Patient Registrar

Mercyhealth•Riverside, IL

About The Position

The Patient Registrar supports patient access and registration across hospital and outpatient settings. The role welcomes and assists patients, visitors, and customers; registers and admits patients; gathers and verifies demographic, insurance, and billing information; obtains required forms and signatures; and helps coordinate patients’ care and movement through the facility. The registrar uses EPIC and other computer systems to complete registrations, prioritize emergency department arrivals, monitor waiting areas, and resolve registration errors. The role also handles payments and cash reconciliation, communicates with patients and staff, supports safety and security processes, and assists during system downtime or disaster situations. The position requires flexibility to respond to changing duties and patient volumes across locations and may involve alternate shifts, weekends, and overtime during peak periods.

Requirements

High school graduate or equivalent preferred.
One to two years of customer service experience required.
Knowledge of computer systems, including navigation, typing, and data entry.
Detail-oriented, with strong oral and written communication skills.
Excellent problem-solving, conflict-management, time-management, and stress-management skills in highly emotional and demanding situations.
Ability to exercise good judgment and independent decision-making within standard practices and procedures.
Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
Interpersonal skills to obtain needed information from patients and communicate it to partners and providers.
Willingness to try new ideas, a positive can-do attitude, and a sense of urgency.
Ability to work alternate shifts, weekends, and overtime during peak periods as required.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of third-party payors.
Knowledge of medical terminology.
EPIC knowledge; preferred but not required.

Responsibilities

Greet patients, visitors, and customers warmly and provide helpful assistance while remaining calm in difficult or emotional situations.
Arrive and register emergency department, urgent care, hospital outpatient, laboratory, surgical, and direct-admit patients; perform pre-admission and pre-registration functions.
Visually identify patients who may need immediate care, prioritize registration according to symptom severity, monitor waiting-area conditions, and alert the triage RN when reassessment may be needed.
Select the correct electronic medical record using required patient identifiers and enter complaints, symptoms, arrival information, and other required registration data in EPIC.
Generate patient armbands, face sheets, and labels, and verify information before applying armbands, including during traumas or other chaotic situations.
Gather and enter demographic, guarantor, and billing information; obtain required signatures and documents; verify and update insurance information; and complete Medicare Secondary Payer Questionnaires when required.
Identify out-of-network and uninsured patients, complete applicable paperwork and account notes, and coordinate with appropriate staff and patient financial counselors.
Identify primary and secondary payees and collect applicable co-payments, self-pay payments, and, in some cases, prepayments.
Assist with coordinating patients into the appropriate unit and notify other departments at hospital locations when patients arrive.
Provide patients with admission information, obtain required Medicare admission signatures within the required timeframe, and secure and return patient valuables according to policy.
Support hospital staff during EPIC downtime or disaster mode and assist nursing staff with transportation vouchers and payments for patient transportation.
Maintain an accurate cash drawer and close and balance it at the end of each shift in accordance with cash-handling policy.
Manage work queues and resolve registration errors so patient bills can be processed promptly.
Determine when interpreter services are needed and use them effectively.
Answer, return, transfer, and place telephone calls as needed.
Monitor security cameras and door-entry systems and communicate relevant information to appropriate staff, patients, or visitors.
Address questions and concerns, use service-recovery skills to resolve problems, and direct people to appropriate resources when needed.
Remain flexible and reliable as duties, work volume, and location needs change; manage the work schedule to complete tasks and assignments on time.
Maintain a friendly, professional demeanor and appearance; complete travel-screening questionnaires for people entering the facility and track visitors as required by current hospital guidelines.
Provide directions or escort patients and visitors to the appropriate areas.
Work collaboratively across departments and communicate clearly and promptly with leadership, charge nurses, physicians, and partners; notify leadership of unusual occurrences or situations requiring attention.
Use organizational and departmental resources efficiently and follow local, state, and federal healthcare regulations.
Perform light cleaning in registration, lobby, and waiting-room areas; complete required educational courses and other assigned duties.
Provide shadowing and training to new partners and participate in team-building, continuous quality improvement, and educational activities.