Director of Access Services

Norman Regional Health System•Norman, OK

About The Position

The Director of Access Services will provide operational leadership for all centralized scheduling operations, including inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and ancillary registration functions. This role involves developing standardized workflows, ensuring timely patient access, and leading strategic planning and operational improvement initiatives. The director will manage departmental budgets and productivity targets, monitor staffing, and adjust resources based on patient volumes. Key responsibilities include ensuring accurate scheduling across various services, standardizing protocols, reducing errors, and improving patient access through process redesign and technology. The role also oversees registration operations, focusing on accurate patient identification, demographic accuracy, improved insurance verification, financial counseling, point-of-service collections, consent completion, and compliance with regulatory requirements. Financial stewardship involves improving clean claim performance, reducing registration-related denials, monitoring authorization completion, improving upfront collections, and supporting Revenue Cycle initiatives. Quality and performance improvement will be driven by establishing KPIs, utilizing Lean/Six Sigma methodologies, monitoring dashboards, and implementing corrective action plans. Leadership responsibilities include recruiting, hiring, developing, and retaining staff, conducting performance evaluations, developing succession plans, fostering employee engagement, promoting teamwork, and mentoring supervisors and managers. The director must ensure compliance with CMS Conditions of Participation, HIPAA, EMTALA, Medicare/Medicaid regulations, commercial payer requirements, hospital policies, and Joint Commission standards. This role requires close collaboration with various departments including Revenue Cycle, Case Management, Emergency Department, Surgery, Imaging, Laboratory, Rehabilitation Services, Information Technology, Physician Practices, Compliance, Finance, and Nursing Leadership. The Director is authorized to develop departmental policies, recommend staffing changes, approve scheduling workflows, manage departmental budgets, approve operational process improvements, recommend technology enhancements, and escalate operational issues to executive leadership.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, Health Information Management, Nursing, or related healthcare field.
7–10 years progressive healthcare leadership experience.
Minimum 5 years leadership within Patient Access, Registration, Scheduling, Revenue Cycle, or related operations.
Experience leading multi-site healthcare operations.
Patient Access operations
Hospital registration
Centralized scheduling
Insurance verification
Prior authorizations
Revenue Cycle fundamentals
Patient experience improvement
Budget management
Workforce planning
Process improvement methodologies
Data analytics
Change management
Regulatory compliance
Conflict resolution
Strategic planning

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree preferred.
Health system experience.
Meditech, Epic, Cerner, or similar EMR experience.
Experience leading centralized scheduling operations.

Responsibilities

Direct all centralized scheduling operations.
Direct inpatient, outpatient, emergency department, and ancillary registration functions.
Develop standardized workflows across all facilities.
Ensure timely patient access services that support clinical operations.
Lead departmental strategic planning and operational improvement initiatives.
Manage departmental budgets and productivity targets.
Monitor staffing models and adjust resources based upon patient volumes.
Ensure accurate scheduling of hospital, outpatient, imaging, laboratory, rehabilitation, surgery, and specialty services.
Standardize scheduling protocols throughout the health system.
Reduce scheduling errors and appointment delays.
Improve patient access through process redesign and technology.
Oversee referral management processes where applicable.
Ensure accurate patient identification.
Maintain demographic accuracy.
Improve insurance verification processes.
Oversee financial counseling and point-of-service collections.
Monitor consent completion.
Ensure compliance with regulatory registration requirements.
Improve first-pass registration accuracy.
Improve clean claim performance through registration accuracy.
Reduce registration-related denials.
Monitor authorization completion.
Improve upfront collections.
Support Revenue Cycle initiatives.
Participate in annual budget development.
Establish departmental KPIs.
Utilize Lean, Six Sigma, or similar improvement methodologies.
Monitor operational dashboards.
Implement corrective action plans.
Drive continuous improvement initiatives.
Recruit, hire, develop, and retain leaders and staff.
Conduct performance evaluations.
Develop succession plans.
Foster employee engagement.
Promote teamwork across departments.
Lead departmental meetings.
Mentor supervisors and managers.
Ensure compliance with: CMS Conditions of Participation, HIPAA, EMTALA registration requirements, Medicare and Medicaid regulations, Commercial payer requirements, Hospital policies, Joint Commission standards.
Works closely with: Revenue Cycle, Case Management, Emergency Department, Surgery, Imaging, Laboratory, Rehabilitation Services, Information Technology, Physician Practices, Compliance, Finance, Nursing Leadership.
Authorized to: Develop departmental policies, Recommend staffing changes, Approve scheduling workflows, Manage departmental budgets, Approve operational process improvements, Recommend technology enhancements, Escalate operational issues to executive leadership.