Patient Access Specialist - Part Time Days

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare•Evanston, IL

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist supports Northwestern Medicine’s patient-first mission by providing a positive, customer-friendly experience while helping patients navigate scheduling, registration, and related financial and insurance processes. The role follows organizational policies, confidentiality requirements, regulatory standards, and the NMHC Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program. This is a part-time position working two days per week on rotating days, from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and Saturdays from 6:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Cross-training across departments is provided to support coverage, and schedules may change to reflect business needs. The specialist communicates with patients, hospital departments, physician offices, and scheduling staff; verifies and updates patient and insurance information; supports appointment scheduling and registration; and uses online systems and Epic to document and coordinate patient care access. The role also contributes to quality assurance, service recovery, staff training, and process improvement.

Requirements

High school diploma or equivalent.
Two to three 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, including the ability to type 40 words per minute.
Basic computer skills and ability to use computer applications efficiently.
Ability to multitask.
Customer-service-oriented approach.
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

Deliver exceptional customer service and a positive first impression while consistently practicing the Patients First philosophy.
Respond to patient questions and concerns, resolve service breakdowns when possible, and escalate extraordinary issues to the Team Lead, Operations Coordinator, or management as appropriate.
Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA and follow department, hospital, compliance, regulatory, and accreditation requirements.
Correctly identify patients and collect, verify, and update demographic and other required registration information.
Interact with hospital departments and physician offices to schedule and direct patients through NMHC systems.
Contact patients to schedule appointments as defined and communicate information about physician referrals, insurance referrals, and consultations.
Perform medical necessity checks when required and communicate options when an appointment does not meet requirements.
Inform patients about issues securing the financial account for an encounter and provide out-of-pocket estimates when requested.
Collect authorization numbers in appropriate systems when applicable.
Retrieve or print patient orders using online systems, verify insurance eligibility and benefits, and run real-time eligibility checks.
Document accurate handoff instructions, notes, Epic messages, and telephone encounters for scheduling and check-in staff.
Double-check test type, preparation requirements, conflicts with other tests, appointment time and location, order retrieval documentation, and duplicate patient records.
Analyze account activity, identify problems, and initiate appropriate actions or resolutions while monitoring registration and scheduling quality standards.
Participate in quality assurance reviews and departmental quality improvement activities.
Suggest process improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency, and adjust processes as needed to meet standards.
Use organizational and departmental resources efficiently and complete assignments on time.
Provide training and education as needed and serve as a resource for new staff and coworkers on processes and workflows.
Collaborate across units and departments, support coworkers, communicate customer satisfaction issues, and provide support to staff in departments that deliver direct patient care.
Attend intra- or interdepartmental meetings as needed, which may involve walking within the NM campus.
Complete other duties as assigned.