Access Specialist I - ED

Albany Medical Center•Saratoga Springs, NY

8d•Onsite

About The Position

The Emergency Department Access Specialist I is a hybrid position combining the Access Representative and Health Unit Coordinator roles. This position requires the ability to work in a high-pressure environment and involves rotating assignments within the Emergency Department. Responsibilities include triaging walk-in patients, performing full patient registrations, providing ED Zone support, conducting bedside registrations, and assisting at the EMS Desk by monitoring radio communications. The role demands accurate patient identification, efficient data collection, and adherence to safety and regulatory protocols, especially during system downtimes and in compliance with EMTALA regulations.

Requirements

High School Diploma/G.E.D.
Ability to keep composure in a high-stress environment.
Ability to multi-task in a stressful and high patient volume unit.
Ability to manage the pressure of high intensity situations.
Good judgment and ability to be resourceful to problem solve and escalate issues as needed.
Ability to manage contained blood, urine and other bodily fluids.
Ability to handle a multi-line telephone system.
Paging required.
Must be able to stand for long periods of time.
Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Nice To Haves

Associate's Degree
1-3 years in customer service experience, or a hospital or clinic setting

Responsibilities

Triage of walk-in patients, including quick data collection, ADT system entry, patient wristband placement, and acquiring regulatory signatures.
Complete full patient registration, including General Consent and collection of financial responsibility, for patients seen by a provider.
Accurately identify patients in the ADT system, which can be challenging when patients lack identification.
Provide ED Zone Support, which includes answering a multi-line telephone system (10 lines), managing inquiries, transferring calls, discharging patients via the medical record, and verifying laboratory specimens for accurate labeling.
Perform Bedside Registration, collecting demographic and insurance information, and obtaining signatures for regulatory consent forms at the patient's bedside.
Assist at the EMS Desk by monitoring ambulance radio calls, providing a brief description of the patient's age, complaint, and vital signs.
Manage the EMS Desk role, which involves accurate patient identification (often without identification), addressing EMS information inaccuracies, and adhering to the UNKNOWN Patient policy.
Ensure accurate patient identification in high-stress situations as a patient safety measure.
Collect patient demographic and insurance information at the bedside, obtaining signatures for regulatory forms via Document Management/electronic signature.
Collect Medicare patients' regulatory mandate of MSPQ information.
Identify and verify insurance at the bedside, obtaining additional information for No Fault or Worker’s Compensation cases.
Ensure Access expectations of key clinical measures and timeframes are met (e.g., Chest pain – Door to EKG notification).
Review, assess, and assign the appropriate health insurance plan and collect copayments.
Interact effectively with external agency personnel, including EMS Agencies, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Correction Facilities.
Capture patient's pharmacy information to support expedited discharge.
Answer multi-line telephone calls in a calm, courteous, and respectful manner.
Capture brief information via Ambulance Radio, including patient description, age, chief complaint, and Vital Signs.
Manage the ED Patient Tracker and complete Access Specialist tasks.
Verify laboratory specimens and ensure timely submission to the laboratory.
Manage daily workflow during scheduled and unscheduled system downtimes, following downtime procedures.
Manage ED patient flow during system downtimes.
Ensure EMTALA Regulations are maintained.