Practice Operations Coordinator (Virtual, Full-Time) — US Dermatology Practice

Practice Operations Coordinator (Virtual, Full-Time) — US Dermatology Practice

Full-time | Long-term, dedicated role | Pacific Time hours | $12-15/hour based on experience

We are an established, independent dermatology and skin cancer surgery practice in Southern California. Our physician-owner runs a tight, well-documented operation — written SOPs for every workflow, shared tracking logs, and a small team of long-term virtual staff — and we are hiring a senior-level coordinator to become the operational backbone of that system.

This is not a task-list VA position. We are looking for someone with real US healthcare insurance experience who can monitor, audit, and follow through without being reminded — a person who notices what's slipping before the doctor does.

What you'll own

Daily operations report. Each morning, you'll review our tracking systems (authorization queues, pathology follow-up, compliance calendar) and send the physician a short daily report: what's on track, what's aging, who owns what. This report is the heartbeat of the role.
Compliance calendar. You'll own our deadline calendar (trainings, renewals, audits, regulatory items) — not just watching the reminders, but converting each one into an assigned, tracked task and following it to completion.
Refund adjudication. You'll review credit balances at the ledger level — charges, contractual adjustments, insurance and patient payments — and determine whether each credit is a true overpayment, a posting error, or a payer takeback in waiting. You'll prepare documented refund requests (correct payee, amount, and evidence) for physician approval. (You will not disburse funds — approval and payment stay with the practice.)
Medication prior authorizations. You'll own our low-volume medication PA queue end to end: submission, follow-up, and tracking to approval or appeal, with status visible in your daily report.
Insurance quality audit. You'll spot-check the team's insurance verifications, authorizations, and referrals against our written protocols and payer rules, and flag anything done wrong or not done at all.
Backup coverage. You'll cross-train on our pathology results and authorization workflows so critical queues never depend on a single person.

What we require

3+ years supporting US medical practices in a role involving insurance: verification, prior authorizations, referrals, eligibility, denials, or billing. You should be comfortable explaining the difference between an HMO, a PPO, and a Medicare Advantage plan — and what each means for getting a surgery authorized.
Payment-posting literacy. You can read an EOB/ERA and a patient ledger — charges, contractual adjustments, payments — and explain why an account shows a credit balance. If you have worked payment posting, credit balance resolution, or refunds for a US practice, say so specifically.
Self-directed follow-through. Most of this work is silent. No patient will complain if you skip it — which is exactly why it matters. We need someone who treats an unwatched queue the same as a watched one.
Excellent written English. Your daily report goes directly to the physician.
Reliable infrastructure: backup power source and backup internet connection are required, and you'll be asked to describe your setup.
Availability during US Pacific business hours (at minimum, a substantial overlap including mornings).
Dermatology experience is a plus, not a requirement. Experience with ModMed/EMA, prior authorization portals, or medical fax platforms is a plus.

What we offer

A stable, long-term seat with a physician-owner who invests in systems and in people. Our virtual tea ---------- mbers are treated as core staff, not contractors passing through.
Clearly documented workflows — you will never be guessing what "done right" looks like.
A defined growth path: as you demonstrate judgment, your decision-making authority expands on a written schedule, and this role is positioned to grow into revenue-cycle work if the practice brings billing in-house.
Paid trial week so both sides can evaluate the fit with real work.

How to apply

Send the following. Applications missing any item will not be reviewed.

Your resume, with US healthcare clients/employers and dates.
A short answer (5–10 sentences) to this scenario: A patient calls to book a surgical consultation and provides an insurance plan you've never seen before. Walk us through, step by step, everything you would do to assess this plan before the visit — and tell us what you would report back to the practice when you finished.
A short answer (3–6 sentences) to this scenario: A patient's account shows a $180 credit balance. List what you would check, in order, before d ---------- whether it should be refunded — and how you would know whether the refund belongs to the patient or the insurance company.
One paragraph describing a time you caught a problem your employer didn't know existed.
Your internet and power backup setup.
Use the subject line: Coordinator — [your first name] — Sentinel

We respond to every complete application within one week.