Access Specialist I - ED

100 Albany Med Health System; Spiro (OK); On-site; USD 46,215 - 60,080; Full time

Job summary

100 Albany Med Health System in Spiro, Oklahoma is seeking a dedicated Admitting Operations position. The role involves critical patient registration tasks including data collection and managing communications in a busy environment.

Ideal candidates will have experience in customer service or hospital settings, and a strong ability to multitask under stress. The position requires excellent communication skills and offers a chance to support patient care in a vital healthcare setting.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years of customer service experience, or hospital/clinic experience preferred.
• Ability to manage contained bodily fluids.
• Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for accurate patient identification.
• Conduct bedside registration and ensure all necessary information is collected.
• Interact with external agency personnel effectively.

Skills

Customer service orientation

Excellent communication skills

Conflict management

Multitasking

Education

High School Diploma/G.E.D.

Associate’s Degree

Tools

Multi-line telephone system

Job description

Department/Unit: Admitting Operations
Work Shift: Day (United States of America)
Salary Range: $46,215.00 - $60,080.00

Disciplines

• Triage of walk-in patients – quick data collection and entry in ADT System, placement of patient wristband for safety, acquisition of regulatory signature on HIXNY Consent. If the patient is seen by a provider, complete full registration including General Consent and collection of financial responsibility.
• ED Zone Support – answering a multi-line (10) telephone, managing all inquiries, transferring calls, discharging patients via the medical record, and verifying all laboratory specimens placed in a hazardous bag for accurate labeling by a nurse or provider.
• Bedside Registration – collection of demographic information, insurance details, regulatory consent forms, and financial responsibility at the patient’s bedside.
• EMS Desk – shadow answer EMS Radio (Ambulance Agency calls from the field) and provide brief patient description, age, complaint, vital signs, and ambulance agency capture. Responsible for accurate identification of the patient, often with no identification, EMS inaccuracy of capture, and management of UNKNOWN Patient policy and procedure.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Responsible for accurate patient identification in a highly stressful situation; a patient‑safety measure.
• Bedside registration, including completing work from a WOW and collecting Medicare regulatory information (MSPQ).
• Identifying and verifying insurance at bedside, collecting additional information for No‑Fault or Worker’s Compensation cases.
• Ensure Access’ expectations of key clinical measures are executed and timeframes met (e.g., Chest pain – Door to EKG notification).
• Review, assess, and assign the appropriate health insurance plan; collect copayment, if applicable, at bedside.
• Interact effectively with external agency personnel: EMS Agencies, Law Enforcement Agencies, and Correction Facilities.
• Capture patient’s pharmacy information in support of expedited discharge by nurse and physician.
• Answer multi‑line telephone calls and manage all calls calmly, courteously, and respectfully.
• Capture brief information via Ambulance Radio, including patient description, age, chief complaint, and vital signs.
• Manage the ED Patient Tracker and complete the Access Specialist’s tasks as identified.
• Verify laboratory specimens and ensure timely send to the laboratory.
• Manage daily workflow during scheduled and unscheduled system downtimes, following downtime procedures.
• Ensure EMTALA regulations are maintained.

Functional Competencies

• Social and Emotional Intelligence – ability to deal with a diverse population, including critically injured, mentally disturbed, and belligerent individuals.
• Patient‑centric – customer service orientation.
• Conflict Management – team‑oriented support.
• Adaptability to high‑stress situations.
• Excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma/G.E.D. – required; Associate’s Degree – preferred.
• 1–3 years of customer service experience, or hospital/clinic experience – preferred.
• Ability to keep composure in a high‑stress environment.
• Ability to multitask in stressful, high‑patient volume units; manage pressure of high‑intensity situations.
• Good judgement and resourceful problem‑solving; escalation of issues as needed.
• Ability to manage contained bodily fluids.
• Manage a multi‑line telephone system; paging required.
• Push 35–50lb WOW; stand for long periods of time (sneakers permitted).
• Equivalent combination of relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Physical Demands

• Standing – constant; walking – constant; sitting – constant.
• Lifting – constant (35–50lbs); pulling – constant (35–50lbs); pushing – rarely; climbing – rarely.
• Bowing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling, reaching, handling – rarely.
• Grasping – occasionally; feeling – occasionally.
• Talking – frequently; hearing – constant.
• Repetitive motions – frequently.
• Eye/hand/foot coordination – frequently.
• Extreme cold, heat, humidity, wet, noise, hazards, temperature change, atmospheric conditions, vibration – rarely.

Albany Medical Center is an equal opportunity employer. Access to information is based on a “need to know” and is the minimum necessary to properly perform assigned duties. Use or disclosure shall not exceed the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish an intended purpose. Reasonable efforts, consistent with Albany Medical Center policies and standards, shall be made to ensure that information is adequately protected from unauthorized access and modification.