Patient Access Specialist (Full-Time Swing Shift, 2P-2A)

About the Role

The purpose of this position is to serve as a liaison between patients/families, payers, Patient Financial Services, and other health‑care team members. The role facilitates patient tracking and billing by obtaining and verifying accurate demographic information, financially securing accounts, and collecting out‑of‑pocket responsibility from guarantors to maximize hospital reimbursement.

Responsibilities

• Maintain compliance with EMTALA, DNV, HIPAA, and all other hospital and government regulations applicable to admissions and medical records handling.
• Provide excellent customer service at all times by effectively meeting customer needs, understanding who the customers are, and building quality relationships.
• Protect patient safety by ensuring each patient is properly identified and triaged upon arrival.
• Answer telephone calls in a professional and courteous manner, record messages, and communicate to appropriate medical staff.
• Provide and obtain signatures on required forms and consents.
• Obtain, verify, and enter complete and accurate demographic information on all accounts to facilitate smooth processing through the revenue cycle.
• Verify insurance benefits for all plans associated with the patient, confirming the correct payer and plan are entered into the patient accounting system.
• Obtain insurance authorizations as required by individual insurance plans where applicable.
• Maximize the efficiency and accuracy of the collection process by pursuing collections at the time of service in a customer‑service‑oriented fashion.
• Scan all registration and clinical documentation into the system and maintain all medical records.
• Assist with coordinating the transfer of patients to other hospitals when necessary.
• Respond to medical record requests from patients, physicians, and hospitals.
• Maintain cash drawer according to policies.
• Maintain logs of all patients, payments received, transfers, and hospital admissions.
• Maintain visitor/vendor log.
• Maintain a clean working environment for the facility, including front desk, restroom, waiting room, break area, and patient rooms when assistance is needed by medical staff.
• Receive deliveries, including mail from various carriers, and forward to appropriate departments as needed.
• Notify appropriate contacts of any malfunctioning equipment or maintenance needs.
• Attend staff meetings or other company‑sponsored or mandated meetings as required.
• Assist medical staff as needed.
• Perform additional duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or GED (required).
• 2 years of patient registration and insurance verification experience in a health‑care setting (preferred).
• Emergency Department registration experience (strongly preferred).
• Knowledge of various insurance plans (HMO, PPO, POS, Medicare, Medicaid) and payors (required).
• Basic understanding of medical terminology.
• Excellent customer service skills.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook) (strongly preferred).
• Fluency in English (written and oral communication).
• Fluency in both English and Spanish (required for the El Paso market).