Yearly Archives: 2017
Tiffany Robertson earned her degree in medical assisting in 2009, and always had a love of healthcare in her heart. She liked being part of a field dedicated to helping others. But she soon decided that she would rather work in the administrative/business side rather than the clinical side.
That led to her to seek and earn an associates degree in medical billing and coding, including obtaining a Certified Professional Coder (CPC) certification in 2011. That same year Tiffany joined the Indiana Eye Clinic as an Account Services Representative after completing an externship at a medical management company.
Her job duties include coding, claims management, data entry, processing and posting patient and insurance payments, answering billing questions, and research in reference to medical policies and reimbursement. In essence, she helps guide IEC patients through the often-confusing maze of health insurance to ensure they receive the best vision coverage possible.
“My favorite part of the job is finding solutions and resolving matters, whether it be regarding a claim with an insurance company or being able to inform and help a patient understand his or her insurance better,” Tiffany said.
She’s stayed at IEC because of the atmosphere of caring for both patients and members of the staff. “What makes IEC special is we treat each other more than just co-workers. We treat each other as family.”
In her off time, Tiffany enjoys playing games with her husband and stepson, Kamden, watching his baseball games or just relaxing by the fireplace. She also enjoys reading and exercising, especially Zumba classes and BODYPUMP.
As a Technician at the Indiana Eye Clinic, Christy Wampler assists doctors and patients in every way imaginable. This includes processing patients, writing prescriptions for the physicians to sign, pre-operative measurements and calculations, ordering drugs and other medical materials, and running all sorts of vision tests.
Although she has always worked in ophthalmology, Christy began her stint at IEC six years ago working the front desk as a patient representative. Though she enjoyed the position, she found herself interested in the delivery side of healthcare.
“After about a year, I wanted to learn more of the medical side of it, so I asked if I could become a tech. I have since chosen to learn as much as I can about every aspect of my career — and keep wanting to learn more,” she said.
She’s stayed at IEC because of the family atmosphere, both in how employees relate to each other and how they treat patients. Christy is passionate about helping people overcome poor eyesight and achieving a higher quality of life.
“My favorite part of my job is being able to watch a patient who comes in with poor vision due to cataracts have surgery and then be able to see and have a quality of life after surgery. It’s why I do what I do every day,” she said.
Christy and her husband have three daughters they adore.
Sandy Smart is a Registered Nurse (RN) who has assisted the Indiana Eye Clinic medical team in a number of capacities, helping ensure patients receive the best possible vision outcomes, while also seeing that they receive excellent care and customer service.
At times, she has worked in the Ambulatory Surgery Center operating room, assisting IEC physicians with delicate and complex eye procedures. Currently, she is in charge of overseeing the preoperative and postoperative operations of the surgery center.
In this capacity, Sandy helps patients get ready for their surgery, ensures the proper medications have been given, and helps make sure they have everything they need for a quick and desirable recovery.
“I love the contact with the patients and sharing their amazement at how great their vision is, and what a difference it has made in their life,” she says.
Sandy received her nursing degree from Indiana Central University, now known as the University of Indianapolis. Before coming to IEC 18 years ago, she worked as an RN in other healthcare fields, including obstetrics, pediatrics and even a stint as a school nurse.
She came to IEC through her friendship with Paula Baker, who was then director of the ambulatory surgery center. She began working as a part-time employee, but it soon turned into a full-time position.
“I guess it was a match made in heaven!” Sandy says. She’s stayed so long because of the great team and the satisfaction of delivering a consistently excellent level of care.
“Our doctors are the best in the state, and I feel like we are always on the cutting edge of new technology,” Sandy says.
On her off days, Sandy enjoys sharing time with her family, especially her three granddaughters, as well as exercising, shopping and traveling.
JOB SUMMARY: Responsible for greeting patients and guests to ensure everyone feels welcomed. Accurately maintains privacy of patients’ information and records.
