Patient Access Specialist Full Time - Night Shift

Placement within the salary range is dependent on relevant work experience, internal equity, and collective bargaining agreements for represented positions.

Pay

$18.40 - $27.59 hourly

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 part-time)
• Matching 401(k)
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Life insurance
• Annual salary increase and incentive bonus
• Paid time off and holiday pay

Schedule

10:00 PM - 6:30 AM

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 the Team Lead or Operations Coordinator as necessary.
• Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations.
• Provides exceptional customer service to establish a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine.
• Exceeds consumer requests and alerts management of issues requiring escalation.
• Correctly identifies and collects patient demographic information in accordance with organization standards.
• Interacts with hospital departments and physicians' offices to schedule and direct patients through NMHC systems in a patient-friendly manner.
• Reaches out to patients to schedule appointments as defined.
• Performs medical necessity checks for scheduled services and communicates options if appointments fail.
• Informs patients of issues securing financial accounts for their encounters.
• Completes out-of-pocket estimations as requested by patients.
• Manages work schedule efficiently, completing tasks and assignments on time.
• Cross-trains between departments to ensure coverage.
• Participates in Quality Assurance reviews to ensure integrity of patient data.
• Uses effective service recovery skills to solve problems or service breakdowns.
• Adheres to department and hospital policies and compliance requirements.
• Communicates patient 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.
• Attends intra/interdepartmental meetings as needed.
• Demonstrates teamwork by assisting co-workers within and across departments.
• Communicates effectively, respects diverse opinions, and acknowledges contributions of others.
• Interacts with internal customers to provide excellent support service to staff in direct patient care departments.
• Accommodates all levels of communication ability.
• Utilizes multiple online order retrieval systems to verify or print patient orders.
• Verifies insurance eligibility and benefit levels using online tools or phone.
• Completes accurate handoff instructions and notes in Epic.
• Demonstrates ability to use all computer applications efficiently.
• Runs real-time eligibility (RTE) on all patients and follows out-of-network policies.
• Sends quality Epic messages/telephone encounters that are descriptive and grammatically correct.
• Proactively prevents issues with patient visits by double-checking test details, preps, conflicts, time, and location.
• Verifies and documents order retrieval in notes for check-in personnel, ensuring no duplicate patient records.
• Understands the minimum data set required for complete registration and updates information in the system.
• Proactively analyzes account activity, identifies problems, and initiates appropriate actions.
• Evaluates procedures and suggests improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.
• Participates in departmental quality improvement activities.
• Monitors registration and scheduling, including insurance verification, to ensure processing within quality standards.
• Adjusts processes as needed to meet standards.
• Uses organizational and departmental resources efficiently.
• Acts as a training resource for new staff and a resource for coworkers.
• Adapts to schedule changes reflecting shifting business needs.
• Evolves and learns as healthcare policies change.
• Completes other duties as assigned by the manager.

Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• 2-3 years of 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 Qualifications

• 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.