Patient Access Specialist - Part Time Evenings

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • Chicago, IL

20h

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist supports Northwestern Medicine’s patient-first mission by providing customer service and helping patients navigate appointment scheduling, registration, and related access processes. The role obtains and verifies patient demographic, insurance, authorization, and order information; communicates with patients and hospital departments; and helps ensure accurate, complete records and a positive patient experience. The specialist follows HIPAA, organizational policies, and applicable regulatory and accreditation requirements, and avoids actions that could place patients at financial or safety risk.

This part-time position works three days per week from 11:00 AM to 7:30 PM. The schedule alternates between Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Week 1 and Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday in Week 2. Cross-training across departments is expected to help ensure coverage, and schedules may change to reflect business needs. The role may involve attending meetings that require walking within the NM campus.

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

• Provide consistently exceptional, patient-first customer service and help establish a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine.
• Respond to patient questions and concerns, resolve service breakdowns where possible, and escalate extraordinary issues or concerns to a Team Lead, Operations Coordinator, or management as appropriate.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and follow organizational, departmental, compliance, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
• Collect and correctly verify patient demographic information and the minimum data required for complete registration; update information in the registration system and help prevent duplicate patient records.
• Schedule and direct patients through NMHC systems in coordination with hospital departments and physician offices; contact patients to schedule appointments as defined.
• Perform medical necessity checks as needed, explain options when an appointment fails a check, and inform patients of issues securing the financial account for an encounter.
• Provide out-of-pocket estimates when requested by patients.
• Communicate with patients about physician referrals, insurance referrals, consultations, and authorization requirements; collect authorization numbers in applicable systems.
• Retrieve or verify patient orders using online systems and document order retrieval and accurate handoff instructions for scheduling and check-in staff in Epic.
• Verify insurance eligibility and benefit levels using online tools or by phone, run real-time eligibility checks, and follow applicable out-of-network policies.
• Use Epic and other computer applications to create accurate, descriptive, grammatically correct messages and telephone encounters.
• Double-check test type, preparation requirements, possible conflicts with other tests, appointment time and location, and relevant information for check-in staff.
• Analyze account activity, identify problems, and initiate appropriate resolutions; monitor registration, scheduling, and insurance verification against quality standards and adjust processes as needed.
• Participate in quality assurance reviews and departmental quality-improvement activities; evaluate procedures and suggest improvements to customer service and operational efficiency.
• Provide training and education as needed, serve as a resource for new staff and coworkers, and share process and workflow information.
• Collaborate constructively across units and departments, support staff in departments providing direct patient care, accommodate different communication abilities, and contribute to a respectful team environment.
• Manage work efficiently, complete assignments on time, use organizational resources effectively, and perform other duties assigned by management.

Benefits

• Tuition reimbursement
• Loan forgiveness
• 401(k) matching
• A wide range of benefits supporting physical, emotional, and financial well-being and protection from unexpected life events

What This Job Offers

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