Assistant Manager Patient Access Front Office - 40hrs

Connecticut Children's•Hartford, CT

About The Position

The Patient Access Assistant Manager supervises staff and coordinates the daily operations of Patient Access Front Office Administration in support of outpatient hospital services. The role oversees staffing, scheduling, patient pre-registration and registration, check-in, point-of-service collections, referral and order management, and patient throughput. The Assistant Manager interprets departmental policies to resolve routine and complex inquiries and patient account issues, leads staff meetings, serves as a resource for training and problem resolution, and supports team development and performance improvement. The position directly supervises Front Office Patient Access Associates and coordinates staffing across multiple departments, including training and deploying Float Pool staff. It ensures accurate registration and financial clearance, effective customer service, adherence to organizational and regulatory requirements, and achievement of productivity, quality, and financial goals. The Assistant Manager works with Patient Access leadership, clinical departments, Patient Accounts, IT, Financial Clearance, and the One-Call Referral Center to improve processes, patient and family experience, information systems, scheduling utilization, and denial reduction. The role also participates in hiring, orientation, coaching, performance management, policy development, audits, and change management. It monitors operational metrics and point-of-service collections, investigates insurance and referral issues, maintains standard work, and ensures outstanding registration issues are resolved in a timely manner. Connecticut Children’s describes itself as a pediatric health system dedicated to children, offering care across more than 30 pediatric specialties. It emphasizes specialized medicine, research, education and training, community partnerships, and diversity, equity and inclusion. The organization offers eligible team members a compensation and benefits package that includes insurance coverage, paid time off and leave programs, education and training assistance, retirement savings with a hospital match, and an employment assistance program. Benefit eligibility may depend on scheduled hours worked.

Requirements

Four to six years of work experience in patient registration or physician practice experience.
Knowledge of organizational and departmental structures, systems, workflow, and policies and procedures related to patient admissions, registration, insurance, and financial clearance.
Knowledge of healthcare fiscal management concepts, theories, and principles.
Knowledge of state and federal regulations and JCAHO regulations affecting healthcare access services, as well as patient rights.
Basic knowledge of human resources policies and procedures.
Knowledge of scheduling utilization, tracking, and fill-rate effectiveness.
Working knowledge of the Microsoft Windows operating system.
Intermediate skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
Understanding of electronic health records.
Ability to evaluate operations and procedures and formulate, develop, and implement policies, strategies, and procedures.
Exceptional interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively with medical center leadership.
Advanced verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to present to small and large groups.
Employee development and performance management skills.
Ability to use independent judgment and appropriately manage and communicate information to a range of constituents.
Ability to foster a cooperative work environment, organize resources, establish priorities, and develop and implement short- and long-range goals.
Ability to manage employees through appropriate staffing, employee development, and performance management.
Ability to persuade and influence others and advance departmental change initiatives.

Nice To Haves

Supervisory experience in a healthcare environment is strongly preferred.
Post-high-school education is preferred; relatable or comparable certification will be strongly considered.
Certified HealthCare Access Manager (CHAM) certification through the National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM) is preferred, or the certification should be scheduled to be obtained within two years of hire.

Responsibilities

Supervise Front Office Patient Access Associates and coordinate daily operations for outpatient hospital services.
Determine daily staffing assignments, implement staffing plans, coordinate coverage across departments, and ensure Float Pool staff are trained for cross-coverage.
Coordinate scheduling, pre-registration, registration, check-in, referral and order management, and point-of-service collections.
Ensure accurate patient and guarantor demographic and financial information, insurance verification, referrals, pre-authorizations, and copayment collection.
Ensure staff follow medical center policies and procedures, applicable state and federal regulations, and human resources policies.
Set team priorities, coordinate work with other leaders, and provide staff guidance, coaching, training, and development opportunities.
Participate in staff selection, interviewing, hiring, orientation, performance management, and highly involved termination decisions.
Facilitate staff meetings, teamwork, cooperation, team building, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
Audit registration documentation and patient or guarantor interactions, identify trends, resolve outstanding issues, and conduct follow-up training.
Perform data quality reviews and implement or update training to improve registration performance.
Monitor daily operational metrics, productivity, scheduling utilization, patient throughput, fill rates, and point-of-service collection results.
Investigate insurance coverage and referral issues and manage processes to maximize payment from commercial and managed care plans.
Collaborate with the Financial Clearance Manager to align scheduling and check-in with referral, order, and authorization management.
Collaborate with operational, clinical, Patient Accounts, IT, and referral center leaders to improve registration processes, information systems, and patient and family experience.
Develop, implement, maintain, and enforce policies, procedures, and Front Office standard work.
Review occurrence reporting events related to registration and check-in staff and implement action plans.
Report staffing abnormalities and productivity or performance concerns to the Patient Access Manager, with proposed solutions as appropriate.
Support the organization’s mission, values, goals, standards, and leadership behaviors.