Patient Access Specialist - Clinic Central Scheduler

St. Tammany Parish Hospital • Madisonville, LA

11h

About The Position

At St. Tammany Health System, delivering world-class healthcare close to home is our goal. That means we are committed to attracting and retaining the very best professionals for every position in our health system. We believe the pristine beauty of St. Tammany Parish adds to our attractive compensation package. The health system is nestled in the heart of Covington on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. It is a peaceful, scenic, community-oriented area with an abundance of amenities to suit every taste. JOB DESCRIPTION AND POSITION REQUIREMENTS Scheduled Weekly Hours: 40 Hours : Monday to Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Summary of the Job: The Patient Access Specialist is responsible for completing efficient and organized processes in the areas of registration, check-in/check-out, admission, insurance initiation and verification and benefit research for inpatients/outpatients and scheduling of appointments. Excellent customer service skills are crucial in these roles as well as flexibility in work shifts. The Patient Access Specialist must ensure that accurate information is collected, that they are always sensitive to the confidentiality of this information, and that patients are aware of their rights as determined by HIPAA regulations and company policy, and that they are a consistent proponent of patient throughput and volume growth. The Patient Access Specialist responsibilities include duties such as verifying insurance coverage, benefits, obtaining and initiating authorizations, completing registration pathways in the HIS systems, receiving, maintaining, clarifying, entering and/or validating physician orders, scheduling appointments, determining third party payer liability for organizational billing, checking medical necessity, handling daily batching and posting of point of service payments and having conversations with patients to resolve previous and current balances. Maintains a positive relationship with healthcare team and is a resource to physicians, staff and patients for information regarding orders, insurance and referrals, as well as any other issues that might impact the relationship/experience of these stakeholders .The Specialist is also responsible for training and mentoring other Patient Access Representatives and Specialists in the more technical aspects of job.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent. Some college preferred.
• At least 1 year of previous customer service experience in an office / medical office environment including scheduling, admitting, and/or financial counseling.

Nice To Haves

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills demonstrating the ability to communicate effectively and courteously with physician office staff, patients, and/or insurance carriers.
• Ability to work in a fast-paced professional environment.
• Demonstrated competency to successfully perform Patient Access Representative duties, which would typically be obtained through 12 months direct experience.
• Ability to understand and solve complex problems dealing with governmental entitlement programs, commercial insurance requirements, contractual obligations, and reporting requirements.
• Ability to apply the use and terminology associated with CPT and ICD-10 coding, as well as basic anatomy/physiology, and out-patient diagnostic testing medical terminology, Medicare guidelines, HMO and PPO contracts and other insurance billing processes.
• Excellent organizational skills and maintains a professional and neat work environment.
• Certified Healthcare Access Associate (CHAA) through the National Association of Healthcare Access Management (NAHAM)
• Completion of a medical terminology course.
• Bilingual - preferably Spanish.

Responsibilities

• completing efficient and organized processes in the areas of registration, check-in/check-out, admission, insurance initiation and verification and benefit research for inpatients/outpatients and scheduling of appointments
• verifying insurance coverage, benefits, obtaining and initiating authorizations
• completing registration pathways in the HIS systems, receiving, maintaining, clarifying, entering and/or validating physician orders, scheduling appointments
• determining third party payer liability for organizational billing, checking medical necessity, handling daily batching and posting of point of service payments and having conversations with patients to resolve previous and current balances
• maintaining a positive relationship with healthcare team and is a resource to physicians, staff and patients for information regarding orders, insurance and referrals, as well as any other issues that might impact the relationship/experience of these stakeholders
• training and mentoring other Patient Access Representatives and Specialists in the more technical aspects of job

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: High school or GED