QUALIFICATIONS
- High school diploma or equivalent
- One to two years experience in a medical practice or general customer service
- Computer literate with strong data entry skills
ESSENTIAL SKILLS AND ABILITIES
- Excellent customer service and interpersonal communication skills
- Empathetic with patients’ needs and concerns
- Resourceful in problem solving
- Well-organized with attention to detail
- Ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
- Ability to work as a team member
- Treat patients, guests, and co-workers with respect
ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Receptionist
- Greet patients and guests in a pleasant, courteous, and professional manner
- Answer telephone promptly; identify emergency calls and direct all other calls to appropriate personnel
- Schedule, re-schedule, and cancel appointments as necessary
- When scheduling appointments, collect all pertinent information and enter in computer
- Complete recall cards as directed
- Complete new patient packets and mail as needed
- Prepare new patient charts
- Pull charts for following day and/or by request; review for accuracy and order
- File patient charts, patient information, referral letters, and other patient related material in a timely manner
Check In/Out
- Receive patients in a pleasant and welcoming manner
- Evaluate chart data to verify all information has been received, completed, and signatures obtained by physician
- Ensure proper authorization or referral is collected from patient
- Assist patients in obtaining authorization or referrals not yet received
- Enter new and updated patient demographic information into computer
- Take charts to technician area
- Arrange for appointments to outside referring doctors
- Ensure fee sheets are marked accordingly
- Present and collect fees, schedule next appointment when appropriate
- Accurately post and reconcile all patient and insurance payments
- Balance daily business activities and close out each day’s receipts for deposit
General Duties
- Assist patients and guests with beverages, snacks, and other IEC amenities
- Keep Coffee Center stocked and clean
- Keep reception and front waiting room area neat and clean
- Check public bathrooms for cleanliness
- Organize and update daily newspapers and magazines
- Provide umbrella services during inclement weather
- Assist other Patient Coordinators as needed
- Perform other duties as assigned
Job Type: Full-time
Indiana Eye Clinic is now performing iStent® implantation during cataract surgery, an innovative new technique that can reduce the effects of glaucoma and lower the chance of progression.
iStent is a tiny medical implant that can help restore the eye’s natural fluid outflow and reduce pressure inside the eye. Intraocular pressure (IOP) is one of the most important risk factors for glaucoma. iStent is the world’s smallest medical implant, only about 1-millimeter long.
Patients who have cataracts and glaucoma, or are at risk for glaucoma onset, now have a chance to have both conditions addressed during a single procedure.
Most glaucoma patients who receive the implant can reduce and sometimes eliminate the need for daily eyedrop medication. iStent® has an excellent safety record, and is covered by Medicare and most private insurance companies.
“Indiana Eye Clinic becomes one of the first ophthalmic practices in Central Indiana to offer iStent,” said Dr. Nicholas Rader, co-founder of IEC. “We’re proud to have been leaders in bringing the newest eye procedures to this area for more than 30 years.”
Marian University pre-med students now working at IEC are (l-r) Luke Elsener, Baylen Shoemaker, Annie Getzin and Madelyn Lindsay.
Four pre-med students from Marian University have begun working at Indiana Eye Clinic to fill a gap for ophthalmic assistants and technicians. This innovative solution came about with the help of our Ambulatory Surgical Center Director, Nathan Gehlhausen, who went to Marian and reached out to his alma mater when the challenge presented itself.
While attending the recent American Academy of Ophthalmology national conference, the IEC leadership team was presented with the problem of all of the Indiana schools for ophthalmic assistants and technicians closing their doors. These had helped produce a fresh stream of young, talented people to fill these positions, who perform may technical tasks that allow our veteran eye surgeons to focus on conducting procedures and delivering the best vision care possible.
Other solutions have been floating around the industry, including creating training programs to transition healthcare workers from other fields into these roles. But the IEC had a better idea: hire aspiring medical students during their first or second year of college. These are some of the brightest, most dedicated students out there, and they often are expected to work for free in healthcare just to have something to put on their medical school application.
This way, students can get hands-on experience while earning money to help pay for their expensive education to become physicians. We’re hoping some of them will eventually choose a specialty in ophthalmology are the great experience they have at IEC. In return, the clinic obtains critical support staff to assist us in our mission.
After meeting with the Marian Director of Career Development and the Sponsor for the Pre-Med program, Indiana Eye Clinic presented its opportunity to students, and were rewarded with a quick and positive response. Four of them — Luke Elsener, Baylen Shoemaker, Annie Getzin and Madelyn Lindsay — were interviewed and offered positions. They were thrilled about the chance to have a part-time job while pursuing their education. The Sponsor for the Pre-Med program also allowed them to receive credits towards graduating from this opportunity.
