Executive Director, Patient Access
About The Position
The Executive Director of Patient Access provides strategic and operational leadership for patient registration across Beth Israel Lahey Health hospitals. This role oversees multiple Directors of Patient Access and is responsible for ensuring consistent operational excellence, standardization, and performance across all patient access functions. The Executive Director is responsible for developing and executing consistent, patient-centered registration and access strategies that support accurate patient identification, demographic and insurance information, timely access to care, regulatory compliance, revenue integrity, and an optimal patient and provider experience. The Executive Director works in close partnership with appointment scheduling teams, Financial Clearance, Financial Counseling, Revenue Cycle, Health Information Management, Managed Care, clinical and ambulatory operations, Information Technology/Epic, and other Patient Access functions to ensure patients move effectively through the access and revenue cycle continuum. The Executive Director is a key participant in system-level revenue cycle transformation initiatives, ensuring that patient access operations align with best practices, digital innovation, and system standardization.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree required.
- 10+ years of experience in Patient Access, Revenue Cycle, or Healthcare Operations.
- 5+ years of progressive leadership experience overseeing multi-site operations or multiple leaders.
- Demonstrated success implementing system-wide operational improvements and performance management programs.
- Experience leading revenue cycle transformation or large-scale operational initiatives.
Nice To Haves
- Master’s degree in Health Administration, Business Administration, or related field preferred.
- Strong experience with Epic or similar enterprise EHR systems.
- Advanced analytical skills with experience using performance dashboards and operational KPIs.
- Expertise in patient access workflows, eligibility verification, authorization management, and point-of-service collections.
Responsibilities
- Develop and implement a system-wide strategy for Patient Access operations aligned with organizational goals for revenue cycle performance, patient experience, and operational efficiency.
- Partner with executive leadership to standardize access workflows, policies, and technologies across multiple hospitals and ambulatory locations.
- Lead Patient Access participation in enterprise revenue cycle transformation initiatives, including automation and patient self-service, centralized access models, and Epic optimization.
- Identify opportunities to reduce revenue leakage, improve throughput, and enhance financial performance through front-end process improvement.
- Represent Patient Access at system-level leadership forums, revenue cycle governance committees, and operational planning initiatives.
- Establish, monitor, and continuously improve key performance indicators (KPIs) across Patient Access operations.
- Hold Directors accountable for performance across metrics including: Point-of-service collections, Insurance eligibility verification accuracy, Pre-registration and estimates completion, Registration accuracy and data integrity, Patient throughput and wait times, Denial prevention related to front-end errors, Staff productivity and quality metrics.
- Implement performance dashboards and reporting frameworks to monitor trends, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement.
- Lead regular operational performance reviews with Directors and senior stakeholders.
- Provide executive oversight for Patient Access registration operations.
- Ensure departments meet or exceed industry benchmarks for access operations and revenue cycle performance.
- Oversee operational alignment between Patient Access and: Patient Registration, Financial Counseling, Financial Clearance, Managed Care, Health Information Management, Clinical operations.
- Drive operational standardization across hospitals while accommodating site-specific needs.
- Serve as a primary liaison between Patient Access leadership and clinical, operational, and financial stakeholders.
- Partner with hospital leadership to ensure Patient Access supports clinical throughput, patient satisfaction, and financial goals.
- Lead cross-functional collaboration with departments including: Emergency Medicine, Surgical Services, Ambulatory Operations, Finance and Revenue Integrity, Information Technology / Epic teams.
- Facilitate regular stakeholder engagement meetings to align priorities and resolve operational barriers.
- Provide leadership, mentorship, and development for multiple Directors of Patient Access and their teams.
- Establish clear expectations and accountability for operational performance, staff engagement, and service excellence.
- Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and patient-centered service.
- Ensure compliance with Beth Israel Lahey Health HR policies regarding hiring, performance management, disciplinary actions, and professional development.
- Collaborate with the Vice President to develop and manage department operating and capital budgets across Patient Access functions.
- Ensure effective management of staffing models, productivity standards, and expense controls.
- Identify opportunities to optimize staffing structures and centralized models to support system efficiency.
Benefits
- Vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Executive
