Patient Access Assistant I

General Summary

Works under direct supervision. Represents the System in a professional manner, using good customer service practices in the performance of the following duties: Inpatient admissions, Registration, Patient Arrival, and Kiosk support. Performs a variety of functions including, but not limited to; pre-service outreach to patients, greeting all customers with a warm and personal greeting, promotion and support of self-service tools, interviewing, preparing admitting and other related forms, assigning rooms for inpatients (as appropriate), monitor waiting areas, and preparing information and charges for billing purposes. Also performs a variety of functions related to cashiering and insurance verification.

Duties and Responsibilities

Essential Functions:

• Conducts patient interview to collect accurate financial, biographic and demographic information for admission or registration.
• Explains financial requirements to the patient or responsible party and collects deposits or deductibles as required. Explains insurance coverages and requirements for precertification/preauthorization, as applicable.
• Prepares pre-admission and admitting forms, facilitates room transfers, prepares admitting and discharge reports.
• Reviews pre-arrival, pre-admission, and admission information to ascertain missing registration components, verify insurance coverage and eligibility.
• Collects and reviews registrations to ensure accurate financial and demographic information has been obtained and properly entered into appropriate information systems.
• Makes bed assignments based on patient preference, condition and diagnosis.
• Receives payments from patients and issues receipts. Works with the patient while investigating overpayments and researching other outstanding accounts for additional resource funding.
• Reconciles daily cash and verifies account balances.
• Compiles and distributes information regarding patients' personal, insurance and financial status. Provides appropriate forms to billing and other departments.
• Reviews and prepares admitting and death or birth records to ensure compliance with medical-legal requirements.
• Verifies insurance benefits assigned to the organization to determine if insurance coverage meets appropriate standards. Corresponds with patients to acquire required authorizations and assignments of benefits.
• Maintains the insurance master file and updates as necessary.
• Works with appropriate sources to coordinate precertification requirements with PROs, HMOs and other contractual third parties.
• Assist patients with self-registration and arrival tasks on Welcome Kiosks or on patients’ personal devices.
• Receives payments from patients via the kiosk, manually when applicable, and issues receipts when requested.
• Works with the patient while investigating overpayments, researching or collecting outstanding account balances, payment plan options, and information on resource funding.

Common Expectations:

• Types and/or compiles correspondence and reports, photocopies information, files information, answers the telephone, takes messages and directs calls.
• Prepares and maintains records of patient charges.
• Maintains department records, reports, files and census statistics as required.
• Maintains established policies and procedures, objectives, quality assessment, safety, environmental and infection control standards.
• Participates in educational programs and inservice meetings.
• Provides outstanding service to all customers; fosters teamwork; and practices fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation.
• Provides outstanding service to all customers: Proactively approach and greet all guests with a warm and personal greeting.
• Fosters teamwork; and practices fiscal responsibility through improvement and innovation.

Required for All Jobs:

• Performs other related duties as identified.
• WellSpan Health has adopted and implemented a compliance program to support WellSpan's values and standards for professionalism, integrity, and ethics. Expected to support and meet the values and standards of the organization and the performance expectations of the job, the department, and the compliance program.
• WellSpan Health has adopted and implemented a privacy program to safeguard the patient information and the business and operational information of the organization. Expected to support and meet the values and standards of the organization to safeguard patient and business/operational information.

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified.

Physical Demands:

• Standing - Occasionally
• Walking - Occasionally
• Sitting - Frequently
• Reaching - Rarely
• Talking - Frequently
• Hearing - Frequently
• Repetitive Motions - Occasionally
• Eye/Hand/Foot Coordination - Occasionally

Qualifications

Minimum Education:

• High School Diploma or GED High School or G.E.D Required

Work Experience:

• Less than 1 year 3 - 6 months Required

Courses and Training:

• 6-8 week in-house registration procedures and medical terminology courses Upon Hire Required

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills