EXPERIENCED VIRTUAL MEDICAL OFFICE ASSISTANT

Gravity Psychiatry & Wellness, PLLC is a growing outpatient psychiatric practice based in Illinois, USA. We provide psychiatric medication management, Spravato® treatment, and related services to children, adolescents, and adults through in-person and telehealth appointments.

The practice is independently owned and led by a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. This is our first dedicated administrative hire and is intended to be a stable, long-term position.

POSITION SUMMARY

We are seeking an experienced Virtual Medical Office Assistant to manage the core front-office operations of the practice.

You will report directly to the practice owner and handle patient communication, scheduling, appointment preparation, insurance verification, records, payments, and administrative follow-up. You will also help document and improve workflows by turning recorded task demonstrations and instructions into clear standard operating procedures.

This position is best suited for someone who has already supported a US medical practice, communicates professionally with patients, and can work accurately and independently without constant supervision.

Strong performance may lead to increased responsibilities, additional hours, and advancement toward a Practice Coordinator role.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES

Patient Communication and Scheduling

• Answer incoming patient calls during scheduled coverage hours using the practice’s secure phone system.

• Respond to administrative messages, voicemails, and faxes through Spruce, our HIPAA-compliant communication platform.

• Communicate professionally with adult patients and with parents or guardians of minor patients.

• Schedule, reschedule, confirm, and cancel appointments in Osmind, our electronic health record system.

• Maintain an accurate provider calendar and help fill openings created by cancellations.

• Provide patients with administrative information regarding appointments, forms, office procedures, and practice policies.

• Screen, document, and route messages according to written protocols.

• Promptly escalate messages involving safety concerns, medication questions, worsening symptoms, possible adverse effects, or requests for clinical guidance.

This is an administrative position. The assistant will not provide medical advice, interpret symptoms, recommend treatment, or independently make clinical decisions.

Appointment and Visit Preparation

• Review upcoming appointments for completed intake forms, identification, insurance information, payment information, screening questionnaires, and other required documentation.

• Complete pre-visit administrative check-in procedures.

• Confirm telehealth instructions and appointment details.

• Review copays and outstanding balances before appointments.

• Complete the administrative portions of the Spravato pre-treatment checklist.

• Review overnight messages and same-day cancellations at the beginning of each shift.

• Prepare the next business day’s preliminary schedule before the end of each shift.

• Update the current day’s schedule before the provider’s first appointment.

• Notify the provider of missing documentation, scheduling conflicts, urgent administrative issues, or patient concerns requiring review.

Insurance and Billing Support

• Verify insurance eligibility and benefits for Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, Cigna/Evernorth, Aetna, and other assigned payers.

• Document deductibles, copays, coinsurance, behavioral-health benefits, and authorization requirements accurately.

• Submit and track administrative components of prior-authorization requests, including Spravato authorizations.

• Contact payer portals, insurance companies, pharmacies, and medical offices to obtain claim or authorization status information.

• Follow up on unpaid or denied claims, identify payer requests or denial reasons, and document all actions taken.

• Escalate coding questions, clinical documentation requests, appeals, refunds, adjustments, and other matters requiring provider or billing-specialist review.

• Maintain accurate insurance, authorization, and claim-follow-up trackers.

• Process patient-authorized card-on-file payments according to written practice policy.

• Issue receipts and document payments accurately.

The assistant may not independently change fees, waive balances, establish payment arrangements, issue refunds, modify claim coding, adjust account balances, or make collection exceptions without approval from the practice owner.

Records and Practice Administration

• Process medical-record requests, referrals, releases of information, and incoming and outgoing faxes.

• Confirm that appropriate authorization is present before releasing protected health information.

• Keep patient contact, demographic, pharmacy, insurance, and guarantor information current in the EHR.

• Upload, label, route, and organize documents accurately.

• Maintain administrative trackers for referrals, records requests, authorizations, forms, and assigned follow-up tasks.

• Draft standard operating procedures from recorded task walkthroughs and written instructions.

• Revise procedures based on feedback from the practice owner.

• Assist with administrative audits, data-quality reviews, and workflow testing.

• Support a possible future EHR migration from Osmind to CharmHealth.

FIRST 90 DAYS

During the first 90 days, the primary focus will be:

• Patient communication

• Scheduling and cancellation management

• Appointment readiness

• Intake-document tracking

• Insurance verification

• Records and fax processing

• Payment collection

• Documentation of core workflows

More complex responsibilities, including prior authorizations, denied-claim follow-up, reconciliation support, testing logistics, and special projects, will be added as proficiency is demonstrated.

As the role develops, additional responsibilities may include:

• Patient recall and follow-up outreach

• GeneSight and CNS Vital Signs testing logistics

• Spravato administrative coordination

• Credentialing and license-renewal tracking

• Payment-reconciliation support

• Website and provider-directory updates

• EHR migration support

• Additional practice-operations projects

SCHEDULE

Monday through Friday
7:00 AM–1:00 PM US Central Time

This is generally:

• 8:00 PM–2:00 AM Philippine Time during US daylight-saving time

• 9:00 PM–3:00 AM Philippine Time during US standard time

Applicants must be able to work the complete scheduled shift consistently.

Thirty hours per week are guaranteed. The assistant is expected to remain available and actively work throughout all scheduled coverage hours.

When patient volume is lower, scheduled time will be used for records processing, insurance follow-up, SOP development, audits, outreach, and other assigned administrative projects.

