Patient Registration Specialist

Description

SUMMARY OF RESPONSIBILITIES

The position of Patient Registration Specialist is responsible for relaying incoming telephone calls and greeting visitors in a professional manner while performing various patient intake duties.

Essential Functions:

• Consistently provides excellent patient service by maintaining the highest degree of courtesy, confidentiality, and professionalism, by, among other things, checking patients in timely and efficiently. Ensures that new patients complete paperwork, provide copies of relevant documents, complete Meaningful Use tasks, confirm appropriate pharmacy locations and address, and keep documents in an organized and secure manner. For follow-up visits, this position confirms demographic information and makes all necessary notations in the patient’s file with respect to contact information, addresses, and insurance providers.
• Greets all patients with enthusiasm and a smile upon entry and exit from PTCOA/ISI. Operates and answer multi-line telephone system, takes accurate messages, and transfers telephone calls to appropriate individuals in an efficient manner.
• Collects patient co-pays or payments on outstanding balances. As such, this position is responsible for conducting a daily accounting and balance of the cash drawer, processing credit card payments, posting payments to patient records, and maintaining a spreadsheet of all payments received and used in reconciling payments.
• Notifies UDT Collector of patients needing to provide samples. 
• Assists with patient scheduling and rescheduling.
• Performs pre-registration/registration processes for all scheduled visits, verifies eligibility, submits notifications. Handles a high volume of scheduled appointments without degradation of work quality.
• Verifies patient’s demographics and accurately inputs this information into the Practice Management System, including documenting the accounts thoroughly.
• Verifies and understands insurance benefits, documents patient’s responsibility based on copays/estimates at the time of service in a timely fashion prior to the patient being scheduled.
• Communicates with patients in a proactive, professional, and courteous fashion in order to attain any necessary information for appropriate account updates and benefits investigation.
• Communicates with administrative and clinical staff to resolve issues and/or patient concerns.
• Research coverage criteria with insurance companies, other third-party documentation, and compendiums to determine eligibility for services in a timely manner. Utilize multiple insurance healthcare websites and portals.
• Independently investigates, documents, and operationalizes payor-specific requirements for unique / specialized eligibility scenarios.
• Assists patients and guarantors with coordination of benefits as required.
• Attains referrals from third party payors as required and appropriately documents in system, in accordance with the standards and policies developed by the departments.
• Coordinates and Re-Schedules appointments as necessary
• Assists patients, team members, and visitors in a courteous and professional manner always in accordance with PTCOA.
• Acts as a backup and performs any duties performed by the other Patient Access Eligibility Specialists team members.
• Completes daily assignments/work lists.
• Updates insurance carriers for established patients.
• Facilitates and participates in gathering accurate patient billing information.
• Support the patient privacy/confidentiality policies and regulations under HIPAA for patients and their medical records.
• Enters patient, referrals, and correspondence/communication actions and other data in an information system.
• Daily work is accomplished with minimal direct supervision.
• Gathers pertinent information from insurance carriers, financial counselors, and other ancillary staff to make certain the patient’s financial obligations for services provided.
• Other responsibilities and projects assigned by management as needed.
• Demonstrate impeccable integrity in a professional and courteous manner at all times.
• Coordinates visits with sales representatives, meetings, and addresses any applicable questions that arise as to scheduling.
• Arrives at scheduled start times dependably and punctually. Prior to departure, and as available throughout the day, prepare for the next day by organizing the reception area, copying forms, and otherwise organizing the waiting area.
• Receives and sign for packages and delivers to the appropriate person promptly.

Requirements

CORE COMPETENCIES AND CORPORATE DUTIES/ RESPONSIBILITIES

• Participate in continuing education/training activities including monthly online training.
• Assist patients, family members, and internal/external clients with concern and empathy; respect their confidentiality and privacy and communicate with them in a courteous and respectful manner.
• Answer and refer telephone calls or other inquiries to ensure accurate and timely communications are facilitated.
• Identify yourself in a pleasant and positive manner.
• Take responsibility for helping the caller.
• Take directions and initiate actions (cross/additional training) that will allow the assumption of cross-functional duties to ensure seamless workflow.
• Demonstrate ability to handle emergency or crisis situations in a prompt, precise, and professional manner.
• Demonstrate sound judgment by taking appropriate actions regarding questionable findings or concerns.
• Investigate and follow through on unusual orders or requests for service or information.
• Follow proper reporting procedures for actual or potential accidents and/or incidents so follow up and/or prevention can occur.
• Record/report the need for service maintenance or repair of equipment and remove any faulty equipment from service.
• Consistently evaluate work and determine if further steps are needed to meet client expectations.
• Take initiative to do to redo inadequate or incomplete work, even if it is not yours.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory standards.
• Consistently demonstrate ability to respond to changing situations in a flexible manner in order to meet current needs, such as reprioritizing work as necessary.
• Minimize non-productive time and fill slow periods with activities that will enable you to prepare to meet the future needs of the company (education, organizing, housekeeping, assisting others).
• Organize job functions and work area to be able to effectively complete varied assignments within established time frames.
• Consistently demonstrate ability to take the initiative to make decisions/choices without direct supervision.
• Adhere to administrative and departmental policies.
• Demonstrate regular attendance and timeliness.
• Do not incur excessive overtime.
• Remain conscientious in regard to personal hygiene.
• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of all policies and procedures and ability to reference them from appropriate sources.
• Demonstrate adherence and support of company-wide service standards as evidenced by observation and feedback from patients, family members, and other clients.
• Must interact and exchange personnel, and outside agencies on a frequent basis while respecting the confidentiality of patient information.
• Must be able to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.
• Must be able to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, or oral form
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Demonstrate a high attention to detail.
• Strong organization, filing, and time management skills.
• Basic computer literacy and typing.

REQUIRED EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND/OR CERTIFICATIONS

The position requires a high school diploma or educational equivalent. Two (2) years of prior medical office experience is preferred. 

WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL DEMANDS

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are expected to include 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Monday through Thursday) or otherwise as assigned. Occasional overtime may be required. The position operates in a professional office environment and the incumbent, in the course of performing this position, spends time writing, typing, speaking, listening, driving, seeing (such as close, color and peripheral vision, depth perception and adjusted focus), sitting, walking, standing, and reaching. The incumbent may operate any or all of the following standard office equipment including but not limited to multi-line telephone system, postage meter, facsimile machines, calculator, photocopy machine, computer/printer, and coffee maker. The work environment characteristics and physical demands described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job.