Sales Coordinator The responsibility of a sales coordinator is multifaceted as a sales coordinator is usually involved in the day to day functions of a business. For the purpose of this discussion I will be referring to a sales coordinator position in a multi million dollar durable medical equipment company that sells and rents orthopedic medical equipment to post operative patients. First, since the patients will be using these units in their homes, it is vital that training be provided to the patient. The sales coordinator will deliver the unit to a patient's home, ideally prior to surgery. We have found that a patient's ability to learn and retain information is much better prior to a surgery as opposed to after a surgery when they are often medicated and in a significant amount of pain. The sales coordinator obtains the patient demographic information and insurance information from the patient's surgeon's office. The sales coordinator plays a large part in selling this type of pre-op program to the surgeon's office. The surgeon's office plays a critical role in making this process a success. The patient is the contacted and an appointment is made to deliver the equipment to the patient's home. At the same time, a sales coordinator assistant does to work on verifying the patient's insurance benefits and getting authorization from the insurance company for the use of the machine if it is required. Once the sales coordinator is in the patient's home, they work with the patient and family to determine where the patient will be most comfortable while using the machine for rehabilitation. Since their physician's protocol will require the patient to be using the machine from 4-8 hours per day, it is the sales coordinator's job to make this clear and suggest a comfortable place that is preferably in a place where the patient can watch TV or movies, or be comfortable reading a book to pass the time. Some initial assembly is required and the surgeon's orders need to followed for the initial setting of the machine. The sales coordinator must set the machine at a certain number of degrees of flexion or extension (again, these numbers are determined by the surgeon) and then show the patient how to increase the parameters of the machine as they progress in their rehab. Once the patient has been trained on the use and care of the machine, the sales coordinator will test them a bit to make sure they are comfortable using the machine. The next step for the sales coordinator is to then explain the insurance benefits to the patient. We have found that this is a very effective way to ensure that the patient is involved in and responsible for all aspects of their care. We have found this increases our reimbursement rate as well as the collections rate from the patients themselves. The sales coordinator often is required to collect monies at the time of delivery to the patient due to a deductible that has not yet been met or a copay that their insurance company requires them to pay. Related Articles Sales Companies Sales and Marketing