Patient Access Liaison I - (FT, Days)

Northwell Health•Sharon, CT

About The Position

The Patient Access Liaison I facilitates patient flow from scheduling through registration check-in, providing a coordinated registration and scheduling experience. The role obtains demographic and financial information to verify patient identity and identify and secure appropriate payment sources. Duties include registration, insurance eligibility verification, patient liability collection, scheduling, admitting, service estimates, and processing patient financial liability payments. The position is full-time at Sharon Hospital. The stated schedule is Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and Tuesday from 6:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Working hours may also include weekends, evenings, overnights, and holidays. The role requires a high school diploma and job-related experience. An associate degree with six months of job-related experience is preferred. Basic Microsoft Word and Excel skills, customer service skills, and organizational skills are also specified. NAHAM certification within one year of hire is desired.

Requirements

High school diploma with at least two years of job-related experience, or an associate degree with six months of job-related experience (the associate-degree pathway is preferred).
Basic Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel skills.
Customer service and organizational skills.
Ability to meet the role’s responsibilities involving patient registration, scheduling, insurance eligibility verification, and related patient-access processes.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree with six months of job-related experience.
At least one year of job-related experience is preferred.
National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM) certification within one year of hire.

Responsibilities

Greet patients, physicians, staff, coworkers, and guests promptly and professionally; check patients into the system and direct them based on appointment location, financial clearance, and counseling status; assist patients with special needs and protect confidentiality.
Respond to telephone calls according to customer service standards and provide requested information. When assigned to scheduling, help reduce abandoned calls, call length, and average speed to answer through best practices and workflow improvements.
Search for and select patients accurately in the hospital system according to Patient Identification procedures, maintaining the integrity of the Electronic Master Patient Index (EMPI) and accurate patient identification.
Establish and schedule service appointments for patients or physician offices according to scheduling-system and clinical EMR protocols; contact patients when needed to obtain information or confirm appointments.
Perform registration functions and enter complete, accurate demographic and financial information to support payment for services.
Verify insurance eligibility and fulfill payor requirements, including initiating online eligibility transactions and contacting payors for billing information, authorization, and service scripts when appropriate.
Provide service estimates when appropriate, communicate patient liability, and actively solicit payment.
Enter testing orders in the appropriate system when necessary, applying knowledge of coding, procedural protocols, and the charge description master.
Obtain signatures for required organization, state, and federal consents and notifications.
Remain compliant, current, and knowledgeable about department policies and procedures.
Fulfill position-related compliance responsibilities, including HIPAA, EMTALA, and the Patient Bill of Rights.
Perform other duties as assigned.