Job Purpose
The Manager on Duty – Front Office is responsible for ensuring the smooth, efficient, and patient-focused functioning of the hospital's front office and reception services during the assigned shift. The position serves as the overall front-office authority on duty, coordinating patient registration, appointments, admissions, billing coordination, patient enquiries, complaints, and interdepartmental communication.
The Manager on Duty ensures that patients and attendants receive timely, courteous, and professional service while maintaining hospital policies, service standards, confidentiality, and operational procedures.
Key Responsibilities
1. Front Office Operations
- Supervise and manage all front office activities during the assigned shift.
- Ensure reception, registration, appointment, enquiry, and patient service desks function efficiently.
- Monitor patient flow and minimize waiting time.
- Ensure adequate staffing and proper allocation of duties during the shift.
- Conduct shift handovers and ensure pending issues are properly communicated.
- Ensure front office areas are clean, organized, professional, and patient-friendly.
2. Patient Registration & Admissions
- Oversee accurate and timely patient registration and demographic data entry.
- Coordinate with admission, billing, nursing, insurance/TPA, and clinical departments.
- Ensure smooth admission, transfer, discharge, and related front-office processes.
- Assist patients and attendants with hospital procedures and documentation.
- Ensure that patient information is handled confidentially and appropriately.
3. Patient Experience & Customer Service
- Maintain high standards of patient and attendant service.
- Personally attend to VIP patients, sensitive cases, escalated complaints, and difficult situations when required.
- Address patient grievances promptly and professionally.
- Ensure appropriate escalation of unresolved complaints to senior management.
- Collect and monitor patient feedback and identify opportunities for service improvement.
- Promote a culture of empathy, courtesy, respect, and patient-centered care.
4. Coordination & Communication
- Coordinate with doctors, nursing, billing, diagnostics, pharmacy, security, housekeeping, insurance/TPA, and other departments.
- Act as the key point of contact for front-office operational issues during the shift.
- Facilitate timely communication between patients, attendants, and relevant hospital departments.
- Handle urgent operational issues and escalate clinical or administrative matters to the appropriate authority.
5. Billing & Financial Coordination
- Coordinate with the billing department regarding registration, deposits, estimates, discharge billing, refunds, and related patient queries.
- Ensure front-office staff follow approved financial and billing procedures.
- Monitor cash-handling and documentation processes where applicable.
- Ensure discrepancies are reported and resolved through the appropriate authority.
6. Staff Supervision
- Supervise Front Office Executives, Receptionists, Patient Relations Executives, and other assigned staff.
- Monitor attendance, punctuality, grooming, behavior, and work performance.
- Conduct shift briefings and communicate daily priorities.
- Provide on-the-job guidance and coaching to team members.
- Identify training needs and recommend appropriate development programs.
- Address staff performance or behavioral issues as per hospital policy.
7. Complaint & Escalation Management
- Receive and resolve patient complaints within the scope of authority.
- Handle escalated service issues calmly and professionally.
- Document significant complaints, incidents, and corrective actions.
- Escalate serious complaints, medico-legal matters, security concerns, or clinical issues immediately to the designated authority.
- Ensure follow-up on unresolved complaints until closure.
8. Emergency & Incident Coordination
- Support front-office operations during medical emergencies, mass casualty situations, disasters, or other critical events.
- Coordinate with emergency, security, nursing, administration, and other relevant departments.
- Ensure appropriate crowd and attendant management in coordination with security.
- Follow hospital emergency preparedness and disaster-management protocols.
- Report and document incidents according to hospital policy.
9. Quality, Compliance & Documentation
- Ensure compliance with hospital policies, procedures, accreditation standards, and applicable regulations.
- Maintain accurate records, registers, reports, and shift documentation.
- Monitor front-office SOP compliance.
- Participate in internal audits and quality-improvement initiatives.
- Maintain patient confidentiality and data privacy at all times.
- Report operational risks, deviations, and incidents to management.
10. Daily Reporting & Handover
- Prepare or review shift reports covering patient service issues, complaints, incidents, staffing, and pending matters.
- Ensure proper handover to the next shift.
- Highlight critical or unresolved issues to the Front Office Manager/Operations Manager.
- Monitor and follow up on action points until completion.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- Patient satisfaction and service experience scores
- Patient registration and appointment turnaround time
- Reduction in patient waiting time
- Complaint resolution and closure time
- Front-office process compliance
- Accuracy of patient registration and documentation
- Staff attendance and productivity
- Adherence to hospital SOPs and quality standards
- Number and severity of service escalations
- Shift handover accuracy and completeness
Authority & Decision-Making
The Manager on Duty is authorized to:
- Allocate front-office staff and responsibilities during the shift.
- Resolve routine patient-service issues within approved guidelines.
- Coordinate with other departments to address operational issues.
- Escalate critical, clinical, financial, security, or medico-legal matters to the appropriate authority.
- Take immediate operational decisions necessary to maintain safe and efficient front-office functioning, within hospital policy.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Hospital Management, Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field.
- A postgraduate qualification in Hospital/Healthcare Management is desirable.
- Relevant experience in hospital front office, patient relations, guest relations, or healthcare operations.
Experience
- Preferably 3–5 years of experience in hospital front office/patient services, including supervisory or managerial experience.
- Experience in a multispecialty hospital environment is preferred.
Skills & Competencies
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Strong patient-service orientation
- Leadership and team-management skills
- Problem-solving and decision-making ability
- Conflict and complaint-management skills
- Ability to work under pressure
- Good knowledge of hospital processes and workflows
- Computer and hospital information system (HIS) proficiency
- Good documentation and reporting skills
- Professional appearance and behavior
- Ability to coordinate effectively with multiple departments
- Strong sense of confidentiality and accountability
Working Conditions
- Shift-based role, including rotational shifts, weekends, and public holidays as required.
- May be required to respond to operational emergencies outside normal working hours.
- Requires frequent interaction with patients, attendants, doctors, nurses, staff, and external agencies.
- The role requires the ability to remain calm and professional in high-pressure situations.
Pay: ₹25,000.00 - ₹35,000.00 per month
Benefits:
- Paid sick time
- Provident Fund
Work Location: In person
