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Patient Access Specialist

Company: 
Northwestern Medicine
City: 
Warrenville
State: 
Illinois
Employment type: 
Full time
Remote Position: 
No
Required degree level: 
Other

Benefits

  • $10,000 Tuition Reimbursement per year ($5,700 part-time)
  • $10,000 Student Loan Repayment ($5,000 part-time)
  • $1,000 Professional Development per year ($500 part-time)
  • $250 Wellbeing Fund per year($125 for part-time)
  • Annual Employee Merit Increase and Incentive Bonus
  • Paid time off and Holiday pay


Description

The Patient Access Specialist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NMHC, adheres to the organizations Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards.

Responsibilities:

  • Consistently practices Patients First philosophy and adheres to high standards of customer service. This includes setting an example to peers, coworkers, etc. by fostering a team atmosphere.
  • Responds to questions and concerns.
  • Forwards, directs, and notifies Team Lead or Operations Coordinator of extraordinary issues as necessary.
  • Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations.
  • Provides exceptional customer service to patients which establish a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine.
  • Exceeds all consumer requests and alerts management of issues or concerns that require escalation.
  • Correctly identifies and collects patient demographic information in accordance with organization standards.
  • Interacts with various hospital departments and physicians offices to effectively schedule and direct patients through the NMHC systems in a patient/customer friendly manner.
  • Reaches out to patients to schedule an appointment as defined.
  • Performs medical necessity checks as necessary for scheduled services, communicates options to patient if appointment fails.
  • Informs patients of any issues with securing the financial account for their encounter.
  • Completes out-of-pocket estimations as requested by patients.
  • Provides training and education as needed.
  • Manages work schedule efficiently, completing tasks and assignments on time.
  • Completes other duties assigned by manager.
  • Cross-training between various departments will take place to ensure coverage.
  • Participates in Quality Assurance reviews to ensure integrity of patient data information.
  • Uses effective service recovery skills to solve problems or service breakdowns when they occur.
  • Utilizes department and hospital policies and procedures to complete assigned tasks.
  • Adheres to all department policies and compliance requirements.
  • Avoids putting patient in financial or safety risk.
  • Other duties as assigned.


Communication and Collaboration:

  • Communicates information to the patient regarding questions about physician referrals, insurance referrals and consultations.
  • Collects authorization numbers in appropriate systems as applicable.
  • Provides professional and constructive environment for communication across units/departments and resolves operational issues.
  • May attend intra/interdepartmental meetings which involve walking within NM Campus.
  • Communicates customer satisfaction issues to appropriate individuals.
  • Demonstrates teamwork by helping co-workers within and across departments.
  • Communicates effectively with others, respects diverse opinions and styles, and acknowledges the assistance and contributions of others.
  • Interacts with internal customers to provide excellent support service to staff in departments which provide direct patient care.
  • Accommodates all levels of communication ability.


Technology:

  • Utilizes multiple online order retrieval systems to verify or print the patients order.
  • Verifies insurance eligibility and benefit levels through the use of online tools (NDAS, ASF, etc.) or over the phone as necessary.
  • Completes accurate handoff instructions and notes to scheduling staff, by noting appropriately in Epic.
  • Demonstrates ability to use all computer applications efficiently and to the capacity needed in this position.
  • Runs real time eligibility (RTE) on all patients to verify insurance and follows out of network policies as applicable.
  • Sends quality Epic Messages/Telephone encounters that are descriptive and grammatically correct.


Efficiency, Process Improvement, and Business Growth:

  • Proactive in preventing issues with patient visit by double checking type of test, preps required, assuring no conflict with other tests, verifying time and location, communicating relevant information, verifying documenting order retrieval in notes for check-in person, ensures there are no duplicate patient records.
  • Understands minimum data set required for a complete registration, collects and verifies critical data and updates that information into registration system.
  • Understands departmental and individual quality metrics.
  • Proactively analyzes account activity, identifies problems, and initiates appropriate actions/resolutions.
  • Evaluates procedures and suggests improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency.
  • Participates in departmental quality improvement activities.
  • Provides ideas and suggestions for process improvements within the department.
  • Monitors registration and scheduling, including insurance verification to ensure processing within prescribed quality standards.
  • Adjusts processes as needed to meet standards.
  • Uses organizational and unit/department resources efficiently.
  • Acts as a training resource for new staff and a resource for coworkers, sharing process and workflow information.
  • Understands that schedule may change to reflect shifting business needs.
  • Evolves and learns as healthcare policies change.


EOE including Disabled and Veterans.

Qualifications

Required:

  • High School diploma or equivalent.
  • 2-3 years customer service or medical office experience.
  • Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills.
  • Proficiency in computer data-entry/typing.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
  • Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English.
  • Basic Computer Skills.
  • Ability to type 40 wpm.
  • Ability to multi-task.
  • Customer service oriented.
  • Excellent organizational, time management, analytical, and problem solving skills.


Preferred:

  • 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.


Equal Opportunity
Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status.

While each of our 11 hospitals and more than 200 locations has a unique story, Northwestern Medicine is unified under one vision: to put patients first in everything that we do. Anchored by Northwestern Memorial Hospital in downtown Chicago, Northwestern Medicine brings academic medicine into the heart of local communities across the suburbs and beyond, close to where our patients live and work.

Northwestern Medicine is dedicated to providing the most advanced health care to the communities and patients we serve. The Northwestern Medicine clinical and administrative staff, medical and science faculty, and medical students come together every day with a shared commitment to superior quality, academic excellence, scientific discovery and patient safety.

Northwestern Medicine has:

  • More than 33,000 employees dedicated to exceptional service and care
  • More than 4,400 aligned physicians, including faculty, residents and scientists, offering treatment informed by the latest research from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
  • 6 hospitals honored by the Magnet® Recognition Program for meeting the highest standards for patient care and nursing excellence
  • Hundreds of locations throughout the Chicagoland area

CULTURE

Our Mission, Vision and Core Values

Whether directly providing patient care or supporting those who do, every Northwestern Medicine employee has an impact on the quality of the patient experience and the level of excellence we collectively achieve. This knowledge, expressed in our shared commitment to a single, patient-focused mission, unites us.

Mission

Northwestern Medicine is a premier integrated academic health system where the patient comes first.

  • We are all caregivers or someone who supports a caregiver.
  • We are here to improve the health of our community.
  • We have an essential relationship with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
  • We integrate education and research to continually improve excellence in clinical practice.
  • We serve a broad community and strive to bring the best in medicine closer to where patients live and work.

Vision

To be a premier integrated academic health system that will serve a broad community and bring the best in medicine—including breakthrough treatments and clinical trials enhanced through our affiliation with Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine—to a growing number of patients close to where they live and work.

Values

Patients first: Putting our patients first in all that we do

Integrity: Adhering to an uncompromising code of ethics that emphasizes complete honesty and sincerity

Teamwork: Team success over personal success

Excellence: Continuously striving to be better

  • “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” (2022): Top score and designated as “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” by the Disability Equality Index
  • “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” (2021): Top score and designated as “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” by the Disability Equality Index

 

 

Accommodations:
Vision Accommodations, Hearing Accommodations, Neurodiversity, Learning, Mental Health, Mobility