Director, Patient Access
About The Position
Sentara Martha Jefferson Hospital in Charlottesville, Virginia, is hiring a Director, Patient Access. This position assumes responsibility and accountability for the operations and success of Registration Services, areas with high volume and significant strategic and financial impact on Sentara Health’s current and future success. The Director provides strategic leadership and oversight for authorization, insurance verification, pre-registration, estimates, and financial clearance. The role supports timely access to care, regulatory compliance, and optimal revenue cycle performance. It also leads processes for accurate insurance verification, prior authorization, identification of patient financial responsibility, and denial prevention across routine and complex services. The Director collaborates with clinical, operational, revenue cycle, and payer partners to streamline workflows, improve the patient financial experience, and meet payer requirements. The role analyzes operational and financial performance, develops forecasts and metrics, identifies risks, and implements solutions to improve efficiency, reduce denials, and maximize reimbursement. It oversees complex specialty authorization activities, including high-cost medications and infusion therapies, and serves as a liaison among patients, providers, payers, and internal stakeholders to advance collaboration, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making.
Requirements
- At least 3 years of relevant management experience.
- A Bachelor’s degree is preferred, or at least 5 years of relevant management experience in lieu of a degree.
Nice To Haves
- Previous budgeting experience.
- Previous program development experience.
Responsibilities
- Provide strategic leadership and oversight for authorization, insurance verification, pre-registration, estimates, and financial clearance.
- Develop and implement processes for accurate insurance verification, prior authorization acquisition, identification of financial responsibility, and denial prevention.
- Collaborate with clinical, operational, revenue cycle, and payer partners to streamline authorization workflows, improve the patient financial experience, and ensure compliance with payer requirements.
- Analyze operational and financial performance, develop forecasts and performance metrics, identify risks, and implement solutions to improve efficiency, reduce denials, and maximize reimbursement.
- Oversee complex specialty authorization activities, including high-cost medications, infusion therapies, and other services requiring advanced clinical review.
- Ensure teams maintain expertise in payer policies, insurance benefits, documentation standards, and regulatory requirements.
- Serve as a liaison among patients, providers, payers, and internal stakeholders.
- Foster collaboration, continuous improvement, and data-driven decision-making in support of organizational goals and patient access initiatives.
Benefits
- Medical, dental, and vision plans
- Adoption, fertility, and surrogacy reimbursement up to $10,000
- Paid time off and sick leave
- Paid parental and family caregiver leave
- Emergency backup care
- Long-term and short-term disability and critical illness plans
- Life insurance
- 401(k)/403(b) with employer match
- Tuition assistance of $5,250 per year and discounted educational opportunities through Guild Education
- Student debt pay down up to $10,000
- Pet insurance
- Legal resources plan
- Opportunity to earn an annual discretionary bonus, subject to established system and employee eligibility criteria
- Market-competitive compensation package with base pay, incentives, and benefits
- Paid holidays
- Paid military leave
- Educational assistance or student loan repayment
- Voluntary benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
