Behavioral Health Receptionist / Patient Support Associate

Serve-the-People-Community-Health-Center-1; Santa Ana (CA); On-site; USD 22,000 - 30,000; Full time

Job summary

Serve-the-People Community Health Center in Santa Ana, CA is seeking a Patient Services Associate to support clinicians with registration, scheduling, and front-office duties. You will handle pre-registration, determine financial eligibility, manage appointment flow, and assist patients with records and payments.

Responsibilities include coordinating with clinical teams, balancing daily cash, and maintaining patient demographics with care.

Qualifications

• High school diploma required or equivalent.
• Basic computer literacy and basic arithmetic skills.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and record keeping.
• Experience with EMR/EHR systems.
• Spanish language skills preferred.

Responsibilities

• Pre-registers all patients for assigned clinicians, asking and recording answers to all pre-registration questions.
• Accurately schedules for assigned clinicians, ensuring schedules reflect appropriate clinician time.
• Monitors no-shows/cancellations and spots for walk-ins or add-ons.
• Greets patients and visitors in a prompt, courteous, and helpful manner.
• Performs financial transactions at the time of the visit, including collecting co-payments and recording unpaid amounts.
• Maintains confidentiality of medical records and HIPAA compliance.

Skills

Basic computer literacy

Arithmetic skills

Customer service

Organizational skills

Multitasking

Teamwork

Ability to follow procedures

Education

High school diploma or equivalent

Tools

EMR/EHR systems

Job description

Description

***This is a Full Time (FT) Position***

The Patient Services Associate plays a key role in supporting clinicians by providing both direct and indirect clerical and appointment coordination services. This position is responsible for pre-registration, financial eligibility determination, appointment scheduling, and overseeing front office and registration functions as part of one or more clinical teams. The Patient Services Associate ensures that all relevant information and actions are communicated clearly to the appropriate clinician(s), contributing to a seamless patient experience. Acting as a liaison between clinical teams, patients, external agencies, and internal departments, this role is essential in maintaining efficient workflows and supporting quality patient care. The following statements for this position reflect only some specific responsibilities and are considered necessary to describe the principal functions of the job as identified and shall not be considered a detailed description of all duties required that may be inherent in the position:

• Works cooperatively with any triage nurse to ensure that the clinician sees patients as quickly as possible.
• Accurately schedules for assigned clinicians, ensuring that schedule reflects appropriate clinician and effective use of clinical hours.
• Monitors no-shows/cancellations for available slots where walk-ins or add-ons can be placed.
• Pre-registers all patients for assigned clinicians, asking and recording answers to all pre-registration questions.
• Deletes the day’s cancellations from the computer.
• Greets patients and visitors in a prompt, courteous, and helpful manner.
• Attaches all appropriate paperwork such as financial assistance forms and POS reports to encounter forms.
• Performs financial transactions at the time of the visit, including collecting all co-payments and keeping a record of unpaid amounts.
• Assists patients in obtaining records from other facilities, including getting appropriate signatures on medical records release forms.
• Performs financial transactions at the time of the visit, including collecting all co-payments and keeping a record of unpaid amounts.
• Accurately closes the day and balances cash bag.
• Answers telephones, handling calls as needed and taking messages when appropriate.
• Maintains appropriate boundaries concerning medical advice, patient triage and priority of communication to clinicians; refers calls to the triage nurse for all issues outside of routine appointments, refill requests or test result messages.
• Evaluate financial status of all patients and assist patients with enrollment applications.
• Determine patient eligibility for appropriate programs.
• Follow up on all pending applications to ensure enrollment process is completed.
• Educate the patient regarding financial responsibility and SCHC policies regarding payment.
• Assist in training as needed.
• Communicates frequently with the clinical team regarding patient requests, scheduling issues or other aspects of duties.
• Effectively maintains and protects the confidentiality of all medical records and patient information as well as report any safety hazards.
• Attend seminars and trainings to maintain current knowledge or financial programs.
• Maintain accuracy of patient demographics and financial information in PMS.
• Prepares for next day’s clinic.
• Alerts Lead Visit Coordinator or designated person to needed supplies/equipment.
• Adhere to HIPAA regulations and other relevant laws to protect patient privacy and confidentiality in all communications.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the executive leadership and administration.

Requirements

Education, Certification, and Experience Requirements

• High school diploma required or equivalent
• Basic computer literacy and basic arithmetic skills
• High level of skill in maintaining calm, professional, courteous and helpful demeanor in times of pressure and stress.
• Skill in making appropriate decisions to benefit patients and meet company objectives.
• Ability to prioritize work and complete it on a timely basis with minimal supervision.
• Can work well in a team setting but also independent enough to take charge when needed.
• Ability to follow procedures.
• Strong organizational skills with attention to detail and accuracy in data entry and record keeping.
• Ability to deal with change and seek out opportunities to effect change to promote patient care.
• Strong customer service approach to problem solving situations.
• Ability to read, write, understand and spell English and Spanish correctly.
• Experience working with common health care programs.
• Flexible and adaptable to shifting priorities and fast-paced environments.
• Proficient in multitasking while maintaining accuracy and professionalism.
• Capable of identifying and escalating issues appropriately to ensure quality patient care.
• Experience working with patient registration procedures.
• Basic knowledge of medical or dental terminology.
• Experience with EMR/EHR systems.

Language Requirements

• Spanish speaking, preferred.