Associate Access Specialist

Vanderbilt University Medical Center • Nashville, TN

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in Nashville, Tennessee, is a global hub for teaching, discovery, and patient care, committed to fostering an environment where individuals can thrive and contribute to changing the world. VUMC's mission is to advance health and wellness through preeminent programs in patient care, education, and research. The Associate Access Specialist position, within the CHOC Ped Appt Line 3 Organization, involves providing service to patients and providers through inbound and outbound phone calls. This role includes scheduling appointments, capturing messages for clinic staff and providers, and addressing customer needs, often with guidance. The specialist will schedule patient appointments, escalate health concerns according to division guidelines, connect patients to clinical advice resources, and navigate complex situations while making effective decisions. The role is critical in supporting the health system's administrative functions, contributing to patient satisfaction, and ensuring high-quality contact experiences. VUMC is the largest private employer in Middle Tennessee, with over 28,000 employees across various clinical, research, and administrative roles, operating multiple hospitals and hundreds of outpatient clinics.

Requirements

• Customer Service (Fundamental Awareness): A continuing focus on the needs and requirements of customers, anticipating their needs, remaining sensitive to customers while performing services for them, responsive to customer needs.
• Patient Scheduling (Fundamental Awareness): The ability to coordinate and schedule patient appointments, surgeries and other office visits with various computer systems in the hospital or clinic.
• Call Center Telephone Etiquette (Fundamental Awareness): Able to handle patient or provider calls and contribute positively to the call center working environment. Demonstrates good manners, decorum and appropriate protocols. Avoids and neutralizes conflicts and handles difficult callers in a positive and professional way.
• Patient Satisfaction (Fundamental Awareness): Participates in patient satisfaction related process improvement activities as well as providing high quality contact experience for the patient with every call. This position also has direct effect on ease of scheduling appointment and ease of getting clinic on the phone.
• Relevant Work Experience: 1 year
• Education: High School Diploma or GED

Responsibilities

• Answer calls for multiple areas in efficient and effective manner using standard greetings for opening of call, content of call and closure of call.
• Ensure accuracy in answering questions and assisting customer with requests to meet their needs.
• Capture customer information and document using messaging system to clinic staff and/or providers.
• Schedule appointments in electronic systems using guidelines for area/department including prioritizing patients' health problems according to their urgency, educating/advising patients and making safe, effective decisions.
• Provide information to customer regarding appointment location, process steps, parking, etc.
• Participate in patient satisfaction related process improvement activities as well as providing high quality contact experience for the patient with every call.
• Take responsibility for completing assigned activities and think beyond standard approaches to provide high-quality work/service.
• Report unsafe conditions to the appropriate person or department.

Benefits

• Comprehensive benefits package which may include health, disability, retirement and/or wellness offerings
• Professional growth
• Appreciation of benefits
• Sense of community and purpose

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED