Patient Service Representative

Advocate Health

7d • $20 - $30

About The Position

The Patient Service Representative creates accurate initial electronic health records, prevents duplicate medical records, and verifies patient identity to support patient safety. The role checks in and registers patients, verifies demographic, guarantor, and insurance information, discusses and collects patient payments, and protects confidential information in accordance with HIPAA.

The representative applies knowledge of commercial and government insurance plans, organizational contracts, and patient financial responsibilities, referring patients to Financial Advocates when appropriate. The role also ensures required forms, questions, notices, and signatures are completed in accordance with applicable organizational, accrediting, and government requirements.

Depending on department needs, responsibilities may include scheduling appointments, coordinating changes and wait lists, providing preparation and arrival instructions, checking patients out, arranging follow-up appointments, delivering after-visit summaries, and helping patients use the patient portal or app. The representative provides welcoming, professional customer service; answers phones; responds to routine requests; coordinates assistance such as transportation, directions, wheelchairs, or interpreter services; and collaborates with patients, visitors, families, and clinical staff.

Additional duties may include scanning documents, handling faxes and electronic health record messages, responding to clinical-team direction for emergent needs, monitoring assigned electronic health record work queues, and assisting with teammate orientation and training. The role is full time, 36 hours per week, with hours varying Monday through Friday between 7:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Requirements

• High school diploma or GED.
• Demonstrate the Advocate Health purpose, values, and behaviors.
• Ability to work independently in a high-profile, high-stress area, set and meet deadlines, multitask, and prioritize work without direct supervision.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent customer service and service-recovery skills.
• Independent thinking, problem-solving, and judgment skills, including the ability to triage issues and concerns.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills; communicate professionally with patients, visitors, staff, and physicians.
• Ability to educate patients about insurance coverage and discuss services that may not be paid by their health plan.
• Ability to collect and manage payments and follow cash-handling security procedures.
• Comfort with computer systems and proficient typing; technical proficiency with email, Microsoft Office, internet browsers, and phone technology.
• Ability to handle sensitive and confidential information according to internal policies.
• Excellent organizational skills and ability to serve as a resource to teammates.
• Ability to be cross-trained across specialties and provide staffing support as needed.
• No prior experience required.
• No licensure, registration, or certification required.

Responsibilities

• Create accurate initial electronic health records, prevent duplicate records, and positively identify patients before care.
• Check in and register patients; obtain and verify demographic, guarantor, and insurance information.
• Discuss and collect co-pays and other out-of-pocket patient responsibilities, including cash payments when applicable, while following cash-handling security procedures.
• Maintain confidentiality of patient, financial, and medical information in accordance with HIPAA and internal policies.
• Apply knowledge of insurance plans, organizational contracts, and financial responsibility; refer patients to Financial Advocates when appropriate.
• Complete required rules, forms, questions, notices, and patient or guarantor signatures to support compliance with organizational and government requirements.
• May schedule appointments and coordinate cancellations, reschedules, wait-list requests, and recall requests.
• May provide test-preparation, arrival-time, medication, food and beverage, check-in, and facility-direction information.
• May check out patients, schedule follow-up appointments, provide after-visit summaries, and support use of the patient portal or app.
• Create a welcoming and professional environment and provide excellent customer service to patients and visitors.
• Answer and screen telephone calls, take messages, and maintain positive working relationships with patients, families, clinical staff, and physicians.
• Communicate customer-service issues and process-improvement opportunities to management.
• Coordinate patient assistance such as transportation, directions, wheelchairs, and interpreter services.
• May scan documents to Health Information Management, handle incoming and outgoing faxes, address electronic health record in-basket messages, and follow clinical-team direction for emergent needs.
• Monitor and work assigned electronic health record work queues according to approved department processes.
• May assist department leadership with orientation and training.
• Work independently to meet deadlines, multitask, prioritize, and manage a high-volume workload in a fast-paced environment with interruptions.
• Use judgment and problem-solving skills to triage issues, resolve patient-care-related matters with physicians and their staff, and act as a resource to teammates.

Benefits

• Paid time off programs.
• Medical, dental, vision, life, short-term disability, 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.
• Competitive compensation, premium pay for eligible work, incentive pay for select positions, and opportunity for annual performance-based increases.
• Career development programs and well-being programs.

What This Job Offers

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