Patient Access Spec

Albany Medical Center•Albany, NY

7d•$46,947 - $65,726

About The Position

The Access Service Specialist registers patients and secures authorization for recurring services, including assessing benefits and securing payment authorization for inpatient services. The role captures demographic and insurance information by telephone or in person, uses eligibility applications to verify insurance, interprets payer responses, and explains patients’ out-of-pocket financial responsibility and service estimates. The specialist discusses and collects patient payments and ensures patient financial clearance and completion of required regulatory forms before discharge. The position also supports onboarding and precepting new team members after Academy Training. This includes providing role-specific on-the-job training in accordance with the Training Manual and offering constructive feedback to support successful onboarding. The specialist may provide coverage across multiple Access units and flex their schedule as needed. The role requires handling sensitive patient information, including HIPAA-protected health information, according to applicable laws and Albany Med policies, with access and disclosure limited to the minimum necessary for assigned duties.

Requirements

High school diploma or G.E.D.
3–5 years of experience in hospital, clinic, or insurance company registration and authorization.
High proficiency with inpatient and observation guidelines related to notification of admission and authorization for recurring services.
High proficiency in understanding regulatory forms requiring signatures.
Demonstrated customer service skills and ability to exceed expectations.
Ability to multitask in a stressful, high-patient-volume unit.
Ability to train adult learners and provide effective, constructive feedback.
Ability to learn in a classroom setting and use available resources.
Ability to remain composed under pressure.
Ability to review information and draw appropriate conclusions.
Good judgment and resourcefulness in problem solving, with ability to escalate issues as needed.
Team-minded work ethic.
Equivalent combinations of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Associate's degree.
Ability to onboard new team members after Academy Training.
CHAA (Certified Healthcare Access Associate) certification.

Responsibilities

Accurately look up patients to ensure the correct patient is registered.
Provide coverage as needed across multiple Access units, including flexing the schedule.
Discern coordination of benefits for inpatient services.
Obtain authorizations for Apheresis and Infusion services, including service-level authorizations for required pharmaceuticals.
Precept new team members after successful completion of Academy Training, following the Training Manual and providing constructive feedback.
Ensure inpatients and outpatients occupying a bed are financially cleared and provided with, or sign, required regulatory forms before discharge.
Capture and verify demographic and insurance information for accurate registration.
Interpret insurance payer eligibility and financial responsibility information.
Discuss patients’ financial obligations and collect payment by cash, credit card, or check.
Explain regulatory forms, answer patient questions, and obtain signatures as appropriate.
Scan forms or manage online form templates to maintain the Electronic Health Record.
Apply relevant Federal, State, and third-party payer regulations to hospital registration.
Protect sensitive information by limiting access, use, and disclosure to the minimum necessary and taking reasonable measures against unauthorized access or modification.