Patient Access Representative - Patient Access Center

CHRISTUS Health•Tyler, TX

About The Position

Patient Access Representatives facilitate a welcoming and easy access to the facility and establish encounters for patients who meet the guidelines for hospital service. They ensure accurate entry of demographic, financial, guarantor, and encounter information; verify insurance and authorizations; and collect estimated patient portions and prior balances. They also perform financial assessments for appropriate assistance programs and obtain required signatures on hospital documents. The role communicates with patients and families, physicians, nurses, insurance companies, and third-party payers. Representatives are expected to act professionally, communicate effectively, stay organized, and demonstrate dependability, flexibility, and teamwork. They support regulatory compliance, departmental performance targets, training and standard processes, workflow coordination, and a clean and orderly workplace. They may be assigned to other departmental areas or shifts to accommodate patient volume and are required to assist the hospital during an internal or external disaster. The position also requires protection of patient confidentiality and adapting services to the population-specific, cultural, age-related, and developmental needs of those served.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent experience preferred.
One to three years of experience preferred.
No licenses, registrations, or certifications required.
Professional appearance and behavior, good communication skills, effective organizational skills, dependability, flexibility, and teamwork.

Responsibilities

Meet expectations of applicable OneCHRISTUS Competencies: Leader of Self, Leader of Others, or Leader of Leaders.
Accurately enter required scheduling and registration data, including demographic, financial, guarantor, and encounter-note information.
Verify insurance eligibility and obtain necessary authorizations for services.
Calculate and collect estimated patient portions based on benefits and contract reimbursement, as well as prior balances.
Perform financial assessments for appropriate program assistance.
Explain the purpose of and obtain patient or legal guardian signatures on necessary hospital documents.
Represent the Patient Access department professionally and courteously at all times.
Assist the hospital in the event of an internal or external disaster.
Support departmental flexibility to accommodate patient volume, including assignment to another area or a shift change.
Support departmental performance targets, complete required training, and follow established standard processes.
Work with High Performance Work Teams to maintain an efficient, clean, and orderly workplace using 5S principles and practices once implemented in the work unit.
Coordinate, communicate, and assist in monitoring workflow and tasks to manage fluctuating volumes.
Provide feedback to the team about educational and mediation needs by reporting issues, problems, and opportunities.
Perform assigned responsibilities competently and adapt assessment, treatment, or service methods to the physical, psychosocial, cultural, age-specific, and developmental needs of those served.
Comply with policies, procedures, and standards promulgated by state and federal agencies, the hospital, and other regulatory entities.
Protect patient confidentiality and disclose confidential information only as necessary to perform assigned duties.
Perform other duties as assigned.