Patient Access Specialist

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • Geneva, IL

32d • $18 - $28

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist reflects Northwestern Medicine’s mission, vision, and values and follows its Code of Ethics, Corporate Compliance Program, policies, procedures, and applicable regulatory and accreditation standards. The role provides patient-focused service and support across scheduling, registration, insurance verification, and related access activities, while maintaining patient confidentiality and the integrity of patient information.

The specialist gathers and verifies patient demographic and registration information, schedules appointments, checks medical necessity and insurance eligibility, communicates referral and financial-account information, and provides requested out-of-pocket estimates. The role uses online ordering and eligibility systems and Epic to retrieve orders, document scheduling notes, send messages, and provide accurate handoffs. It also helps patients resolve service issues, escalates concerns when appropriate, and collaborates with hospital departments, physician offices, scheduling staff, and other coworkers.

The position contributes to quality assurance and improvement by monitoring registration and scheduling accuracy, identifying account or workflow issues, recommending process improvements, and helping train new staff and coworkers. Cross-training across departments may be required to support coverage, and schedules may change in response to business needs. The position is a 1.0 FTE day-shift role, listed at $18.40–$27.60 per hour.

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.
• 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

• Provide customer service consistent with the Patients First philosophy and create a positive first impression for patients.
• Respond to patient questions and concerns and escalate extraordinary issues to a Team Lead or Operations Coordinator as needed.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
• Collect and correctly identify patient demographic information and verify required registration data.
• Coordinate with hospital departments and physician offices to schedule and direct patients through Northwestern Medicine systems.
• Contact patients to schedule appointments and perform medical-necessity checks for scheduled services when needed.
• Communicate appointment issues, physician and insurance referral information, consultations, financial-account issues, and available options to patients.
• Provide out-of-pocket estimates when requested and collect authorization numbers in applicable systems.
• Verify insurance eligibility and benefit levels using online tools or by phone, run real-time eligibility checks, and follow applicable out-of-network policies.
• Retrieve or verify patient orders using online systems and document accurate handoff instructions, notes, Epic messages, and telephone encounters.
• Prevent visit issues by confirming tests, preparation requirements, scheduling conflicts, times, locations, and order documentation, and by checking for duplicate patient records.
• Participate in quality assurance reviews and departmental quality-improvement activities; monitor registration, scheduling, and insurance-verification work against quality standards.
• Analyze account activity, identify problems, initiate appropriate resolutions, and suggest improvements to customer service and operational efficiency.
• Use department and hospital policies, procedures, and resources efficiently while avoiding patient financial or safety risks.
• Help train new staff and share process and workflow information with coworkers.
• Collaborate across units and departments, support internal customers, accommodate differing communication abilities, and communicate respectfully and effectively.
• Manage work schedules and assignments efficiently, adapt to changing business needs and healthcare policies, and complete other duties as assigned.
• Participate in relevant intra- or interdepartmental meetings, which may involve walking within the NM campus.

Benefits

• Competitive benefits, including tuition reimbursement, loan forgiveness, and 401(k) matching.
• A range of benefits intended to support employees’ physical, emotional, and financial well-being and provide protection for unexpected life events.

What This Job Offers

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