All four of our pre-med students/assistants are progressing quickly and are on track to become Certified Ophthalmic Assistants (CAO). Sometimes thinking out of the box can deliver a win-win for everybody!
Check out our new billboard, which can be seen along southbound Interstate 65 near the 100-mile marker, just north of Greenwood city limits. We think it clearly shows the benefits of seeing the Indiana Eye Clinic team for all your vision needs!
The 14-foot-by-48-foot digital display will show our sign approximately 75 times per hour, or more than 50,000 times during the four-week contract. With a daily traffic volume of more than 90,000 vehicles on that stretch or road, that’s a lot of eyeballs!
As an Account Services Representative, Pam Chase works closely with insurance providers on behalf of patients to ensure they receive the best coverage and prices for all their vision needs – tests, checkups and procedures. After 18 years with Indiana Eye Clinic, she knows the ins and outs of the complicated health insurance market, and works hard to head off or resolve any conflicts over payments, surgery charges, etc.
Pam was looking for a job closer to home when she applied at IEC in 1999. What she found was a team of close-knit people that has become like family to her.
Pam is known for lighting up every room she’s in with her sense of humor and joy. It’s the sort of attitude you need to have when you have a large family like hers. She and her husband, Bob, have six children, three from each side of the marriage.
“It’s kind of like the Brady Bunch,” she said. “Before we got married, I had three kids of my own and my husband had three kids of his own. Now we have five grandkids and everyone is one big happy family. I love to spend time with my grandchildren.”
Something her coworkers may not know is how much she loves music – listening to it and playing on the piano. And she has other hidden skills.
“I’m a pianist. I love music and I love to read,” she said. “Another one of my hobbies is American Sign Language. I started over 30 years ago because I made some friends at church who happened to be deaf. I took some classes through Vincennes University and caught on quickly. It has become a very helpful skill to have at the office.”
Lots of people deal with chronic eye and vision problems — including the rich and famous.
For instance, John Goodman took time off from his busy film career a few years ago to have his cataracts removed. Though he had just turned 60, his vision had deteriorated enough to make daily life a challenge.
Goodman chose to have his natural eye lenses replaced with an advanced intraocular lens (IOL). The Indiana Eye Clinic has a number of options on advanced lens for cataract patients.
It’s a common fallacy that cataracts only affects senior citizens. In fact, we frequently see patients in their 50s or even 40s with cataracts!
This article has a list of other well-known people dealing with chronic issues that impact their vision. What’s interesting is that many of these conditions were not even known about until the celebrity chose to share the news themselves. It just goes to show that people can live healthy, happy and productive lives while dealing with eye issues.
Did you know that Mila Kunis was blind in one eye for many years? Her large, dark eyes are undoubtedly her most famous feature. She suffered from iritis, in inflammation of the eye. She eventually underwent surgery to correct the problem, and now has normal vision. This also involved replacing her natural lens with an artificial lens.
Other celebs with eye problems:
- Bono of U2 has glaucoma. This possibly explains his ever-present sunglasses.
- Judi Dench has age-related macular degeneration.
- Missy Elliott sought therapy and treatment for Graves’ Disease, which can cause eyes to bulge or protrude.
- Brittany Howard of the band Alabama Shakes had multiple eye conditions from early childhood, including retinoblastoma, or cancer of the eye, that left her partially blind in one eye.
It just goes to show that wealth or fame doesn’t prevent anyone from having vision problems. Many of these can be prevented or addressed more effectively the earlier they’re detected. If you’re experiencing issues with your eyesight, seek help from a qualified ophthalmic physician right away.
Now that the warm weather is finally here, you can look your best with a little help from the Indiana Eye Clinic!
On April 18 at our Greenwood clinic and on April 20 at your Plainfield clinic, we’ll be hosting Botox Night. Attendees can obtain botox injections at a greatly reduced price. It takes just 10 minutes and is virtually painless.
Dr. Carissa M. Barina is a board-certified ophthalmic surgeon who has more than a decade of experience specializing in Botox® to temporarily soften lines around your eyes, or anywhere else on your face. Results can last for months!
Botox is a safe and effective way to diminish the appearance of facial wrinkles using tiny injections. It is the only treatment of its kind that is approved by the federal Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Click here for more information and to register!