Access Specialist 1-30427

Rush University Medical Center; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 25,761,000 - 85,188,000; Full time

Job summary

Rush University Medical Center is seeking an Access Center Specialist I in Chicago, IL. The specialist handles clinical and non-clinical calls, schedules appointments, triages basic needs, and manages referrals to support access and revenue cycle objectives.

The role emphasizes patient service, accurate documentation, and collaboration with practice staff. Requires high school diploma; bachelor’s degree or equivalent preferred; CHAA preferred; strong typing and MS Office skills are expected.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma required.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience strongly preferred.
• CHAA certification preferred.
• Excellent communication and customer service skills; ability to type 40 WPM and use MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Answers calls and schedules patients per guidelines.
• Escalates non scheduling questions to RN triage or clinics.
• Document and route inquiries using Epic, Salesforce and Genesys.
• Support Epic scheduling builds and referrals as needed.
• Maintain patient privacy and accurate information in systems.
• Collaborate with Access Center and practice staff to meet goals.

Skills

Communication

Customer service

Attention to detail

Typing speed 40 WPM

Microsoft Office

Teamwork

Education

High School Diploma

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience

CHAA preferred

Tools

Epic Cadence

Salesforce

Genesys

Microsoft Office Suite

Job description

Location: Chicago, Illinois

Business Unit: Rush Medical Center

Hospital: Rush University Medical Center

Department: Access Center Specialty Care

Work Type: Full Time (Total FTE between 0.9 and 1.0)

Shift: Shift 1

Work Schedule: 8 Hr (8:00:00 AM - 4:30:00 PM)

Rush offers exceptional rewards and benefits learn more at our Rush benefits page (https://www.rush.edu/rush-careers/employee-benefits).

Pay Range: $18.87 - $29.73 per hour

Rush salaries are determined by many factors including, but not limited to, education, job-related experience and skills, as well as internal equity and industry specific market data. The pay range for each role reflects Rush’s anticipated wage or salary reasonably expected to be offered for the position. Offers may vary depending on the circumstances of each case.

Summary

The RUSH Access Center Specialist I manages all clinical and non-clinical calls and performs clinic activities including routine and advanced scheduling, basic triage, message taking, and referral management. The RUSH Access Center Specialist I collaborates with Access Center team members and practice staff to meet overall access, revenue cycle and scheduling objectives while exceeding customers’ expectations. Exemplifies the Rush mission, vision and values and acts in accordance with Rush policies and procedures.

Other Information

High School Diploma required.

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience in patient care or related setting such as clinic, ambulatory care center, medical call center, or physician office strongly preferred.

Bilingual skills a plus.

Certified Healthcare Access Associate (CHAA) preferred.

Skills: Excellent communication and outstanding customer service and listening skills required. Critical thinking, sound judgment and strong problem-solving skills essential. Must be team-oriented, open minded, flexible, and willing to learn. Strong attention to detail and accuracy required. Need the ability to type 40 WPM and process basic Microsoft Office, Outlook and Word experience.

Abilities: Ability to prioritize and function effectively, efficiently and accurately in a multi-tasking, complex, fast paced and challenging call center environment. Ability to act responsibly and quickly with sound judgement when problem solving. Ability to utilize Epic Cadence efficiently. Employees hired into this role must successfully pass the Epic scheduling test. Ability to listen to patients and process needs while simultaneously documenting in Epic.

Disclaimer

The above is intended to describe the general content of and requirements for the performance of this job. It is not to be construed as an exhaustive statement of duties, responsibilities or requirements.

Date Reviewed

Date Revised:

Responsibilities

• Answers all telephone calls within your work assignment as designated by your leadership with the goals of accurately scheduling patients as determined by departmental and Epic guidelines.
• Evaluates non-scheduling related patient inquiries including clinical related calls; routes and escalates all inquiries following departmental and epic clinical guidelines inclusive of warm transfers to RN triage and/or to clinics.
• Assesses the caller’s need and responds with critical judgment and ensures the appropriate resolution for the inquiry or issue. Understands when to escalates calls to nurse, and/or RUSH Access Center leadership.
• Responsible for leveraging Salesforce and Genesys platforms to optimize patient interactions and workflow efficiency. Ensures accurate documentation, routing, and resolution of patient inquiries through integrated systems.
• Proactively monitor areas of concern or uncertainty relating to the practices and suggest possible resolutions around access Epic build issues.
• Exhibits strong understanding of specialized RUSH Access Center processes including but not limited to questionnaires, subgroups, auto search, pre-registration, message templates, radiology workflows, and referral capture and insurance plan networks.
• Adheres to service specialized workflows for multiple specialty departments. Follows protocols built in Epic and documented practices scheduling requirements.
• Responsible for accurately documenting appointment information and notifying the patient of information critical to their visit.
• Drives and supports the RUSH revenue cycle by minimizing potential financial risk of patient accounts through patient insurance registration activities. This includes but is not limited to discussing the patient’s financial responsibility for their upcoming visit, outstanding balances, and referral requirements based on Rush contracts.
• Effectively completes point of service collections over the phone using secure payment processing systems via multiple payment options, such as credit/debit cards and/or payment plans.
• Maintains a high level of understanding and acts as a patient resource for physician and ancillary service offerings, navigating the Rush campus, payment categories, and the billing procedures of Rush University.
• Exhibits sensitivity to patient health information and protects confidentiality. Always maintains privacy for patient and employee information.
• Enhances the reputation of the RUSH Access Center by fostering ownership and personal responsibility for exceeding patient service expectations through accountability for actions and decisions setting a positive example to peers, coworkers, departments and patients.
• Promotes a positive and productive environment, supporting teamwork and communication.
• Works cooperatively in a team environment and supports a flexible structure to ensure the success of the RUSH Access Center.
• Utilizes customer service skills to exceed the patient’s needs.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.