Patient Access Specialist

Emerus•Oklahoma City, OK

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist serves as a liaison among patients and families, payers, Patient Financial Services, and other healthcare team members. The role facilitates patient tracking and billing by obtaining and verifying accurate demographic information, financially securing accounts, and collecting patients’ out-of-pocket responsibility to maximize hospital reimbursement. The position is full-time on the night shift, 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., at a 16-bed small-format hospital with 8 emergency-room beds and 8 inpatient beds. The specialist supports patient safety and regulatory compliance while providing customer service throughout registration and care. Responsibilities include verifying demographics and insurance, obtaining authorizations and signatures, handling medical records and payment collections, coordinating transfers, and maintaining operational logs and a cash drawer. The role also includes general facility support and assisting medical staff as needed.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED.
Knowledge of various insurance plans, including HMO, PPO, POS, Medicare, and Medicaid, and knowledge of payers.
Basic understanding of medical terminology.
Excellent customer service skills.
Fluency in English, including written and oral communication.
In the El Paso Market, fluency in both English and Spanish is required.
Pennsylvania candidates must have completed Act 33 (Child Abuse History Clearance) and Act 73 (FBI Fingerprint Criminal History Clearance) within the last five years, or obtain them before the start date.

Nice To Haves

Two years of patient registration and insurance verification experience in a healthcare setting.
Emergency Department registration experience.
Working knowledge of MS Office, including Word, Excel, and Outlook.

Responsibilities

Maintain compliance with EMTALA, DNV, HIPAA, and other applicable hospital and government regulations concerning admissions and medical records.
Provide excellent customer service by meeting customer needs, understanding who the customers are, and building quality relationships.
Help protect patient safety by ensuring each patient is properly identified and triaged upon arrival.
Answer telephone calls professionally and courteously, record messages, and communicate them to appropriate medical staff.
Provide and obtain signatures on required forms and consents.
Obtain, verify, and enter complete and accurate demographic information on all accounts to facilitate revenue-cycle processing.
Verify insurance benefits for all plans associated with each patient and enter the correct payer and plan in the patient accounting system.
Obtain insurance authorizations when required by insurance plans.
Pursue collections at the time of service in a customer-service-oriented manner to maximize efficiency and accuracy.
Scan registration and clinical documentation into the system and maintain medical records.
Assist with coordinating patient transfers to other hospitals when necessary.
Respond to medical-record requests from patients, physicians, and hospitals.
Maintain the cash drawer according to policies.
Maintain logs of patients, payments received, transfers, and hospital admissions.
Maintain the visitor/vendor log.
Maintain a clean working environment, including the front desk, restroom, waiting room, break area, and patient rooms when medical staff need assistance.
Receive deliveries, including mail from various carriers, and forward them to appropriate departments.
Notify the appropriate contact about malfunctioning equipment or maintenance needs.
Attend staff meetings and other company-sponsored or mandated meetings as required.
Assist medical staff as needed.
Perform additional duties as assigned.