Surgery Scheduler Job Description, Duties, and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the surgery scheduler job description, including the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities they commonly perform.

It also highlights the major requirements you may be expected to fulfill to be hired for the surgery scheduler role by most recruiters/employers.

What Does a Surgery Scheduler Do?

A productive surgery scheduler is a clerical staff in the medical or health care sector whose primary responsibility is to ensure, organize, and maintain an active, accurate, and operational surgery schedule.

His/her job description includes managing the prospective client or patient’s medical records, inputting and updating patient’s insurance information, scheduling procedures from the physician’s office using established hospital guidelines, and ensuring sufficient information is distributed to the patients and all necessary parties, including hospital departments, primary-care physician, and surgeon, through productive open communication.

His/her role also entails dealing with the necessary paperwork for an effective surgery process, such as ordering for test results – MRI, CT, ESI, bone and brain scans.

Surgery schedulers also ensure that each patient processes appropriate or medical clearance needed for a successful surgery before they are scheduled for the procedure.

Their work description also involves giving immediate feedback to the primary hospital department on any medical anomalies noticed, which might disrupt a surgery.

They also update patients, hospital departments, and physician’s office automatically on any changes in the schedule.

Surgery Scheduler Job Description Example/Template

The tasks, duties and responsibilities of surgery schedulers vary differently in accordance with the specification of the physician office or hospital department where they work, but they generally perform the functions shown in the job description example below:

• Respond to calls, emails, complaints, and queries that patients might have
• Provide information and updates in regards to patients’ surgery schedules
• Assist patients with guidance on filing all necessary forms
• Assist patients with information necessary to pay all medical charges
• Set post-surgical appointments with doctors and perform all necessary tests
• Inform patients and any relevant third party through instructions about “things to do” before and after surgeries
• Receive all needed medical records and history from patients
• Take reservations for surgeries and schedule a date based on the availability of the surgeon and the medical condition of patients
• Order patients’ test results and assess information from the report to determine if a patient is ready for surgery
• Create a daily surgery schedule and surgical log for all departments concerned
• Assure appropriate coordination with other hospital departments when special surgical needs occur
• File, collect, and organize pre and post operational data for reference
• Sort and distribute incoming and outgoing mail to all necessary parties
• Order office supplies and log information on any issue that is urgent.

Requirements – Skills, Abilities, and Knowledge – for Surgery Scheduler Role

Generally, a high school diploma or its equivalent is usually the minimum educational requirements to become a surgery scheduler.

High-school students demonstrating an interest in medical-related professions, like surgery scheduling, might want to take courses that will help get them into the career and improve their understanding of the job.

Courses like anatomy, biology, physiology, spreadsheets, and word processing are important in the training of surgery schedulers.

Particularly for job seekers applying for a surgery scheduling job, the major requirements and qualifications commonly set by most employers that applicants should meet to be considered for the position are given below:

• Work experience in the health care sector that exposes the candidate to medical terminologies, diagnostic procedures, and health care billing and authorization
• Strong communication and customer service skills
• Ability to learn quickly and work under pressure in a fast-paced environment
• Proficiency in word processing and spreadsheet applications
• Minimum typing speed of 50 words per minute
• Attention to details
• Excellent organizational and time management skills
• Good working ethics and ability to treat documents with confidentiality
• Ability to work effectively as part of a team and also take initiatives when the need arises.

Advancing Your Career

Post high school degree programs in medicinal technology, nursing and other areas are available to employees interested in improving their skills and careers in surgery scheduling or pursing another medical profession.

For example, surgery schedulers might opt to become registered nurses or health information technicians.

Conclusion

Surgery schedulers play an important role in the health sector where they provide assistance in ensuring hitch-free surgery procedures for patients.

If you are an employer needing the best qualified individuals to hire for the available surgery scheduler position in your company, you will find this post helpful.

You can easily and quickly apply the sample job description provided above in creating a detailed description for the role in your organization and attracting the best capable schedulers to your offer.

This article is also beneficial to individuals who might want to become a surgery scheduler. They will learn all they need to about the duties and responsibilities of surgery schedulers, and so will be more knowledgeable about the career.