Patient Access Specialist Full-Time

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare•Glenview, IL

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NMHC, adheres to the organizations Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. This role involves providing exceptional customer service to patients, ensuring accurate demographic and financial information is collected, and facilitating a smooth patient journey through the Northwestern Medicine system. The specialist will also be responsible for tasks such as scheduling appointments, performing medical necessity checks, estimating out-of-pocket costs, and maintaining patient confidentiality. Cross-training between departments may be required to ensure coverage and participation in quality assurance reviews is expected. The role emphasizes efficient work management, adherence to policies, and proactive problem-solving to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.

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.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
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.
Responds to questions and concerns, forwarding extraordinary issues to Team Lead or Operations Coordinator.
Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations.
Provides exceptional customer service to patients, establishing a positive first impression.
Exceeds all consumer requests and alerts management of issues or concerns that require escalation.
Correctly identifies and collects patient demographic information.
Interacts with various hospital departments and physicians offices to schedule and direct patients.
Reaches out to patients to schedule appointments.
Performs medical necessity checks and communicates options 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.
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 a professional and constructive environment for communication across units/departments and resolves operational issues.
May attend intra/interdepartmental meetings.
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 patients order.
Verifies insurance eligibility and benefit levels through the use of online tools or over the phone.
Completes accurate handoff instructions and notes to scheduling staff in Epic.
Demonstrates ability to use all computer applications efficiently.
Runs real time eligibility (RTE) on all patients to verify insurance and follows out of network policies.
Sends quality Epic Messages/Telephone encounters that are descriptive and grammatically correct.
Proactive in preventing issues with patient visit by double checking test details, preps, conflicts, time, and location.
Ensures there are no duplicate patient records.
Understands minimum data set required for a complete registration, collects and verifies critical data and updates it into the 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.