Patient Access Specialists are instrumental in ensuring the efficient and effective flow of patient access needs throughout Billings Clinic. Responsible for greeting and registering patients, gathering appropriate demographic and insurance information, scheduling appointments, ordering laboratory tests and ancillary services and the collection of co-payments. Position must fully understand the ramification and impact of incomplete or inaccurate information to revenue cycle.  May float to other areas within the clinic to include nursing units, rehabilitations services, etc. to assist with patient flow.

Essential Job Functions

REGISTRATION & SCHEDULING

• Greets patients and identifies any red flag symptoms requiring triage/assessment by nurse, completes on-line registration information gathering complete demographic and insurance information that results in the ability to provide correct information for patients, guarantor, and insurance follow-up. Competently and courteously educates patients about various forms that require their signature.
• Schedules, reschedules and coordinates appointments in a manner that meets the patient’s needs and assists the department in the management of patient flow utilizing knowledge of physician/non-physician scheduling protocols. May schedule and enter orders for ancillary services via the information systems. Instructs patients on specific preparations and/or restrictions necessary to prepare for ancillary procedures as defined by clinical protocols. Floats to provide front desk support at the various nursing units as may be needed.
• Initiates collection of co-payments in accordance with each patient’s individual insurance requirements. Also collect deposits on account from self-pay patients. Accepts all other payments on accounts and provides cash receipts for all transactions. Maintains and reconciles cash drawer bank deposit by following written reconciliation policies and procedures ensuring each cash drawer balances daily.
• Assists walk-in patients with non-encounter-based access (i.e., blood pressure checks) and coordination of communication with the clinical providers or other patient care staff as appropriate.
• Coordinates with patients, providers, nursing staff to ensure Medicaid Passport and other authorizations for referrals required by insurance carriers are obtained and entered into the scheduling system for reimbursement purposes.
• Performs patient check out/procedure scheduling processes.
• Responsible for monitoring waiting areas to ensure areas are clean and neat, coffee bar is stocked and ready during business hours and monitoring to ensure patient flow is optimized and wait times do not exceed 15 minutes.
• Responsible for pre-review of charge tickets for completeness including passport provider information, referring information, performing provider information, diagnosis and CPT codes. Coordinates with nursing and provider staff to resolve missing or incomplete information for charge entry and coding processes. Performs charge entry primarily at month-end to ensure timely capture of revenue.
• Prints and reconciles the missing encounter to ensure all encounter forms are accounted for. Provides appropriate communication to the clinic department manager.
• Responsible for receiving all incoming faxes, mail, freight and packages and for timely distribution to appropriate areas.

CALL CENTER RESPONSIBILITIES

• Responsible to courteously and accurately answer and direct physician and consumer telephone calls per department standards in a clear audible voice. Pages, transfers and delivers calls to appropriate destinations using predetermined question format. Articulates pages in a friendly, clear, readable and concise manner. Responds to basic inquiries regarding Billings Clinic services and program offerings and physician specialty information.     

HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT (HIM) RESPONSIBILITIES

• Perform duties of HIM Specialist I to include but not limited to phones, filing, scanning, chart pulls and chart files, and mail.
• a) Answer telephone and is responsible for responding to a variety of requests to include but not limited to: accurately fill requests; requests for patient charts; and other information as may be needed. Responds to requests for patient charts in a timely manner by pulling and sending the chart to the appropriate requestor.
• b) Performs chart pulls for next day appointments. Review each morning to ensure any appointments that have been added on are accounted for. Distribute files to the appropriate nursing areas for the day’s appointments.
• c) Retrieves patient charts at end of day.
• d) Greets and assists customers arriving in the department with requests for protected health information. Obtains needed authorizations. Copies medical record after authorization has been reviewed for validity. Also assists physician customers by providing medical records for chart completion or other needs. Provide requestors with information regarding the status of their request for patient information.
• d) Scans documents into the Cerner information system for services performed outside the clinic (e.g., non-Billings Clinic hospitals, laboratory, radiology, physician notes, etc.) in order to provide a complete medical record to meet patient care needs.

GENERAL DUTIES

• Provides basic back up support and assistance for the Technical Assistant and/or Manager. May perform a variety of clerical and administrative support tasks to include but not limited to: copying, filing, assisting with set up for lunches, meeting agendas, minutes, etc.
• Utilizes performance improvement principles to assess and improve quality.
• Identifies needs and sets goals for own growth and development; meets all mandatory organizational and departmental requirements.
• Maintains competency in all organizational, departmental and outside agency environmental, employee or patient safety standards relevant to job performance.
• Performs other duties as assigned or needed to meet the needs of the department/organization.

Minimum Qualifications

Education

• High School diploma or GED equivalent
• Some college or healthcare focused classes preferred such as medical terminology, medical office practices, etc. preferred

Experience

• Customer service experience

Or an equivalent combination of education and experience relating to the above tasks, knowledge, skills and abilities will be considered