Patient Access Representative I

La Clinica Del Pueblo Inc•Hyattsville, MD

4d•$22 - $25•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Access Representative I (PAR I) supports daily operations at La Clínica del Pueblo, primarily serving as an entry point for incoming Contact Center calls and scheduling clinical and mental health appointments. The role helps patients access care by telephone and patient portal messages, and by distributing telephone encounters. It requires strong customer service, communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills, including the ability to handle a high volume of calls in a fast-paced environment. The position combines front-office patient services with Contact Center responsibilities. Duties include checking patients in, assisting with pre-registration and insurance verification, processing payments, scheduling appointments and laboratory tests, directing patients to the patient portal, and ensuring patients have required information and documentation. The representative also handles telephone calls and messages, coordinates interpreters, manages appointment changes and provider recalls, documents interactions in electronic health records, and follows scheduling guidelines and organizational procedures. The role collaborates with clinical staff to support patient flow and service delivery, maintains confidentiality, participates in training and organizational activities, and completes assigned duties within established guidelines and scope of practice. The position is supervised by the Health Center Manager; other tasks may be assigned under the direction of the Health Center Assistant Manager. It is non-exempt and hourly, located in Hyattsville, Maryland, and has no supervisory responsibilities.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
One year of exceptional internal and external customer service experience and ability to work with diverse, underserved populations and the LGBTQ+ community.
One year of experience with insurance verification and benefits eligibility, or an equivalent combination of understanding and articulating insurance benefits and willingness to learn.
Ability to follow standard operating procedures and scheduling guidelines.
Compassion when assisting patients and caregivers in challenging situations.
Strong organizational skills to keep patient information confidential and organized.
Problem-solving skills for scheduling conflicts, missing documentation, and other challenges.
BLS or CPR certification, or willingness to obtain certification within 90 days of employment.
Ability to sit for prolonged periods while working at a computer and handling a high volume of incoming and outgoing calls.
Ability to lift at least 15 pounds at times.

Nice To Haves

Associate degree.
One to three years of experience in healthcare or a call center.
Experience with a multi-line phone system; Dialpad experience is a plus.
Excellent verbal and written communication, professional telephone manner, interviewing, and interpersonal skills for interacting with patients, families, healthcare team members, and external agencies.
Analytical and critical-thinking skills to resolve conflicts and solve problems to meet patient needs.
Data-entry skills and ability to check detailed work for accuracy.
Ability to maintain high productivity and work well in a team environment.
Bilingual English and Spanish skills with effective verbal and written communication.
Knowledge of medical terminology and practices.
Ability to maintain patient confidentiality and follow HIPAA regulations and requirements related to protected health information.
Ability to work in high-volume, multitask environments in a closely shared workspace.

Responsibilities

Ensure patient documentation is correctly completed and signed by the responsible party, and answer related questions.
Attend required staff meetings, training, competency reviews, disaster programs, and drills as appropriate.
Maintain professional skills and participate in ongoing training and professional growth.
Participate in the Patient-Centered Medical Home change process.
Complete assigned duties within established guidelines and scope of practice.
Collaborate and communicate with clinical staff to support patient flow and efficient service delivery.
Communicate respectfully, affirmingly, and efficiently with staff and patients.
Follow the organization’s ethical standards and provide excellent internal and external customer service.
Enforce organizational policies and procedures with patients and seek management support when needed.
Check patients in for appointments.
Assist patients with pre-registration and insurance verification.
Inform patients about, collect, and process payments, and reconcile daily cash reports; refer payment-plan or insurance inquiries to the billing department.
Provide educational materials related to patient visits.
Enroll and guide patients in using the patient portal and remind established patients of its functions.
Complete administrative tasks, including reviewing and managing tasks assigned to the Patient Access Representative team.
Schedule follow-up appointments and required pre-visit laboratory tests according to applicable protocols or provider direction.
Ensure patients have necessary referrals, appointment summaries, prescriptions, follow-up appointments, recall-system entries, and documentation before departure.
Answer calls on a multi-line phone system, route calls appropriately, and document patient interactions in telephone encounters in the electronic health record.
Respond promptly to calls, patient portal messages, voicemails, pharmacies, and outside agencies.
Contact patients whose appointments remain unconfirmed when the electronic health record system has not reached out for confirmation.
Schedule ASL and language interpreters when appointments are booked.
Handle appointment-status calls, rescheduling, and cancellations of medical appointments.
Coordinate pending provider recalls and arrange appointments.
Complete pre-registration, schedule appointments with Patient Access Representative II, and advise patients about required registration documentation, including insurance enrollment or renewal requirements.
Follow scheduling guidelines for Clinical Services and Mental Health appointment templates and communicate unforeseen challenges to the Health Center Manager.
Perform other tasks as needed under the direction of the Health Center Assistant Manager.