Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Upper GI Coordinator

🎯 Role Definition

The Upper GI Coordinator is a clinical operations specialist who manages the end-to-end administrative and clinical logistics for upper gastrointestinal procedural services (EGD, ERCP, EUS). This role coordinates scheduling, pre-procedure assessment and education, insurance verification and authorizations, intra-department communication, post-procedure follow-up, and quality metrics tracking. The Coordinator partners with gastroenterologists, nursing staff, anesthesia, referral sources and payors to ensure safe, timely, compliant, and patient-centered delivery of upper GI care while optimizing resource utilization and throughput.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Endoscopy Technician / GI Tech
Medical Assistant with ambulatory procedure experience
Patient Access / Scheduling Specialist

Advancement To:

Endoscopy Program Lead / Senior GI Coordinator
Clinical Operations Supervisor / Manager (Endoscopy)
GI Program Manager or Director of Endoscopy Services

Lateral Moves:

Ambulatory Surgery Center Coordinator
Pre-Op/Perioperative Coordinator
Patient Navigation or Case Management roles

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Manage end-to-end scheduling and coordination for upper GI procedures (EGD, ERCP, EUS), balancing surgeon/endoscopist preferences, equipment availability, anesthesia needs, and patient readiness to maximize throughput and minimize cancellations.
Triage incoming referrals and consults for upper GI evaluation, apply clinical screening protocols, and assign priority / urgency to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures in accordance with provider criteria and institutional guidelines.
Perform comprehensive pre-procedure patient assessments by telephone or in person, confirming medical history, current medications (including anticoagulants), allergies, fasting instructions, and need for special accommodations.
Provide evidence-based pre-procedure patient education, including bowel prep and fasting instructions, sedation options, consent process overview, post-procedure expectations, and clear discharge instructions tailored to literacy and language needs.
Obtain and document informed consent-related verifications in the electronic health record (EHR) and escalate clinical questions to the ordering gastroenterologist or nursing staff when indicated.
Complete insurance verification, benefits inquiry, and prior authorization submission for endoscopic procedures, working directly with payors and physician office staff to secure approvals and resolve denials in a timely manner.
Maintain accurate and compliant clinical documentation within the EHR (Epic, Cerner, or local systems), ensuring procedure indications, consent status, pre-op clearances, and authorization details are recorded and audit-ready.
Coordinate pre-operative medical clearances and communications with primary care, cardiology, or other specialty services for complex comorbid patients to mitigate peri-procedural risks and reduce same-day cancellations.
Serve as the central liaison between GI physicians, nursing, anesthesia, pathology, and sterile processing to confirm equipment (e.g., duodenoscopes), supplies, specimen handling, and pathology requisitions are prepared for each case.
Monitor daily case lists and block schedules, proactively identifying and filling open slots, reassigning resources for urgent cases, and communicating real-time changes to patients and staff to preserve schedule integrity.
Oversee patient flow on procedure days, verifying arrival times, check-in processes, and readiness for sedation or anesthesia; escalate barriers to care and coordinate same-day decision-making with clinical leadership.
Track and report key performance indicators (KPIs) for the upper GI program such as cancellation rates, procedure volumes, wait times, first-case on-time starts, no-show rates, and throughput, and partner with leadership on continuous improvement plans.
Facilitate multidisciplinary huddles and case review meetings to discuss complex cases (ERCP/EUS), procedure planning, equipment needs, and coordinated care plans with referring providers and specialty teams.
Maintain inventory oversight for procedure-specific supplies and endoscope accessories, initiating reordering and working with central supply/sterile processing to ensure appropriate stock levels and device maintenance.
Perform basic coding and charge capture oversight by ensuring procedure CPT and diagnosis ICD-10 coding are correctly documented, escalating discrepancies to clinical documentation specialists or billing staff to prevent revenue leakage.
Support quality assurance efforts by logging adverse events, equipment issues, and infection-control incidents related to endoscopic procedures; assist with root-cause analysis and corrective action follow-up.
Coordinate post-procedure follow-up outreach, including pathology result notifications, scheduling follow-up visits or repeat procedures, addressing patient symptoms or complications, and documenting follow-up calls in the EHR.
Educate and orient new staff to upper GI scheduling workflows, EHR templates, consent processes, and escalation protocols; develop and maintain procedure-specific checklists and patient education materials.
Facilitate outpatient-to-inpatient transitions for urgent upper GI cases, arranging bed assignments, communication with inpatient teams, and transfer of clinical information to ensure continuity of care.
Ensure compliance with institutional policies and federal/state regulations including HIPAA, infection prevention, and sedation safety standards; participate in compliance audits and credentialing activities as required.
Build and maintain strong relationships with referral sources (primary care, outpatient clinics, EM departments) to streamline referral pathways, reduce unnecessary delays and optimize patient conversion to scheduled procedures.
Lead initiatives to standardize pre-procedure workflows, patient education, and documentation templates to reduce variability across providers and improve patient experience and operational efficiency.
Participate in EMR optimization projects by collecting user feedback, testing scheduling templates and order sets, and recommending enhancements to better support upper GI program operations.
Support telehealth and remote patient engagement activities for pre-procedure counseling, triage, and post-procedure symptom assessment to enhance access and reduce in-person visits when clinically appropriate.

