Patient Access Specialist

Thundermist Health Center•West Warwick, RI

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist reports to the Director of Patient Access Services to support and optimize provider-facing access functions across the organization. This role is responsible for coordination, and execution related to provider schedules, productivity, panel management, and workforce coverage to ensure efficient access to care, compliance with provider contracts, and alignment with organizational access standards. The Specialist serves as a key operational and analytical partner, supporting data-driven decision-making related to provider utilization, scheduling integrity, and access optimization while collaborating with Clinical Leadership, Practice Operations, HR, Finance, and IT.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business, analytics, or a related field preferred, or equivalent years of commensurate professional experience.
Experience in patient access, provider scheduling, healthcare operations, or a related analytical role.
Strong analytical skills with experience in operational reporting and data interpretation.
Proficiency with Microsoft 365 tools; experience with EMR scheduling systems (e.g., eCW) strongly preferred.
Excellent communication skills and ability to collaborate across clinical and operational teams.
High attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Provider Scheduling & Access Management
Data Analysis & Reporting
Process Improvement
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Attention to Detail
Healthcare Operations Knowledge
Must possess good verbal communication skills, telephone skills, and written skills. Some writing is required including correspondence and interoffice communication.
The incumbent must apply strict confidentiality.

Responsibilities

Maintain and support eCW provider schedules, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and alignment with approved templates and organizational standards.
Manage provider PTO/uPTO and on-call schedules, ensuring timely updates and communication to impacted operational teams.
Support arriving and departing provider workflows, including schedule builds, access changes, and coordination with onboarding and offboarding processes.
Facilitate cross-coverage planning, ensuring continuity of care and appropriate access during provider absences.
Support provider patient panel assignments, monitoring alignment between panel size, provider availability, and patient demand.
Assist with analysis of access capacity, appointment utilization, and patient flow to identify access gaps and improvement opportunities.
Partner with Patient Access leadership to support demand management strategies and scheduling optimization initiatives.
Monitor and analyze provider productivity metrics, identifying trends, variances, and opportunities for improvement.
Support productivity reporting, including data preparation for leadership review and operational discussions.
Support provider contract and recruitment-related access functions, including schedule modeling and access readiness for new providers.
Partner with HR, Credentialing, and Practice Operations to ensure timely access setup and compliance with contractual requirements.
Serve as a liaison between Patient Access and clinical teams to ensure consistent application of provider access standards.
Develop and maintain operational reports and dashboards related to provider access, scheduling, productivity, and panel management.
Support the development and maintenance of standardized workflows, job aids, and documentation related to provider access functions.
Participate in continuous improvement initiatives to enhance provider utilization, access equity, and patient experience.