Patient Services Associate

Responsibilities

• Greets and interacts with patients in a pleasant and professional manner, on phone or in person.
• Listens carefully and communicates clearly with patients to ensure understanding of patient’s request. Analyzes problems from the customer’s point of view.
• Learns/anticipates the individual patient/customer needs and does the best possible job of satisfying those needs using the best solutions. Documents needs, as appropriate, in EPIC.
• Establishes positive relationships with patients by demonstrating knowledge of patient history, compassion and responding to individual needs.
• Handles stressful patient/customer situations appropriately and delivers seamless patient/customer service.
• Safeguards patient/family confidentiality, safety and security.
• Identifies opportunities to improve the patient experience, including areas identified in patient satisfaction surveys.
• Ensures communication and collaboration with clinical staff and fellow co-workers to serve patients to the best of his/her ability.
• Shows initiative, sets priorities, organizes tasks, and works independently and as part of a team while completing daily tasks.

Patient Service

• Takes accountability for ensuring patient/work areas are neat and clean.
• Orders supplies, as requested, for practice/department.
• As per practice/department protocols and/or measurements: answer phones/retrieve voicemails in a timely manner, manage/handle patient requests and route appropriately, take thorough messages and route appropriately through EPIC.
• Schedule patient appointments (on phone or in person) accurately and completely:
• Utilizes knowledge of schedules and protocols.
• Uses proper billing area/appointment location.
• Cancels/reschedules appointments as needed and changes appointment status in EPIC.
• Communicates changes to patient and confirms appointments.
• If scheduling patients via telephone, reminds patient what to bring to appointment (insurance card, test results, referrals, etc.).
• Encourages patients, as appropriate, to sign up for My Penn Medicine.
• Responsible for arriving/departing activities of patient at practice and performs point of service activities.
• Obtains insurance cards, copays, signatures/forms, referrals/authorizations as required and updates EPIC accordingly.
• Finalizes all check-out procedures as per practice protocol.
• Communicates with patients regarding patient flow and wait times – keeps manager aware of potential issues as they arise.
• Issues referrals and obtains pre-authorizations for patients as required.
• Successfully navigates and resolves EPIC work queues – escalates as needed.

Financial

• Maintains up to date knowledge of insurance requirements pertinent to patient service and billing procedures: including basic knowledge of all managed care plans UPHS participates with and which insurers require a copayment or referral.
• Achieves proficiency in automated systems; such as EPIC APM and EMR (including inbasket), hospital based EMRs (where necessary), Navinet, credit card machines, IPayment, etc.
• Validates patient demographic/insurance information and/or registers new patients into EPIC using established protocols.
• Validates financial responsibility prior to service utilization and completes an accurate financial interview at time of registration.
• Records receipts according to practice protocol so as to ensure appropriate end of day reconciliation.
• Generates/runs reports, as requested, related to front-end processes.
• Resolves work queues and/or issues from front-end reports which may include the patient pre & post visit, charge review, and others as requested.
• Proactively prioritizes recovery of missing charges.

Regulatory Compliance

• Complies with educational and training requirements at prescribed intervals (via Knowledge Link and/or other methods as required).
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulatory standards (ex TJC, DOH, FDA, HIPAA, HCFA, DPW, LCGME, SCGME, etc)

Change Management

• Flexible and readily adopts new processes and is engaged in practice operation changes.