Associate Specialist, Patient Access

Ensemble Health Partners • Pocatello, ID

8d • $19 - $20 • Onsite

About The Position

The Associate Specialist, Patient Access performs admitting and patient access duties for patients receiving services at Ensemble Health Partners. The role supports accurate registration, insurance verification, medical necessity and compliance checks, patient instructions, physician order processing, point-of-service collections, and excellent patient and customer service. Staff work within organizational policies and processes and applicable regulatory requirements.

Senior-level duties described for this position include serving as the department SMART, developing training materials and programs, providing continuing education, creating staff schedules, conducting account audits, reporting results to Patient Access Leadership, and providing on-call and after-hours support. On-call support may include working unscheduled hours to address staffing needs.

This is an onsite role at Ardent - Portneuf Medical Center in Pocatello, Idaho. The stated pay range is $18.65–$19.90 per hour, based on experience. The opportunity includes bonus incentives, paid certifications, tuition reimbursement, comprehensive benefits, and career advancement.

Requirements

• 1 to 3 years of job experience.
• Associate degree or equivalent experience.
• Must be inquisitive and open to innovation, including AI, to explore better processes and reduce friction while improving patient and client experiences.

Nice To Haves

• Understanding of revenue cycle processes, including admission, billing, payments, and denials.
• Comprehensive knowledge of patient insurance processes for obtaining authorizations and verifying benefits.
• Knowledge of health insurance requirements.
• Knowledge of medical terminology, CPT codes, or procedure codes.

Responsibilities

• Perform admitting duties for patients receiving services, including assigning accurate medical record numbers (MRNs), completing medical necessity and compliance checks, providing patient instructions, collecting insurance information, and receiving and processing physician orders using an overlay tool.
• Provide compassionate customer service and operate the telephone switchboard to relay incoming, outgoing, and inter-office calls as applicable.
• Use quality auditing and reporting systems to identify and ensure correction of accounts, including accounts associated with other employees, departments, and facilities.
• Develop training materials and programs for new department hires and provide continuing education to associates across revenue cycle areas.
• Develop staff schedules for the patient access department.
• Provide on-call, after-hours support and guidance, and work unscheduled times when needed to cover staffing issues.
• Collect point-of-service payments in emergency, outpatient, and inpatient settings, including past-due balances, and offer payment plan options in accordance with organizational policies and assigned goals.
• Audit accounts, ensure forms are completed accurately and on time to meet audit standards, and provide statistical data to Patient Access Leadership.
• Explain general consent-for-treatment forms and obtain necessary signatures and witness names.
• Explain and distribute patient education documents, including Important Message from Medicare, observation forms, consent forms, and other forms designated for services.
• Review insurance eligibility responses, select applicable insurance plan codes, and enter benefit information to support point-of-service collections, billing, and clean claims.
• Pre-register patient accounts and make inbound or outbound calls as needed to obtain demographic, insurance, and other patient information.
• Screen medical necessity using Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) software, inform Medicare patients of possible nonpayment for tests, and distribute and document ABNs and other designated forms and pamphlets.
• Perform other job-related duties as required by a supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodation.

Benefits

• Bonus incentives
• Paid certifications
• Tuition reimbursement
• Comprehensive benefits, including healthcare, time off, retirement, and well-being programs
• Career advancement
• Professional development
• Quarterly and annual incentive programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: Associate degree