
Medical Secretary/Receptionist Coordinator
Yale New Haven Health System
Waterbury, CT, USA
02.2015 - 11.2015
- Managed patient scheduling and appointment coordination effectively.
- Coordinated appointment scheduling for multiple departments, ensuring efficient patient flow.
- Managed medical records with precision, maintaining compliance with confidentiality standards.
- Streamlined communication between healthcare providers and patients, enhancing service delivery.
- Assisted in developing office procedures that improved administrative efficiency and reduced errors.
Medical Receptionist
Ultimate Staffing Services
Waterbury, CT, USA
02.2015 - 10.2015
- Proficient in computer, telephonic and medical terminology skills.
- Maintain patient accounts by obtaining, recording and updating personal and financial information.
- Obtain signatures from patients for all required forms.
- Register new patient consults and distribute to secretaries.
- Sort and route the incoming faxes.
- Sort and route the mail.
- Greet and comfort patient by anticipating and answering patients' questions.
- Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
- Maintain operations by following policies and procedures; reporting needed changes.
- Greet patients and answer phones.
- Collect co-pays, balance and close out the day.
- Provided exceptional customer service by addressing patient inquiries and concerns promptly.
- Managed patient scheduling and appointment confirmations to optimize office workflow.
- Coordinated with medical staff to ensure accurate patient information and documentation.
- Maintained electronic health records, ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations.
Customer Service Representative
Coder
Middlebury, CT, USA
08.2014 - 12.2014
- Reviewed CPAP orders to make sure that the information was within insurance guidelines and process orders in a timely manner.
- Fast paced, deadline oriented environment.
- Called patients to make them aware of their insurance coverage, monetary responsibility and scheduled appointments for CPAP set up with the Respiratory Therapists.
- Assisted walk in customers with retail purchases and collected payments.
- Streamlined service processes to improve response time and efficiency.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction through effective communication and problem resolution.
- Resolved customer complaints with empathy, resulting in increased loyalty and repeat business.
- Handled escalated calls efficiently, finding satisfactory resolutions for both customers and the company alike.
- Enhanced customer satisfaction by promptly addressing concerns and providing accurate information.
- Maintained detailed records of customer interactions, ensuring proper follow-up and resolution of issues.
Administrative Assistant
Elim Park
Cheshire, CT
06.2014 - 07.2014
- Responsible for payroll and scheduling of staff for Residential Care Home.
- Maintained the Dr's schedule for patient rounds for Elim Park acute, post acute and residential care home wings and supplied the Drs offices with proper documentation for billing purposes.
- Maintained a roster of people residing in the Residential Care Home.
- Maintained calendar and booked meeting room for staff as needed.
- Scheduled Dr appointments for residents and arranged proper transportation.
- Responsible for scheduling hairdresser appointments for Residential Care Home residents.
- Ordering and delivering of incontinence products for Residential Care Home residents.
- Answered phones, retrieved mail and delivered to proper persons.
- Made copies as the need arose.
- Managed scheduling and calendar coordination for executive staff.
- Developed and maintained filing systems to enhance document retrieval efficiency.
- Assisted in preparation of reports and presentations, ensuring accuracy and clarity.
- Coordinated meetings and events, facilitating communication among stakeholders.
- Implemented office procedures that improved workflow and reduced administrative errors.
- Maintained confidentiality of sensitive information by adhering to strict privacy policies and implementing secure filing systems.
- Delivered excellent customer service through prompt responses to client inquiries, addressing concerns effectively, and building strong relationships.
- Ensured accurate record-keeping with diligent data entry and database management for vital company information.
- Promoted a positive work environment through effective communication skills and fostering professional relationships among colleagues.
Medical Receptionist
Vision Associates Of Prospect
Prospect, CT, USA
07.2013 - 10.2013
- Balance and close out the day, prepare deposits for the bank.
- Proficient in computer, telephonic and medical terminology skills.
- Maintain patient accounts by obtaining, recording and updating personal and financial information.
- Comfort patient by anticipating patients' anxieties and answering patients' questions.
- Contribute to team effort by accomplishing related results as needed.
- Maintain operations by following policies and procedures; reporting needed changes.
- Apply diagnosis, modifiers and submit claims to proper insurance company.
- Greet patients, make appointments and answer phones.
- Collect co-pays and money for same day services and purchases.
- Led front desk operations, fostering a welcoming environment for patients and visitors alike.
- Coordinated patient scheduling, check-in, check-out and payments for billing.
- Checked patient insurance, demographic, and health history to keep information current.
- Helped patients complete necessary medical forms and documentation.
- Adhered to strict HIPAA guidelines to protect patient privacy.
- Managed high call volumes, directing calls to appropriate departments while maintaining a polite and professional demeanor.
- Provided compassionate customer service, creating a welcoming atmosphere for patients and their families.
- Enhanced patient satisfaction by efficiently managing the front desk operations and addressing inquiries in a timely manner.
- Assisted healthcare providers with administrative tasks, enabling them to focus on quality patient care.
Medical Coding
Creative Financial Staffing
Bristol, CT, USA
01.2012 - 12.2012
- Responsible for applying diagnosis codes for all outpatient testing which included: Laboratory, Radiology, MRI, Obstetrics, Chemotherapy, Bariatrics, Primary Care Physicians, etc.
- Ensured timely completion of medical coding tasks, contributing to improved billing processes and revenue generation.
- Conducted thorough research on complex medical coding issues when necessary, ensuring accuracy and compliance with insurance reimbursement guidelines.
- Increased accuracy in medical coding by cross-referencing codes with patient records and consulting with healthcare providers when necessary.
Billing Auditor/Coder/Patient Account Representative
Franklin Medical Group, P.C
Waterbury, CT, USA
01.2010 - 04.2012
- Regularly perform audits on over one hundred twenty five providers of various specialties and educate them on proper coding, documentation guidelines, compliance and E&M principles.
- Code from the operative report for the following specialties: General Surgery, Breast, Woundcare and Orthopedics.
- Identified discrepancies in patient billing records and collaborated with staff for timely resolutions.
- Analyzed audit findings to recommend actionable improvements in billing procedures and policies.
- Conducted regular meetings with department managers to review outstanding issues and develop action plans for resolution.
- Maintained detailed documentation of all completed audits, providing a valuable reference resource for future investigations.
- Served as a subject matter expert in billing operations, providing guidance and support to colleagues and management on complex cases or inquiries.
- Conducted thorough audits of billing records to ensure compliance with industry regulations and standards.
- Increased customer satisfaction with accurate invoicing, addressing concerns promptly and professionally.
- Enhanced revenue recovery through diligent audit processes and timely follow-up actions.
- Followed established auditing processes to meet internal and regulatory requirements.
- Coordinated, managed and implemented auditing projects and prepared for evaluation.
- Interpreted state and federal laws, accepted auditing principles and procedures and program standards to audited materials and data to detect non-compliance and facilitate recommendations.
- Planned and executed follow-up audits at appropriate intervals.
- Review documentation for the patient account representatives and suggest modifiers based on CPC, ICD-9, CPT-4 and Medicare guidelines to obtain revenue and remain compliant.
- Charge entry and claims follow up.
- Participated in a special project to implement Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative.
Medical Insurance Specialist/Team Leader/Medical Coder
Danbury Office of Physician Services P.C
Danbury, CT, USA
01.1995 - 03.2012
- Provided appropriate ICD-9/CPT-4 codes for submission of claims.
- Collected over $15,000.00 from insurance companies of otherwise dormant claims.
- Responsible for coding from the operative report, ICD-9/ CPT-4 for the following specialties General Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Breast Surgery.
- Enter all charges for maximum reimbursement and resolve patient and insurance billing issues.
- Lead biller in charge of all reports and balancing of reports.
- Volunteered to Work on a special project auditing all offices within DOPS to ensure proper coding and ensure optimum reimbursement of all claims while remaining compliant.
- Processed medical insurance claims accurately and efficiently, ensuring timely reimbursements for services rendered.
- Reviewed patient eligibility and benefits, coordinating with healthcare providers to resolve discrepancies.
- Managed patient inquiries regarding insurance coverage, providing clear explanations of policy details and procedures.
- Developed and implemented streamlined processes for claim submissions, reducing turnaround times significantly.
- Mentored junior staff on best practices in medical billing and coding, enhancing team performance and accuracy.
- Aided in boosting revenue by identifying opportunities for additional reimbursements through audits of past claims.
- Consistently exceeded performance benchmarks, processing a high volume of claims accurately within designated timeframes.
- Increased patient satisfaction by efficiently processing insurance claims and addressing inquiries.
- Achieved timely resolution of claim issues through effective communication with insurance carriers and healthcare providers.
- Contributed to positive relationships with insurance companies through consistent follow-up and prompt issue resolution.
- Maintained compliance with industry regulations by staying updated on coding changes and guidelines.
- Demonstrated adaptability during software transitions, quickly learning new systems to maintain productivity levels throughout implementation periods.
- Improved cash flow by promptly following up on unpaid claims and resolving billing discrepancies.
- Reduced claim denials by verifying patient eligibility and coverage details prior to submission.
