Patient Access Associate - Emergency Department, Annapolis

Patient Access Associate - Emergency Department, Annapolis

The Patient Access Associate (PAA) is a hospital-based, non‑clinical healthcare professional who serves as the first point of contact for patients. In this pivotal role, the PAA ensures a positive patient experience during the registration and admission processes by accurately collecting essential demographic and financial information.

• Patient Identification & Documentation:
  • Greet patients and visitors courteously and professionally.
  • Accurately identify patients in the Master Patient Index to reduce erroneous duplicate medical records, maintaining a 98% accuracy rate in medical record creation.
  • Update demographics per legal identification.
  • Verify information on armbands before placing them on patients.
  • Explain required documents verbally, obtain signatures appropriately, and document any inability to obtain signatures correctly, including immediate scanning into EMR, per process.
  • Process all ‘unable to sign’ consents per process, following legal algorithms to research and communicate with patient contacts to obtain appropriate surrogate; if unable to find surrogate, escalated to next steps (Care Management).
• Patient Registration & Insurance Verification:
  • Conduct face‑to‑face interviews to accurately obtain and process patient demographic and financial information, maintaining a minimum accuracy rate of 97% for error‑free registrations.
  • Process and act on Real‑Time Eligibility (RTE) messages, including adding, terminating, and correcting coverages.
  • Identify all true self‑pay patients accurately and forward to Medicaid eligibility and application staff, ensuring only true self‑pay patients are screened.
  • Scan all required documents into patient records and place HAR notes on accounts when necessary.
  • Identify and resolve insurance verification issues, informing patients of available options, including financial assistance.
• Regulatory Compliance & Customer Service:
  • Ensure all patients receive necessary regulatory information and enter appropriate documentation in the EMR (e.g., HIPAA, Patient Rights Brochure, IMM, NOOS, ABN, etc.).
  • Explain hospital policies, procedures, and financial responsibilities to patients and their families, providing excellent customer service.
• Appointment Scheduling:
  • Schedule appointments, surgeries, and other medical procedures according to patient and provider preferences.
  • Verify insurance coverage and obtain pre‑authorizations as needed.
• Financial Communication:
  • Communicate financial responsibilities to patients and collect funds in accordance with established protocols.
  • Make referrals to Charity Care and Medical Assistance when needed.
• Workflow Management:
  • Answer and direct incoming and external calls promptly.
  • Independently prioritize work, including work queue management, patient registrations, insurance verification, and other assigned tasks to meet performance and productivity standards within department deadlines.
  • Identify and correct errors in accounts using appropriate tools (e.g., Next Bar, One Source).
• Meeting and Training Participation:
  • Attend departmental staff meetings or watch videos when absent.
  • Attend all required in‑person training/in‑services and complete all educational assignments within the required timeframe.
  • Read and respond to emails during each shift.
• Adherence to Policies & Values:
  • Adhere to hospital policies and procedures, including timely arrival, minimal absences, appropriate attire, readiness for work, and minimal personal electronic usage.
  • Adhere to the RISE values, contributing to a positive work environment that promotes teamwork, collaboration, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Additional Responsibilities:
  • Perform other duties as assigned by the Director, Manager, or Supervisor.

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• 0–11 months of direct Patient Access or healthcare registration experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to interact with patients, families, and clinical teams.
• Demonstrated ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a high‑paced healthcare environment.
• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy…