Patient Support Specialist

Organisation Description
EMD Serono, Inc. is a leader in US biotechnology, focusing on reproductive health, metabolic endocrinology, and neurology. More than 500 people work in the world-class facilities in Rockland, MA, and approximately 250 work in the field.
Description

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE:This individual will handle direct customer interaction. He/She will address customer concerns such as special requests for medical information, program fulfillment materials, coordination of home nursing care requests, and reimbursement support and/or triage. His/Her main objective is to achieve customer satisfaction and ensure customer retention on therapy. He/She will accomplish this by listening to the customer needs and utilizing the resources available within the center to provide a customized solution for the customer.The Patient Support Specialist will manage all customer information in the strictest of confidence and will enter all required information accurately and expeditiously into the program database. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIESTo interact directly with patients, caregivers, Healthcare professionals in the Patient Support Services Center (Call Center - i.e. MS LifeLines). Handle all customer contacts with the highest in professional standards. Each call will be answered promptly, professionally, and compassionately with the end result of meeting the customer's needs (medical information, coordination of homecare requests, fulfillment, general source of information on their assigned therapeutic area, and triage for reimbursement to Reimbursement Specialists). Gather and deliver approved medical information or triage to RN Support team for advanced medical questions, complaints. Partner with patient physician/nurses or other healthcare professionals to provide consistent product information. Update Managers/Supervisors with feedback from customers to improve services or provide recognition of staff members. Approximately 70% of the time, it is expected that callers can be serviced by the Patient Support Specialist without the need to triage the customer to another entity (RN, Supervisor, third party service provider, etc).MAIN INTERFACES:Database:Ensure privacy of patient information that is provided. Ensure accurate and timely database input - ensure update of therapy start dates and dose.Customers:Account Specialists and Sales Representatives Colleagues and business partnersEXTERNALLY:Patients, Healthcare Professionals, PharmaciesKEY ROLE FACTORS:ACCOUNTABILITY AREA:Each Patient Support Specialist is responsible for servicing internal and external nationwide (US) customers, including patients, healthcare professionals, and sales representatives. AUTONOMY & AUTHORITY:The Patient Support Specialist is responsible for providing regular feedback relative to process improvements positively impacting the service delivered to our customers. A bona fide opportunity exists to significantly contribute to the operations of the business. In handling calls, problem resolution is a key function. The Specialist must determine what actions to take to resolve unique issues. Such actions may include contacting pharmacies to clarify prescription information, insurance companies to confirm benefits, and physician's offices in a collaborative fashion to resolve the patient issue. The Patient Support Specialist also manages "replacement" requests due to multiple reasons (patient error, device or product malfunction). The specialist must exercise good judgement on when to expedite delivery based on need/options. The Specialist provides key information to the sales field force based on calls to/from the physician's office. The Specialist may determine if an "inservice" is necessary based on Service Request Form completeness or questions the MDO is asking. If appropriate, the Specialist may contact the Account Specialist to provide this information and raise the issue as a training opportunity. FUNCTIONAL KNOWLEDGE One of the specialized tasks of the Patient Support Specialist is review of outsourced Reimbursement Investigations (Caremark/Curascript/Theracom Specials). When assigned, the specialist must review the case and determine next steps (i.e. Rebiject distribution; nurse training required). If the case is considered "Out of Network," often times, the specialist must set up the next step in the database for the Medical Reimbursement Specialist. BUSINESS EXPERTISE: Approximately 5% of the Specialist's time is spent supporting events in the field (ride alongs, live patient events, dinner programs, etc). The role of the Specialist is to provide accurate information, aide in problem resolution, and support the marketing effort to patients, caregivers, and nurses. NATURE & AREA OF IMPACT Provide feedback from customers on services offered and share unique situations/issues to ensure common response from patient support services. INTERPERSONAL SKILLS Exceptional communication skills required. *** Shift from 11:30am-8:00pm ***
EDUCATION LEVEL AND LANGUAGES REQUIRED:High School Diploma or equivalency required, College Degree preferred (Associates/ Bachelors) Fully Bilingual capability (Spanish) a plus. Continued education is required. Technical expertise in assigned therapeutic area may be necessary and updates in current therapy will be required. For example in MS - keep up-to-date of new therapies, Internet feedback/comments, and industry advancements. Attendance of certain association meetings during the year may be required to receive updated information or competitive review. PROFESSIONAL SKILLS, QUALIFICATONS AND EXPERIENCE (years experience minimally necessary for success in role)Two years customer care experience, preferably in a medical field with patient interaction or educational support. COMPETENCIES (knowledge, skills, abilities, traits)Exceptional customer service and telephone skills. Strong computer skills (customer contact databases, Windows, Word, Excel) preferred. Data Entry/Typing skills necessary. Ability to manage multiple and/or repetitive tasks. ADA REQUIREMENTS (i.e., normal office duties; must be able to push, lift, pull up to 30 pounds; etc.)Normal office duties. Must be flexible in working hours, shift work and weekend shifts may be required. Limited travel will be required