Patient Registration - Bilingual Preferred

Desert Sage Health Centers•Mountain Home, ID

4d•Hybrid

About The Position

Patient Registration is responsible for scheduling appointments and providing necessary front office support for Desert Sage. This includes answering telephones, retrieving voice messages, returning calls, maintaining tracking systems, and data collection activities. The role operates under the daily supervision of the Patient Registration/Dental Clinic Manager, reporting to the Operations Manager in their absence. Key duties involve greeting patients, determining the purpose of visits, directing individuals, and handling emergencies by seeking clinical support. The position requires performing intake duties, explaining various forms (Patient Registration, DOT, Sliding Scale Discount, Patient Rights, Medical Releases, Insurance, good faith estimates, Health Note digital intake), and explaining HIPAA's Notice of Privacy. Responsibilities also include updating and verifying demographic information, registering new patients by collecting and entering data, scanning insurance, obtaining signatures, and collecting FQHC sociological data. Prompt check-in of patients, monitoring wait times, and proactive communication about delays are essential. Participation in morning huddles to prepare for the workday, including interpretation needs, appointment availability, and schedule optimization, is required. The role involves determining appointment timeframes based on medical needs, monitoring and updating eligibility reports, rescheduling appointments, and assessing patient satisfaction at check-out. Maintaining knowledge of scheduling standards and tools, offering/updating sliding scale discounts, and explaining the 340B medication program are also key functions. Collecting payments, handling Advanced Beneficiary Notices (ABN), and directing medication refill requests are part of the role. Problem-solving issues within the electronic health record system related to patient statements, demographics, and insurance is necessary. Daily cash box balancing and closing procedures for each site are required. Collaboration with Patient Accounts for problem-solving and maintaining strict patient confidentiality are paramount. The role also involves maintaining a clean workspace, rotating evening and Saturday work, assisting in training new staff, and the ability to rotate between three health center locations. Demonstrating DSHC’s 5 core values and performing other assigned duties are expected.

Requirements

High school diploma or GED equivalent.
Strong verbal communication skills.
Courteous and empathic personality.
Ability to operate electronic health computers/keyboard and phone system.
Ability to work under pressure and handle multiple tasks.
Ability to maintain confidentiality per the Privacy Act.
Possess good judgment about handling clinical emergencies and behavioral problems.

Nice To Haves

Six months working in a clinical setting.
Bilingual in English and Spanish.
At least one-year public contact experience.

Responsibilities

Greets and welcomes all patients/visitors to the clinic in a courteous, helpful and friendly manner.
Determines purpose of visit or phone calls and directs patients/visitors/callers to appropriate area.
Performs intake duties including explaining various forms such as Patient Registration, DOT forms, Sliding Scale Discount Availability, Patient Rights, Medical Releases and Insurance, good faith estimates, and Health Note digital intake.
Explains the Right to Privacy Act (HIPAA’s Notice of Privacy form) to new patients.
Updates and verifies demographic information for established patients to include: addresses, phone numbers, insurance benefits, and emergency contact.
Registers new patients, including interviewing patients, offering/explaining sliding scale discount eligibility, completing registration forms, entering data into the computer system, collecting/verifying/scanning insurance for billing, Healthy Connection referral, uploading patient photos, patient portal registration, obtaining necessary signatures, and FQHC sociological data.
Promptly checks-in patients arriving for their appointments on time, monitors time waiting (no more than 10 minutes) for clinical/dental support staff to take patient to exam rooms and proactively communicates reasons for excessive wait time with patient and/or clinical support staff.
Participates in morning huddles with clinical and/or dental staff to prepare for work day to include needs for interpretation, available appointments, triage and ensuring that schedules are at capacity for each day and next day.
Determines timeframe for appointment requests for new and established patients utilizing standards of scheduling protocol and the degree of patient’s medical needs.
Monitors and updates ‘Eligibility and Phone’ reports to verify insurance and monitor patient’s re-schedule requests from phone reminder calls.
Efficiently reschedules return appointments and assesses patient for satisfaction of visit when the patient presents to “check-out” to finish their appointment.
Maintains knowledge of the current standard scheduling and tools.
Offers and/or updates sliding scale discount to every patient (no insurance, under-insured and insured, & Medicare) information for eligibility for discounted services.
Explains the 340B medication program to patients and verifies 340B information is up-to-date and accurate on an annual basis.
Collects monies and payments from patients for office visits and any fees due at time of service (TOS) during “check-in” for patient’s visit and collects Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) for non-covered services, or non-covered service waivers (NCSW), as appropriate.
Directs medication refill requests to the clinical support staff via patient case in electronic health computer system.
Maintains knowledge on how to problem-solve various situations that occur in the medical, and/or dental electronic health record system related to the patient’s statement, demographics and insurance information.
Maintains cash box balancing at the beginning and end of each day.
Conducts/completes the daily close for each site at day’s end by balancing cash box to Transaction Detail Balancing Report and other closing duties.
Works in collaboration with Patient Accounts to problem-solve accounts, as appropriate.
Maintains strict patient confidentiality at all times.
Cleans and maintains workspace, lobby area, computers, printers, and photocopiers on a regular basis according to equipment maintenance procedures.
On a rotating basis with other staff works evenings and Saturdays as applicable.
Assists in training new patient registration staff as necessary.
Ability and transportation to rotate between three health center locations as needed.
Performs all other duties as assigned.