Patient Access Specialist, Overnights, Full Time

Northwestern Memorial Healthcare • Palos Heights, IL

2d • $18 - $28

About The Position

The Patient Access Specialist supports Northwestern Medicine’s patient-first mission by providing customer service and coordinating patient access, scheduling, registration, and insurance-related processes. The role obtains and verifies patient demographic and insurance information, helps patients navigate appointments and financial-account questions, and collaborates with hospital departments, physician offices, and scheduling staff. It uses Epic and other online systems to verify orders, insurance eligibility, and required authorizations; documents accurate handoffs; and helps prevent problems that could affect patient visits. The specialist also supports quality assurance, process improvement, staff training, and cross-department coverage while following HIPAA, organizational policies, compliance requirements, and applicable regulatory standards. The position is full-time, 40 hours per week, on the overnight/night shift.

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.
• 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 patient-first customer service and respond to patient questions and concerns.
• Escalate extraordinary issues and customer satisfaction concerns to the appropriate team lead, operations coordinator, or manager.
• Maintain patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
• Collect and verify patient demographic information and the data required for complete registration.
• Coordinate scheduling and direct patients through Northwestern Medicine systems in a patient-friendly manner; reach out to patients to schedule appointments as defined.
• Perform medical necessity checks when required and communicate options when an appointment fails those checks.
• Inform patients about issues securing the financial account for an encounter and complete out-of-pocket estimates when requested.
• Communicate with patients about physician referrals, insurance referrals, consultations, and authorization numbers.
• Interact with hospital departments and physician offices to resolve operational issues and support patient care teams.
• Use online order retrieval systems to verify or print orders and online tools or phone calls to verify insurance eligibility and benefits.
• Run real-time eligibility checks and follow out-of-network policies as applicable.
• Document accurate handoff instructions and notes in Epic, including descriptive and grammatically correct messages and telephone encounters.
• Double-check tests, required preparation, scheduling conflicts, appointment time and location, order retrieval documentation, and duplicate patient records to prevent visit issues.
• Analyze account activity, identify problems, and initiate appropriate resolutions.
• Monitor registration, scheduling, and insurance verification for compliance with quality standards and adjust processes as needed.
• Participate in quality assurance reviews and departmental quality-improvement activities.
• Suggest improvements to customer service and operational efficiency and use organizational resources efficiently.
• Help train new staff and serve as a workflow resource for coworkers.
• Collaborate across units and departments, accommodate different communication abilities, and contribute to a professional and constructive work environment.
• Manage work efficiently, complete tasks on time, adapt to schedule changes and changing healthcare policies, and perform other assigned duties.
• Cross-train between departments to support coverage.

Benefits

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

What This Job Offers

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