Up to 10 additional hours per week may be approved depending on workload. Additional hours may include flexible or asynchronous project work and must be authorized in advance.

Additional regular hours may become available as the practice grows.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

• At least two years of experience supporting a US medical practice, healthcare organization, medical office, or US healthcare BPO account.

• Practical knowledge of US healthcare administration, health insurance, and HIPAA requirements.

• Hands-on experience using at least one US electronic health record system, such as Osmind, CharmHealth, Tebra/Kareo, AdvancedMD, athenahealth, eClinicalWorks, or SimplePractice.

• Direct experience completing US insurance eligibility and benefit verification and/or prior authorizations.

• Experience communicating with US patients, insurance representatives, pharmacies, and medical offices.

• Excellent written and spoken English.

• Calm, courteous, and professional phone communication.

• Strong judgment regarding when an issue must be escalated.

• Exceptional attention to detail.

• Ability to follow written procedures consistently.

• Ability to work independently and manage recurring responsibilities without frequent reminders.

• Reliable availability for the stated schedule.

• Willingness to complete HIPAA, privacy, cybersecurity, and practice-specific training before receiving access to patient information.

• Willingness to sign all required confidentiality, privacy, security, and service agreements.

• Individual applicants only. Agencies, teams, subcontractors, and applicants planning to delegate the work will not be considered.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Osmind or CharmHealth experience

• Behavioral-health or psychiatric-practice experience

• Spravato or specialty-medication prior-authorization experience

• Experience with Availity or other payer portals and clearinghouses

• Experience following up on denied or unpaid medical claims

• Medical billing or coding education or certification

• Experience as the primary or sole administrative staff member of a small medical practice

• Experience creating standard operating procedures

• Experience supporting an EHR migration

• Familiarity with Spruce, Stripe, Jotform, Google Workspace, GeneSight, or CNS Vital Signs

• Nursing, pharmacy, medical-assisting, or allied-health education

WORKSTATION AND INFORMATION-SECURITY REQUIREMENTS

The selected applicant must have:

• A dedicated personal computer that is not shared with other users.

• A current and supported operating system with current antivirus and security protections.

• Full-disk encryption, automatic updates, and automatic screen locking.

• A separate password-protected computer profile used only for practice work.

• Primary internet service with a minimum speed of 25 Mbps.

• A reliable backup internet connection.

• A backup power source sufficient for short power interruptions.

• A private, quiet workspace where patient information cannot be seen or overheard.

• A professional-quality headset.

• The ability to use multi-factor authentication and a practice-approved password manager.

Protected health information may be accessed only through practice-approved systems.

Patient information may not be downloaded, copied, printed, photographed, screen-recorded, stored locally, or transmitted through personal email, personal cloud storage, consumer messaging applications, or any unapproved system.

Screenshots containing patient information are prohibited. Any suspected privacy or security i ---------- must be reported immediately.

Screenshot-based time-monitoring software will not be used while the assistant is accessing patient or practice information.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

• $7.00–$9.00 USD per hour, based on directly relevant experience and demonstrated skill.

• Guaranteed minimum of 30 paid hours per week.

• Approximate guaranteed monthly base compensation of $910–$1,170 USD.

• Up to 10 additional approved hours per week based on workload.

• Payment twice monthly through Wise or another mutually approved method.

• Prorated 13th-month bonus during the first year.

• Annual performance-based increases generally ranging from $0.50–$1.00 USD per hour.

• Paid major US holidays after 90 days:

New Year’s Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving Day
Christmas Day

• Up to 30 hours of paid personal or sick leave annually after 90 days, subject to the written attendance and leave policy.

• Paid required training.

• Paid trial task for selected finalists.

• Opportunity for expanded responsibilities, additional hours, and advancement toward a Practice Coordinator role.

The first 90 days will be a mutual introductory and training period. Final terms will be documented in a written agreement.

SELECTION PROCESS

Shortlisted applicants may be asked to complete:

• A 1–2 minute voice recording

• A short written patient-communication scenario

• A typing and data-entry assessment

• A brief paid simulation using fictional or fully de-identified information

• A video interview

• Professional reference verification

• Identity verification

• A background check appropriate for a role involving protected health information, financial transactions, and access to medical-practice systems

No applicant will receive access to live patient information or practice systems before identity verification, required agreements, and privacy and security training are completed.

HOW TO APPLY

Please follow these instructions exactly. Generic or incomplete applications will not be considered.

1. Write the word LIGHTHOUSE on the first line of your application.
2. Attach your current resume or CV.
3. Answer each question below in a separate numbered section:

A. Which US electronic health record systems have you personally used, and approximately how long did you use each one?

B. Describe your experience verifying US insurance eligibility and benefits. Which payers, portals, or clearinghouses have you used?

C. Describe your prior-authorization experience, including any specialty-medication, behavioral-health, or Spravato-related experience.

D. What types of US medical practices have you supported, and what were your primary responsibilities?

E. Without including patient-identifying information, describe one insurance verification, prior-authorization, or denied-claim issue you personally handled. Explain the problem, the steps you took, and the outcome.

F. Describe one workflow, checklist, tracker, or standard operating procedure that you created or improved.

G. State your expected hourly rate.

H. Confirm that you can consistently work Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM–1:00 PM US Central Time.

I. Confirm that you meet the computer, internet, backup-power, privacy, and security requirements listed in this posting.

J. Confirm that you are applying as an individual and will personally perform all assigned work.

All complete applications will be reviewed. Only applicants selected for the next stage will be contacted.