Patient Access Specialist

How would you like to work in a place where your contributions and ideas are valued? A place where you can serve with compassion, pursue excellence and honor every voice? At Wellstar, our mission is simple, yet powerful: to enhance the health and well‑being of every person we serve. We are proud to have become a shining example of what is possible when the brightest professionals dedicate themselves to making a difference in the healthcare industry, and in people’s lives.

Day (United States of America)

This job is typically the first point of contact and must ensure a pleasant experience for patients and visitors. It involves interviewing patients and/or their representatives to obtain complete and accurate demographic, financial and insurance information required for billing and collecting patient accounts. The candidate conducts intensive screening of all Medicare, Medicaid and managed‑care patients for pre‑certification requirements and provider service eligibility prior to registration, and obtains all necessary customer consents and attestations.

Additional duties include coordinating the collection of all estimated patient liabilities (co‑payments and unmet deductibles), verifying insurance benefits and coverage for inpatients and outpatients, responding to customer requests and answering questions regarding services and account information, analyzing and rectifying customer concerns using established procedures, accessing and updating customer records on the computer, verifying and posting transactions, processing receipts and cash, sorting and filing documents, assisting with general hospital information and directions to departments, and establishing financial arrangements to reduce financial risk for Well Star and ensure reimbursement for its services.

• Receives requests for reservations (patient scheduling) from physician offices and makes the necessary pre‑admission arrangements, referring to lists of dates allotted for scheduling, and advising physician office staff of unavailable dates.
• Interviews each patient or representative to obtain complete and accurate demographic, financial and insurance information.
• Enters all patient information into the registration system.
• Obtains all necessary signatures and is knowledgeable regarding any special forms that may be required by the patient’s third‑party payer.
• Reads physician orders to determine the procedures requested and to instruct patients accordingly.
• Escorts or arranges for patients to be escorted to procedure areas and assigned rooms.
• Makes corrections and updates patient account information in the computer.
• Obtains new medical record numbers for newborn admissions and other new patients.
• Documents thorough explanatory notes on patient accounts concerning any non‑routine circumstances, clarifying special billing processes.
• Maintains a working knowledge of available information system capabilities and performs all required system applications.
• Understands and applies WHS philosophy and objectives, and PAS policies and procedures as related to assigned duties, including the admission, outpatient and emergency registration process.
• Maintains confidentiality of patient information in accordance with WHS policy and HIPAA regulations.
• Consistently demonstrates the ability to organize work, recognizes and establishes appropriate work priorities, and completes work in a productive manner without creating backlogs.
• Maintains proficiency in data entry skills.
• Assists physicians and their office staff to expedite scheduling, pre‑admission, Medicaid screening and pre‑certifications on all accounts.
• Resolves errors and applicable claims, DNB and patient work queues.

• Greets all guests with a positive and professional attitude.
• Receives patients’ valuables for safekeeping in the hospital safe.
• Answers incoming phone calls and follows through with requests made.
• Maintains courteous and cooperative working relationships with WHS management, patients, physicians, other professional contacts and the general public; demonstrates the ability to tactfully handle…