Patient Access Specialist

Placement within the salary range is dependent on relevant work experience and internal equity. For positions represented by a labor union, placement is guided by the rules outlined in the collective bargaining agreement.

Pay

$18.40 - $27.59 (Hourly Rate)

Benefits

• $10,000 Tuition Reimbursement per year ($5,700 part-time)
• $10,000 Student Loan Repayment ($5,000 part-time)
• $1,000 Professional Development per year ($500 part-time)
• $250 Wellbeing Fund per year ($125 for part-time)
• Matching 401(k)
• Excellent medical, dental and vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Annual Employee Salary Increase and Incentive Bonus
• Paid time off and Holiday pay
• Flexible work options
• Reimbursable Well-Being Fund
• Volunteer opportunities in local communities
• Workforce-led resource groups

About the Role

The Patient Access Specialist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NMHC, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and regulatory and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities

• Consistently practices Patients First philosophy and adheres to high standards of customer service, fostering a team atmosphere.
• Responds to questions and concerns, escalating extraordinary issues to Team Lead or Operations Coordinator as necessary.
• Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations.
• Provides exceptional customer service to patients, establishing a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine.
• Exceeds all consumer requests and alerts management of issues or concerns requiring escalation.
• Correctly identifies and collects patient demographic information in accordance with organization standards.
• Interacts with various hospital departments and physicians' offices to effectively schedule and direct patients through NMHC systems in a patient/customer-friendly manner.
• Reaches out to patients to schedule appointments as defined.
• Performs medical necessity checks for scheduled services and communicates options to patients if appointment fails.
• Informs patients of any issues with securing the financial account for their encounter.
• Completes out-of-pocket estimations as requested by patients.
• Provides training and education as needed.
• Manages work schedule efficiently, completing tasks and assignments on time.
• Completes other duties assigned by manager.
• Cross-trains between various departments to ensure coverage.
• Participates in Quality Assurance reviews to ensure integrity of patient data information.
• Uses effective service recovery skills to solve problems or service breakdowns when they occur.
• Utilizes department and hospital policies and procedures to complete assigned tasks and adheres to compliance requirements.
• Avoids putting patients in financial or safety risk.
• Communicates information to patients regarding questions about physician referrals, insurance referrals, and consultations.
• Collects authorization numbers in appropriate systems as applicable.
• Provides a professional and constructive environment for communication across units/departments and resolves operational issues.
• May attend intra/interdepartmental meetings which involve walking within NM Campus.
• Communicates customer satisfaction issues to appropriate individuals.
• Demonstrates teamwork by helping co-workers within and across departments.
• Communicates effectively with others, respects diverse opinions and styles, and acknowledges the assistance and contributions of others.
• Interacts with internal customers to provide excellent support service to staff in departments which provide direct patient care.
• Accommodates all levels of communication ability.
• Utilizes multiple online order retrieval systems to verify or print patient orders.
• Verifies insurance eligibility and benefit levels through online tools (NDAS, ASF, etc.) or over the phone as necessary.
• Completes accurate handoff instructions and notes to scheduling staff by documenting appropriately in Epic.
• Demonstrates ability to use all computer applications efficiently and to the capacity needed in this position.
• Runs real-time eligibility (RTE) on all patients to verify insurance and follows out-of-network policies as applicable.
• Sends quality Epic Messages/Telephone encounters that are descriptive and grammatically correct.
• Proactively prevents issues with patient visits by double-checking type of test, preps required, assuring no conflict with other tests, verifying time and location, and communicating relevant information.
• Verifies and documents order retrieval in notes for check-in personnel, ensuring no duplicate patient records.
• Understands the minimum data set required for a complete registration, collects and verifies critical data, and updates that information into the registration system.
• Understands departmental and individual quality metrics.
• Proactively analyzes account activity, identifies problems, and initiates appropriate actions/resolutions.
• Evaluates procedures and suggests improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.
• Participates in departmental quality improvement activities.
• Provides ideas and suggestions for process improvements within the department.
• Monitors registration and scheduling, including insurance verification, to ensure processing within prescribed quality standards.
• Adjusts processes as needed to meet standards.
• Uses organizational and unit/department resources efficiently.
• Acts as a training resource for new staff and a resource for coworkers, sharing process and workflow information.
• Understands that schedule may change to reflect shifting business needs.
• Evolves and learns as healthcare policies change.

Qualifications

Required:

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• 2-3 years customer service or medical office experience.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in computer data-entry/typing.
• Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English.
• Basic Computer Skills.
• Ability to type 40 wpm.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Customer service oriented.
• Excellent organizational, time management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred:

• Additional education.
• Additional language skills.
• Healthcare finance and/or healthcare insurance experience.
• Knowledge and experience in a healthcare setting, especially patient scheduling and/or registration.

Northwestern Medicine conducts a background check that includes criminal history on newly hired team members and, at times, internal transfers. If offered a position, you will be required to complete an authorization and disclosure form for the background check.