Patient Access Specialist-McHenry Woodstock Casual Days and Evenings

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • McHenry, IL

1d • Onsite

About The Position

At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace, driven by a patient-first approach. The organization is a leader in the healthcare industry, offering competitive benefits such as tuition reimbursement, loan forgiveness, 401(k) matching, and lifecycle benefits. The Patient Access Specialist (PAS) role aligns with NMHC's mission, vision, and values, adhering to its Code of Ethics, Corporate Compliance Program, and all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and regulatory standards. This is a casual position, not considered part-time or full-time employment, offering flexibility to select open shifts across various modalities including Lab, Medical Imaging, and the Emergency Department at both McHenry and Woodstock hospitals. The minimum requirement is one shift every two weeks, with potential for additional hours, and travel between the two hospital locations is expected.

Requirements

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• 2-3 years customer service or medical office experience.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in computer data-entry/typing.
• Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English.
• Basic Computer Skills.
• Ability to type 40 wpm.
• Ability to multi-task.
• Customer service oriented.
• Excellent organizational, time management, analytical, and problem solving skills.

Nice To Haves

• Additional education.
• Additional language skills.
• Healthcare finance and/or healthcare insurance experience.
• Knowledge and experience in a healthcare setting, especially patient scheduling and/or registration.

Responsibilities

• Consistently practices Patients First philosophy and adheres to high standards of customer service, fostering a team atmosphere.
• Responds to questions and concerns, forwarding or directing extraordinary issues to Team Lead or Operations Coordinator as necessary.
• Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations.
• Provides exceptional customer service to patients, establishing a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine.
• Exceeds all consumer requests and alerts management of issues or concerns that require escalation.
• Correctly identifies and collects patient demographic information in accordance with organization standards.
• Interacts with various hospital departments and physicians offices to effectively schedule and direct patients through the NMHC systems.
• Reaches out to patients to schedule an appointment as defined.
• Performs medical necessity checks for scheduled services, communicating options to patients if an appointment fails.
• Informs patients of any issues with securing the financial account for their encounter.
• Completes out-of-pocket estimations as requested by patients.
• Provides training and education as needed.
• Manages work schedule efficiently, completing tasks and assignments on time.
• Completes other duties assigned by manager.
• Cross-training between various departments to ensure coverage.
• Participates in Quality Assurance reviews to ensure integrity of patient data information.
• Uses effective service recovery skills to solve problems or service breakdowns.
• Utilizes department and hospital policies and procedures to complete assigned tasks.
• Adheres to all department policies and compliance requirements.
• Avoids putting patient in financial or safety risk.
• Communicates information to the patient regarding questions about physician referrals, insurance referrals and consultations.
• Collects authorization numbers in appropriate systems as applicable.
• Provides professional and constructive environment for communication across units/departments and resolves operational issues.
• May attend intra/interdepartmental meetings which involve walking within NM Campus.
• Communicates customer satisfaction issues to appropriate individuals.
• Demonstrates teamwork by helping co-workers within and across departments.
• Communicates effectively with others, respects diverse opinions and styles, and acknowledges the assistance and contributions of others.
• Interacts with internal customers to provide excellent support service to staff in departments which provide direct patient care.
• Accommodates all levels of communication ability.
• Utilizes multiple online order retrieval systems to verify or print the patient's order.
• Verifies insurance eligibility and benefit levels through the use of online tools (NDAS, ASF, etc.) or over the phone.
• Completes accurate handoff instructions and notes to scheduling staff, by noting appropriately in Epic.
• Demonstrates ability to use all computer applications efficiently and to the capacity needed in this position.
• Runs real time eligibility (RTE) on all patients to verify insurance and follows out of network policies as applicable.
• Sends quality Epic Messages/Telephone encounters that are descriptive and grammatically correct.
• Proactive in preventing issues with patient visit by double checking type of test, preps required, assuring no conflict with other tests, verifying time and location, communicating relevant information, verifying documenting order retrieval in notes for check-in person, ensures there are no duplicate patient records.
• Understands minimum data set required for a complete registration, collects and verifies critical data and updates that information into registration system.
• Understands departmental and individual quality metrics.
• Proactively analyzes account activity, identifies problems, and initiates appropriate actions/resolutions.
• Evaluates procedures and suggests improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.
• Participates in departmental quality improvement activities.
• Provides ideas and suggestions for process improvements within the department.
• Monitors registration and scheduling, including insurance verification to ensure processing within prescribed quality standards.
• Adjusts processes as needed to meet standards.
• Uses organizational and unit/department resources efficiently.
• Acts as a training resource for new staff and a resource for coworkers, sharing process and workflow information.
• Understands that schedule may change to reflect shifting business needs.
• Evolves and learns as healthcare policies change.

Benefits

• tuition reimbursement
• loan forgiveness
• 401(k) matching
• lifecycle benefits
• wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events

What This Job Offers

• Career Level: Mid Level
• Education Level: High school or GED
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees