Patient Access Specialist - Part Time Evenings

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • Chicago, IL

2d • $18 - $28

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist supports Northwestern Medicine’s patient-first mission by delivering customer service and helping patients navigate scheduling, registration, and related access processes. The role gathers and verifies patient demographic, insurance, authorization, and order information; schedules appointments; performs medical necessity and eligibility checks; and communicates relevant options or issues to patients and staff. It also uses Epic and other online systems to document information, support accurate handoffs, and maintain the integrity of patient data. The position collaborates across departments, contributes to quality assurance and process improvement, and may provide training and cross-department coverage. The schedule is three days per week, 11:00 AM–7:30 PM, alternating between Monday, Wednesday, Friday in Week 1 and Monday, Tuesday, Saturday in Week 2.

Requirements

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• 2–3 years of customer service or medical office experience.
• Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
• Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English.
• Proficiency in computer data entry and typing; ability to type 40 words per minute.
• Basic computer skills and ability to use computer applications efficiently for the position.
• Ability to multitask.
• Customer-service orientation.
• 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

• Deliver customer service consistent with the Patients First philosophy and foster a positive team atmosphere.
• Respond to questions and concerns; escalate extraordinary issues to a Team Lead or Operations Coordinator as needed.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and follow applicable organizational, departmental, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
• Collect and accurately verify patient demographic information and the minimum data set required for registration.
• Interact with hospital departments and physician offices to schedule and direct patients through Northwestern Medicine systems.
• Contact patients to schedule appointments as defined.
• Perform medical necessity checks when required and communicate options when an appointment does not meet requirements.
• Inform patients of issues securing the financial account for an encounter and provide requested out-of-pocket estimates.
• Communicate information about physician referrals, insurance referrals, and consultations; collect authorization numbers in applicable systems.
• Use online order retrieval systems to verify or print patient orders and online tools or phone calls to verify insurance eligibility and benefits.
• Document accurate handoff instructions and notes in Epic; send clear, grammatically correct Epic messages and telephone encounters.
• Run real-time eligibility checks, follow applicable out-of-network policies, and monitor registration, scheduling, and insurance verification against quality standards.
• Prevent visit issues by checking test type, preparation requirements, conflicts, time and location, order documentation, and duplicate patient records.
• Analyze account activity, identify problems, and initiate appropriate actions or resolutions.
• Participate in quality assurance reviews and departmental quality improvement activities; suggest process improvements.
• Use department resources efficiently and adjust processes to meet quality standards and shifting business needs.
• Provide training and education as needed and serve as a resource for new staff and coworkers.
• Collaborate across units and departments, support internal customers, communicate customer satisfaction concerns, and help coworkers.
• Manage the work schedule efficiently and complete tasks and assignments on time.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the manager.

Benefits

• The company states that it offers a wide range of benefits to support employees’ physical, emotional, and financial well-being and protection from unexpected life events; details are provided through its benefits information page.
• Tuition reimbursement.
• Loan forgiveness.
• 401(k) matching.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Education Level: High school or GED