Patient Access Specialist

INTEGRIS Health•Woodward, OK

14d•Onsite

About The Position

INTEGRIS Health is seeking a full-time Patient Access Specialist at INTEGRIS Health Woodward Hospital in Woodward, Oklahoma. The role works a variable shift between 5:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. The Patient Access Specialist supports patient access by coordinating coverage and authorization requirements, providing financial counseling, responding to patient and payer inquiries, and documenting account activity. The role follows assigned protocols and applicable performance standards, regulations, policies, procedures, guidelines, and third-party contracts, including EMTALA and HIPAA. INTEGRIS Health describes itself as Oklahoma’s largest not-for-profit health system, with a mission to partner with people to live healthier lives. Benefits mentioned include front-loaded PTO, medical benefits through the INTEGRIS Health network, financial assistance for continued education, and 24/7 mental health support.

Requirements

One year of Patient Access operations experience, such as scheduling, registration, or insurance, or related experience in billing, collections, or accounts receivable.
Previous experience in scheduling, registration, insurance, billing, collections, or customer service in a hospital or physician’s office setting.
Successful completion of a related Career Tech program of 1,100 or more hours or one year of related college coursework may be considered in lieu of experience.

Nice To Haves

College coursework in a related field or a healthcare certification, such as AAHAM CRCS, HFMA CRCR, or NAHAM CHAA.
Previous experience with medical terminology and basic ICD-10 and CPT coding.

Responsibilities

Ensure the appropriateness of complex patient access transactions, including coverage eligibility, insurance verification, patient portion calculation, and authorization requirements, using available systems and resources according to assigned protocol.
Perform financial counseling, including screening for government programs and financial assistance, explaining payment options and arrangements, processing point-of-service payments, verifying patient demographic information, obtaining required signatures, imaging documents, and following documentation standards.
Use analytical thinking, independent judgment, and clinical knowledge to adjust service-area schedules and accommodate special requests from internal and external customers.
Accept inbound calls from patients, physician offices, insurance carriers, and others, with the intent to resolve concerns immediately.
Collect patient payments and follow levels of authority to ensure financial clearance.
Document patient account activities concisely, including authorization and patient liability requirements.
Perform filing, data entry, and other duties as assigned.
Respond promptly to patient inquiries about pre-care services, policies, coverage, benefits, and financial liability; use multiple resources to resolve patient or payer inquiries during calls or while preparing or reviewing accounts and prior authorization requirements.
Understand payer regulations and communicate effectively with patients about coverage benefits and financial liability.
Participate in team-oriented process improvement initiatives for the department and organization.
Participate in continuous quality improvement efforts, establish goals with supervisors, and track progress.
Interpret and maintain compliance with performance standards, federal and state regulations, including EMTALA and HIPAA, policies, procedures, guidelines, and third-party contracts.