What are the responsibilities and job description for the Director, Patient Access, Inova Alexandria position at Inova Health?
Job Description
The Director of Patient Access leads a patient access team and operations to meet or exceed patient experience, operational, financial, and strategic goals. This role has oversight and directs all scheduling, registration, and admitting functions at Enterprise Emergency departments and “point-of-service” locations and in support of ambulatory clinics, treatment areas, outpatient service centers, and inpatient units. Serves as a Hospital and system resource to all stakeholders including senior leaders. Collaborates with other patient access leadership to optimize front-end processes to ensure accurate patient registration and scheduling, optimize cash collections, and reduce front-end denial errors. Develops, implements, and provides continuing support of process improvement initiatives and strategic use of new technologies. This position, in collaboration with operational leadership, clinicians, and staff, is tasked with identifying and implementing strategies to promote interdepartmental collaboration, engage staff, ensure consistent quality, promote operational efficiency and process improvements, enhance the patient experience, accomplish revenue cycle targets, and meet regulatory compliance guidelines. Drives a patient-focused culture with an emphasis on accountability, customer service, and empathy.
Director, Patient Access, IAH Job Responsibilities
We are Inova, Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Every day, our 25,000 team members provide world-class healthcare to the communities we serve. Our people are the reason we're a national leader in healthcare safety, quality and patient experience. And from best-in-class facilities to professional development opportunities, we support them at every step. At Inova, we're constantly striving to be ever better — to shape a more compassionate future for healthcare.
Inova Health System is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy (including childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions and lactation), race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristics protected by law.
The Director of Patient Access leads a patient access team and operations to meet or exceed patient experience, operational, financial, and strategic goals. This role has oversight and directs all scheduling, registration, and admitting functions at Enterprise Emergency departments and “point-of-service” locations and in support of ambulatory clinics, treatment areas, outpatient service centers, and inpatient units. Serves as a Hospital and system resource to all stakeholders including senior leaders. Collaborates with other patient access leadership to optimize front-end processes to ensure accurate patient registration and scheduling, optimize cash collections, and reduce front-end denial errors. Develops, implements, and provides continuing support of process improvement initiatives and strategic use of new technologies. This position, in collaboration with operational leadership, clinicians, and staff, is tasked with identifying and implementing strategies to promote interdepartmental collaboration, engage staff, ensure consistent quality, promote operational efficiency and process improvements, enhance the patient experience, accomplish revenue cycle targets, and meet regulatory compliance guidelines. Drives a patient-focused culture with an emphasis on accountability, customer service, and empathy.
Director, Patient Access, IAH Job Responsibilities
- Provides direction and oversight to team members who provide patient access to receive inpatient and outpatient services at Inova, including Registration/Check In/Check out, Outpatient, Ambulatory, and Emergency departments. This includes the major functions of pre-admission, pre-certification, registration, and registration for direct admissions. Directs the managers for Pre-Registration and Enterprise Registration/Admitting and provides them with the necessary tools to ensure the patient access areas operate effectively. Oversees all registration/entry points to ensure accurate and timely patient flow. Develops the necessary structure and function to deliver high patient satisfaction throughout the patient access cycle.
- Provides oversight of new and established patient populations, pre-registrations, financial verifications, authorizations, registration/ check-in, admitting, and financial counseling for all scheduled and unscheduled patients. Works with service lines and clinical department leaders routinely to resolve barriers and opportunities.
- Provides complex data analytics to senior leaders and responds to requests as needed. Navigates systems such as Kronos, Epic, Tableau, and Oracle. Represents Inova on internal and external committees to stay on the cutting edge of new processes and technology.
- Works closely with revenue cycle functional areas such as Hospital and Professional billing, reimbursement, coding, and Payor contracting. Serves as a system “subject matter expert” and resource to clinical and administrative teams
- Creates, reviews, interprets, evaluates, and communicates policies and procedures related to hospital and system-wide operations and state, federal, and local requirements
- Plans, oversees, and accesses monthly reports for timeliness and quality; ensures that compliance and quality standards are met; Continually improves areas of opportunity.
- Works with other departments, physicians and nurses to coordinate the transmission of key patient financial data/pre-authorizations and the scheduling/registration of patients.
- Serves as the key liaison between Patient Accounts and Registration to ensure that issues affecting cash flow performance are identified and the appropriate changes are made. Monitors account denials and develops/implements corrective action plans to mitigate denials due to lack of precertification, coordination of benefits, etc. Monitors financial performance to ensure budgeted revenue/expense ratios are met. Develops work plans and schedules to ensure appropriate staffing levels.
- Takes ownership of optimal POS collections, financial yield, and accounts receivable management.
- Oversees assigned department or functional area to ensure it is performing effectively, which may include but not limited to, preparing and implementing business strategy to achieve the organization’s goals, ensuring legal compliance, communicating and collaborating with stakeholders, managing employment decisions and contributions of supporting team members, and managing departmental budget and fiscal success.
- May perform additional duties as assigned.
- 7 years of related professional experience in Healthcare Administration, Finance, Revenue Cycle, or related field.
- Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Finance, or a related field or an additional four years of experience in lieu of a degree.
- 3 years of progressive leadership experience in patient access, revenue cycle, or healthcare administration.
- Experience managing registration, scheduling, financial counseling, pre-authorization, and insurance verification teams.
- Familiarity with healthcare revenue cycle operations and patient financial services in a large, highly matrixed organization.
- Experience with EHR/EMR systems (Epic).
We are Inova, Northern Virginia’s leading nonprofit healthcare provider. Every day, our 25,000 team members provide world-class healthcare to the communities we serve. Our people are the reason we're a national leader in healthcare safety, quality and patient experience. And from best-in-class facilities to professional development opportunities, we support them at every step. At Inova, we're constantly striving to be ever better — to shape a more compassionate future for healthcare.
Inova Health System is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, disability, gender identity or expression, marital status, national or ethnic origin, political affiliation, pregnancy (including childbirth, pregnancy-related conditions and lactation), race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristics protected by law.
