Patient Services Associate

Responsibilities

• Strives to understand and anticipate patient needs, manages service recovery efforts when needed, enlists management assistance as appropriate, identifies opportunities to improve the patient experience.
• Answer phones in a timely manner, manage/handle patient requests and route appropriately, retrieve voicemails in a timely manner, take accurate and thorough messages and route appropriately through EMR.
• Schedule patient appointments (on phone or in person) by determining reason for visit, following established schedules and protocols, using appropriate billing area/appointment location, communicating changes and confirming appointments, and, as needed, offering alternative and canceling/rescheduling appointments.
• Responsible for arriving/departing activities of patient at practice and performs point of service activities: collects copays and records accurately, obtains necessary signatures/forms, obtains insurance cards and referrals/authorizations, updates appointment status in EMR, and finalizes all check-out procedures.
• 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 and as per protocol.
• Resolves work queues and/or issues from front-end reports; proactively prioritizes recovery of missing charges.
• Orders supplies for the office and generates front-end process reports as requested.

Financial

• Maintains up to date knowledge of insurance requirements pertinent to patient service and billing procedures: including basic knowledge of all managed care plans and which insurers require a copayment or referral.
• Validates patient demographic/insurance information and/or registers new patients into EMR using established protocols.
• Records receipts accurately to ensure end of day reconciliation; participates in cash reconciliation delineations.

Other / Regulatory

• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulatory standards (ex TJC, DOH, FDA, HIPAA, HCFA, DPW, LCGME, SCGME, etc).
• Flexible and readily adopts new processes and engages in practice operation changes.

Education or Equivalent Experience

• H.S. Diploma/GED (Required)
• 2+ years Medical office experience, or 4 years of customer service experience.
• Advanced degree (Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's) may be considered in lieu of experience.