- Maintained strict confidentiality of sensitive patient information, adhering to HIPAA guidelines and other applicable regulations in all aspects of the role.
- Conducted thorough reviews of denied claims, identifying errors or missing information before resubmitting corrections for payment approval.
- Served as a reliable resource for colleagues, sharing expertise on industry trends, changes in coding practices, or updates to payer requirements as needed.
- Maintained knowledge of benefits claim processing, claims principles, medical terminology, and procedures and HIPAA regulations.
- Researched and resolved complex medical claims issues to support timely processing.
- Monitored and updated claims status in claims processing system.
- Managed large volume of medical claims on daily basis.
- Evaluated medical claims for accuracy and completeness and researched missing data.
- Responded to correspondence from insurance companies.
- Followed up on denied claims to verify timely patient payment and resolution.
- Finalized sales and collected necessary deposits.
Billing Auditor/Coder/Patient Account Representative
Franklin Medical Group-P.C
01.2006 - 12.2011
- Regularly perform audits on over one hundred twenty five providers of various specialties and educate them on proper coding, documentation guidelines, compliance and E&M principles.
- Code from the operative report for the following specialties: General Surgery, Breast, Woundcare and Orthopedics.
- Review documentation for the patient account representatives and suggest modifiers based on CPC, ICD-9, CPT-4 and Medicare guidelines to obtain revenue and remain compliant.
- Charge entry and claims follow up.
- Participated in a special project to implement Medicare's Physician Quality Reporting Initiative.
General Surgery Department
Danbury Office of Physician Services-P.C
Southbury, CT, USA
01.1995 - 12.2006
- Provided appropriate ICD-9/CPT-4 codes for submission of claims.
- Collected over $15,000.00 from insurance companies of otherwise dormant claims.
- Responsible for coding from the operative report, ICD-9/ CPT-4 for the following specialties General Surgery, Bariatric Surgery, Colorectal Surgery, Gastrointestinal Surgery, and Breast Surgery.
- Enter all charges for maximum reimbursement and resolve patient and insurance billing issues.
- Lead biller in charge of all reports and balancing of reports.
- Volunteered to Work on a special project auditing all offices within DOPS to ensure proper coding and ensure optimum reimbursement of all claims while remaining compliant.
Education
AAPC - Medical Coding
Trade School
09.2010
Medical Insurance Specialist - CPT
Naugatuck Community College
Waterbury06.2000
High school diploma or GED - undefined
Sacred Heart High School
05.1981
Skills
- Front desk operations
- HIPAA compliance
- Office administration
- Patient scheduling
- Insurance verification
- Appointment management
- Medical billing
- Medical coding
- Microsoft office
- Reminder calls
- Electronic medical records
- HIPAA guidelines
- Medical terminology
- Appointment scheduling
- Patient relations
- Payment collection
- Telephone etiquette
- Workflow optimization
- Referral verification
- Insurance claims
- Medical billing and coding
- Petty cash management
- Co-payment collection
- Patient callbacks
- Insurance verifications
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving abilities
- Multitasking Abilities
- Adaptable and flexible
- Reliability
- Critical thinking
- Organizational skills
- Effective communication
- Decision-making
- Detail-oriented
Accomplishments
- Supervised team of five staff members.
- Documented and resolved insurance denials which led to payment of claims.
Certification
Medical Insurance Specialist.
CPC, 2010-2020
Languages
English
Full Professional
Timeline
Lead Medical Receptionist
Young Eyes
07.2019 - 10.2021
Patient Service Coordinator
MyEyeDr.
04.2016 - 01.2020
Medical Secretary/Receptionist Coordinator
Yale New Haven Health System
02.2015 - 11.2015
Medical Receptionist
Ultimate Staffing Services
02.2015 - 10.2015
Customer Service Representative
Coder
08.2014 - 12.2014
Administrative Assistant
Elim Park
06.2014 - 07.2014
Medical Receptionist
Vision Associates Of Prospect
07.2013 - 10.2013
Medical Coding
Creative Financial Staffing
01.2012 - 12.2012
Billing Auditor/Coder/Patient Account Representative
Franklin Medical Group, P.C
01.2010 - 04.2012
Billing Auditor/Coder/Patient Account Representative
Franklin Medical Group-P.C
01.2006 - 12.2011
Medical Insurance Specialist/Team Leader/Medical Coder
Danbury Office of Physician Services P.C
01.1995 - 03.2012
General Surgery Department
Danbury Office of Physician Services-P.C
01.1995 - 12.2006
Medical Insurance Specialist - CPT
Naugatuck Community College
High school diploma or GED - undefined
Sacred Heart High School
AAPC - Medical Coding
Trade School