Patient Access Associate

Overview

The Patient Access Representative is responsible for facilitating patient admission, registration, insurance verification, and scheduling, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in the registration process. The role addresses patient inquiries and manages patient way finding. The role also supports administrative tasks and ensures compliance with financial and insurance procedures.

At UnityPoint Health, you matter. We’re proud to be recognized as a Top 150 Place to Work in Healthcare by Becker's Healthcare several years in a row for our commitment to our team members.

Our competitive Total Rewards program offers benefits options that align with your needs and priorities, no matter what life stage you’re in. Here are just a few:

• Expect paid time off, parental leave, 401K matching and an employee recognition program.

• Dental and health insurance, paid holidays, short and long-term disability and more. We even offer pet insurance for your four-legged family members.

• Early access to earned wages with Daily Pay, tuition reimbursement to help further your career and adoption assistance to help you grow your family.

With a collective goal to champion a culture of belonging where everyone feels valued and respected, we honor the ways people are unique and embrace what brings us together.

And, we believe equipping you with support and development opportunities is a vital part of delivering an exceptional employment experience.

Find a fulfilling career and make a difference with UnityPoint Health.

• Accurately and thoroughly collects, analyzes and records demographic, insurance/financial and clinical data in computer system. Ensures information source is appropriate.
• Updates and edits information in computer, ensuring that all fields are populated correctly and appropriately.
• Completes eligibility check and obtain benefits though electronic means or via phone contact with insurance carriers or other agencies.
• Contacts patients/families/physicians to obtain additional demographic/insurance information and update in computer system if needed to proceed with verification process.
• Interpret physicians’ hand-carried orders to determine service needs and scans physician orders or verifies that complete and valid orders are on file for each patient.
• Obtains information and completes MSPQ and other payer-specific documents.
• Reviews and explains all registration forms prior to obtaining signatures from patient or appropriate patient representative.
• Explain benefits and request copay, deductible and coinsurance as applicable after developing an estimate applying allowable (based on payer).
• Identifies prearranged payment commitment and follows instructions as outlined by the financial clearance department.
• Completes registration checklist.
• Ensure that all monies collected are posted to the correct patient account and are secure or turned over to appropriate associates/cash posting specialists. Provides receipt of payment.
• Balances cash drawer at the end of each shift to ensure cash, checks and payments made by credit card are accounted for and balance transactions.
• Meets defined / established collection goals of the health system.
• Identifies patients in financial hardship and refer to Patient Financial Coordinators/Certified Application Counselors for charity/financial assistance.
• Refers to Cash Posting Specialists requiring payment plans.
• Responsible for maintaining knowledge of EMTALA regulations and following these regulations.
• Remains aware of state (IA) and federal laws in regard to registration processes.
• Ensures each patient’s identification band is correct by asking the patient to review the information and initial the band and then assure it is securely fastened upon completion of this identification process.
• Ensures that medical necessity has been established when scheduled testing doesn’t meet requirements or that the patient signs a waiver of non-covered service prior to testing.
• Notify patients of need for Advanced Beneficiary Notice (ABN) for Medicare.
• Documents on accounts using hospital account note with activity comments to ensure easy account follow-up.
• Identifies…