Patient Access Specialist

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • Sandwich, IL

7d • $18 - $28

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist reflects Northwestern Medicine's mission, vision, and values, follows its Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with relevant policies, procedures, guidelines, and regulatory and accreditation standards. The role provides patient-focused customer service and supports patient scheduling, registration, insurance verification, and financial account processes across the NMHC system. The position is 24 hours per week (0.6 FTE) on a repeating six-week rotating schedule, with scheduled shifts ranging from 6:00 AM–2:30 PM to 11:30 AM–8:00 PM. Cross-training between departments may take place to ensure coverage, and the schedule may change to reflect business needs.

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 required 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 exceptional customer service and a positive first impression for patients, respond to questions and concerns, and use service recovery skills to resolve problems.
• Escalate extraordinary issues, consumer concerns, and satisfaction issues to the appropriate Team Lead, Operations Coordinator, management, or other individuals.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations and avoid putting patients at financial or safety risk.
• Identify and collect accurate patient demographic information, complete registration data, and participate in quality assurance reviews to maintain patient data integrity.
• Schedule and direct patients through NMHC systems, contact patients to schedule appointments, and communicate relevant information about physician referrals, insurance referrals, and consultations.
• Perform medical necessity checks, communicate options when appointments fail those checks, inform patients about issues securing financial accounts, and provide out-of-pocket estimates when requested.
• Collect authorization numbers in appropriate systems and verify insurance eligibility and benefits using online tools or by phone.
• Use online order retrieval systems to verify or print patient orders; document handoff instructions and notes in Epic; and send accurate, descriptive Epic messages and telephone encounters.
• Run real-time eligibility checks, follow out-of-network policies, and monitor registration, scheduling, and insurance verification for compliance with quality standards.
• Prevent problems with patient visits by checking test type, preparation requirements, conflicts with other tests, appointment details, order documentation, and duplicate patient records.
• Analyze account activity, identify problems, take appropriate action, and suggest process improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.
• Participate in departmental quality improvement activities and use organizational and departmental resources efficiently.
• Provide training and education as needed, act as a resource for new staff and coworkers, and help coworkers within and across departments.
• Communicate and collaborate effectively with patients, coworkers, hospital departments, physicians' offices, and internal customers; accommodate varying communication abilities and respect diverse opinions and styles.
• Manage work efficiently, complete tasks and assignments on time, follow department policies and procedures, and perform other assigned duties.
• Attend intra- or interdepartmental meetings as needed, which may involve walking within the NM Campus.
• Adapt to changing schedules, business needs, healthcare policies, and departmental processes.

Benefits

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

What This Job Offers

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