Patient Service Representative I- Hospital

Advocate Health•West Allis, WI

5d•$21 - $31•Onsite

About The Position

The Patient Service Representative I creates and maintains the initial electronic health record used by the healthcare team, helping prevent duplicate records and support patient safety and accurate billing. The role registers and checks in patients, verifies demographic, guarantor, and insurance information, discusses and collects patient financial responsibilities, and protects confidential information in accordance with HIPAA. The representative explains insurance coverage and financial obligations, identifies when referrals to Financial Advocates are appropriate, and follows applicable organizational, state, and federal requirements. The role may schedule appointments and coordinate cancellations, rescheduling, wait lists, and recalls, while communicating preparation instructions and arrival information. It also provides welcoming customer service to patients and visitors, responds to routine inquiries, handles telephone calls, arranges assistance as needed, and works assigned electronic health record queues. This is a part-time, 0.5 FTE position scheduled for 20 hours per week on second shift. Shifts are eight hours, beginning at 3:00 p.m. and ending at 11:30 p.m., with every-other-weekend and rotating-holiday assignments. The role is based in a normal office environment with significant patient and public contact and may involve exposure to ill or contagious patients. Travel may be required, exposing the employee to weather and road conditions. The position requires frequent transitions between sitting and standing, mobility throughout the workday, occasional lifting and assisted pushing or pulling, and the ability to respond to emergencies in clerical areas. A flexible schedule may sometimes be needed to meet department needs.

Requirements

High school graduate.
No prior experience required.
No licensure, registration, or certification required.
Demonstrate Advocate Health’s purpose, values, and behaviors.
Ability to work independently in a high-profile, high-stress, fast-paced environment; set and meet deadlines; multitask and prioritize; and manage interruptions and large workloads without direct supervision.
Strong attention to detail and accuracy, organizational skills, and problem-solving and independent judgment, including triaging issues and concerns.
Excellent customer service and service-recovery skills, written and verbal communication, and interpersonal skills; maintain a pleasant, professional demeanor with patients, visitors, staff, and physicians.
Ability to educate patients about insurance coverage, including services that may not be paid by their health plan.
Ability to collect and manage payments, handle cash securely, and follow cash-handling procedures.
Comfort and proficiency with computer systems and technology, including insurance verification and eligibility tools, EPIC, patient-liability estimation tools, email, Microsoft Office, internet browsers, and phone technology.
Understanding of basic medical and insurance terminology and abbreviations used in scheduling and registration.
HIPAA knowledge and compliance with applicable state and federal rules and regulations; ability to handle sensitive information according to internal policies.
General understanding of Medicare, Medicaid, managed care, and commercial insurance; ability to explain Medicare, HIPAA, and EMTALA rules and comply with updates to insurance pre-certification requirements.
Ability to act effectively as a resource to other staff.
Ability to travel if required and work in weather and road conditions.
Ability to transition frequently between sitting and standing; sit and stand for extended periods; and remain physically mobile throughout the workday.
Ability to lift up to 10 pounds frequently and 20 pounds or more occasionally, and push or pull up to 50 pounds with assistance.
Sensory ability to see, hear, and use touch; ability to speak clearly and use fine motor skills for keyboard data entry.
CPR certification may be required depending on service location; notary training or licensure may be required depending on service line or facility.

Nice To Haves

Experience with insurance verification and eligibility tools, EPIC electronic medical records, patient-liability estimation tools, email, Microsoft Office, the internet, and phone technology.

Responsibilities

Create the initial electronic health record and help prevent duplicate medical records.
Check in and register patients; obtain and verify demographic, guarantor, and insurance information.
Discuss and collect copayments and other out-of-pocket patient responsibilities, and manage payments including cash.
Maintain confidentiality of patient, financial, and medical-record information in accordance with HIPAA and internal policies.
Understand insurance plans and organizational contracts; discuss financial obligations and refer patients to Financial Advocates when appropriate.
Follow applicable organizational, government, and regulatory requirements, obtain required patient or guarantor signatures, and explain relevant notices and forms.
Schedule appointments as needed and coordinate cancellations, rescheduling, wait-list requests, and recall requests.
Provide accurate information about test preparation, arrival times, medication, food and beverage guidelines, check-in procedures, and directions.
Greet patients and visitors, respond to routine information requests, answer and screen telephone calls, and take messages.
Assist patients by arranging transportation, providing directions, locating wheelchairs, coordinating interpreter services, and providing other appropriate support.
Monitor and work assigned electronic health record queues according to approved departmental processes.
Interact with physicians and their staff to resolve issues related to patient care.
Respond quickly to patient medical-status changes and emergencies in clerical areas.
Escort patients to nursing units or outpatient departments as necessary.

Benefits

Paid time off programs.
Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
Educational Assistance Program.
Premium pay such as shift and on-call pay, based on teammate eligibility and position.
Incentive pay for select positions.
Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.
Career development programs.