Secondary Functions

Provide intermittent coverage for GI clinic front desk, phone triage, and referral intake when staffing shortages occur to maintain continuity of access.
Assist with data extraction and reporting for departmental quality projects, including collation of case logs, pathology turnaround times, and performance metric dashboards.
Collaborate with the endoscopy education team to maintain up-to-date patient handouts, online resources, and consent forms that reflect latest clinical guidelines and institutional policies.
Serve as a subject-matter resource for patients and staff regarding upper GI procedures, sedation options, and pathway logistics, escalating complex clinical issues to nursing leadership or physicians.
Participate in departmental meetings, committees, and quality improvement initiatives focused on patient safety, infection control, and service line expansion.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Proficient with electronic health records (EHR) — Epic and Cerner experience strongly preferred — including scheduling modules, order sets, documentation templates, and reporting tools.
Demonstrated knowledge of gastroenterology procedures (EGD, ERCP, EUS) and familiarity with associated CPT procedure codes and ICD-10 diagnosis coding used in scheduling and billing.
Prior authorization and benefits verification expertise, including payor portals and appeals processes to secure coverage for diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy.
Strong clinical triage skills and ability to interpret medical histories, medication lists (anticoagulants/antiplatelets), and pre-op risk factors to determine procedural readiness.
Competence in patient education delivery — both verbal and written — and ability to tailor instructions to patient literacy, language, and cultural needs; experience with interpreter services is a plus.
Experience with scheduling and practice management systems (e.g., NextGen, Athenahealth, eClinicalWorks) and call center or patient access technology.
Familiarity with sterile processing, endoscope reprocessing standards, and inventory management of endoscopic supplies and accessories.
Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite (Excel for KPI tracking, Word for documentation, Outlook for communication) and basic data manipulation for reporting.
Basic knowledge of sedation and anesthesia coordination, monitoring requirements, and peri-procedural safety checklists to support safe patient pathways.
Quality improvement and KPI monitoring experience, including the ability to compile, analyze, and present data on throughput, cancellations, and patient outcomes.
Understanding of HIPAA, patient confidentiality requirements, and healthcare regulatory compliance in ambulatory procedural settings.

Soft Skills

Exceptional verbal and written communication skills for patient counseling, cross-disciplinary coordination, and clear clinical documentation.
Strong organizational skills with ability to manage multiple competing priorities and rapidly changing schedules in a high-volume procedural environment.
Attention to detail and accuracy in documentation, charge capture, and authorization tracking to minimize clinical, legal, and revenue risk.
Problem-solving mindset with ability to anticipate barriers, negotiate solutions with providers and payors, and escalate appropriately.
Customer-service orientation and empathy for patients undergoing potentially anxiety-provoking procedures; ability to de-escalate concerns and build trust.
Collaborative team player comfortable interacting with physicians, nurses, anesthesia, pathology, and administrative teams.
Time management and prioritization to balance urgent add-ons, cancellations, and routine scheduling while preserving quality of care.
Adaptability to process change, EHR updates, and department growth; willingness to lead small process-improvement pilots.
Confidentiality, professionalism, and sound judgment when handling sensitive clinical information and clinical decision-making support.
Cultural competency and inclusivity when serving diverse patient populations and coordinating interpreter services when needed.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

High school diploma or GED; healthcare-related certificate (e.g., Certified Medical Assistant) or Associate degree preferred.

Preferred Education:

Associate degree or Bachelor's degree in Health Administration, Nursing (BSN), Allied Health, or related field preferred.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Nursing, Health Administration, Allied Health Sciences, Medical Assisting, Public Health

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

2–5 years of front-line experience in endoscopy, gastroenterology clinic, ambulatory surgery center, or procedural scheduling environment.

Preferred:

3+ years specifically coordinating endoscopy or GI procedural workflows, experience with Epic/Cerner scheduling and prior authorization processes, and demonstrated history improving throughput or reducing cancellations.

Certifications (preferred but not always required): BLS/CPR, Certified Medical Assistant (CMA), Certification in Ambulatory Surgery or Endoscopy coordination training.