Patient Access Specialist

Emerus•Willow Park, TX

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist serves as a liaison between patients and families, payers, Patient Financial Services, and other healthcare team members. The role supports patient tracking and billing by obtaining and verifying accurate demographic information, financially securing accounts, and collecting guarantors’ out-of-pocket responsibility to maximize hospital reimbursement. The position helps protect patient safety by ensuring patients are properly identified and triaged on arrival. It also provides customer service, supports registration and insurance processes, maintains medical records, and assists with patient transfers and facility operations. The role must comply with EMTALA, DNV, HIPAA, and other regulations applicable to admissions and medical records.

Requirements

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

Nice To Haves

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

Responsibilities

Maintain compliance with EMTALA, DNV, HIPAA, and other hospital and government regulations applicable to 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 patient accounts.
Verify insurance benefits, confirm the correct payor and plan, and enter them into the patient accounting system.
Obtain insurance authorizations as required by individual insurance plans.
Pursue collections at the time of service in a customer service-oriented manner.
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 and vendor log.
Keep the facility clean, including the front desk, restroom, waiting room, break area, and patient rooms when medical staff need assistance.
Receive deliveries, including mail, and forward them to appropriate departments.
Notify the appropriate contact of 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.