Patient Access Rep Lead

City of Hope•Irwindale, CA

About The Position

The Patient Access Rep Lead supports staff through on-site training, quality monitoring, feedback, coaching, and serving as a resource. The role may provide frontline coverage for scheduled or unscheduled absences and acts as a liaison for patient access team members when patient access leadership is unavailable. The lead participates in workgroups, committees, special projects, and meetings; oversees supplies, reports, and equipment; and adapts to changes in job functions, workload, and work hours. The position oversees daily activities in a specific patient access area, such as a call center, scheduling, registration, admitting, patient referral services, financial counseling, or financial clearance. It helps coordinate staff schedules, break coverage, on-call staffing, workload, service levels, and departmental metrics. The lead assists with policy and procedure compliance, SOP updates, onboarding, employee education, audits, issue escalation, and process improvements. It also handles first-level escalations, delegates follow-up tasks, and opens and tracks IT tickets for internal issues or system failures. The role requires a thorough understanding of the frontline workflows for its assigned area and the ability to provide daily coverage. It supports patients and colleagues with professional, calm, and effective communication, helps resolve issues affecting patient care, and maintains productivity and accuracy according to departmental standards.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
At least 3 years of front- or back-office experience in a clinic or hospital setting, or a combination of at least 3 years of experience in a large medical practice or call center.
In-depth understanding of frontline duties, standard work, and workflows related to the assigned patient access area.

Nice To Haves

Medical terminology experience.
Electronic medical record experience.
At least 3 years supporting an oncology practice, including registration and scheduling, referrals and authorizations, or a combination of these totaling 3 years.

Responsibilities

Oversee the daily activities of a specific patient access area, including call center, scheduling, registration, admitting, patient referral services, financial counseling, or financial clearance.
Provide staff oversight, on-site training, ongoing feedback, and coaching.
Assist with staff schedules, lunch-break coverage, on-call staffing, and, when requested, work-from-home rotation schedules.
Coordinate communication with the Supervisor or Manager about staff status and call-out procedures.
Help maintain and monitor service levels and departmental standards by facilitating staff workload, schedules, and departmental metrics.
Assist supervisors and managers in ensuring personnel and department policies and procedures are followed; review and recommend SOP updates as processes change or are refined.
Onboard and train new hires and assist with educating existing employees under a supervisor’s or manager’s direction.
Act as liaison for patient access team members when Patient Access leadership is absent; participate in workgroups, committees, special projects, and team meetings.
Handle audits and review access problems, research potential solutions, and suggest procedural changes to prevent recurrence.
Open appropriate IT tickets when internal issues or system failures arise, update the team on departmental concerns and status, and communicate with leadership to escalate or resolve issues.
Monitor and delegate follow-up or additional tasks and serve as the primary contact for first-level escalations as defined by department leadership.
Perform frontline duties and provide daily coverage in the assigned functional area, including applicable pre-registration, registration, scheduling, admitting, financial clearance, or call-center workflows.
Provide a high level of customer service, act as a resource to patients and visitors, and serve as a liaison between patients and support staff.
Build effective relationships with colleagues, physicians, providers, leaders, and other employees across the organization.
Respond professionally to difficult situations, recognize high-priority situations, take appropriate action, and communicate or escalate issues affecting patient care according to departmental guidelines.
Maintain required productivity and accuracy and thorough knowledge of department policies, procedures, and standard work.
Oversee supplies, run reports, and maintain equipment; provide coverage for absent team members when needed.