Director of Admissions

North Knoxville Medical Center; Powell (TN); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

North Knoxville Medical Center seeks a Director, Admissions to oversee the hospital's admissions and patient access functions, ensuring accurate patient registration, insurance verification, and financial clearance while complying with regulatory standards.

The role collaborates with clinical, financial, and administrative leaders to optimize the patient experience and revenue cycle performance, driving improvements in access and collections across the department.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master’s preferred.
• Seven (7) or more years of direct experience in lieu of a Bachelor’s degree acceptable.
• 3-5 years of leadership experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee admissions, scheduling, insurance verification, pre-admission, and financial clearance.
• Collaborate with Shared Services Center to support revenue cycle performance and monitor metrics.
• Ensure compliance with Medicaid eligibility, insurance verification, prior authorizations, and regulatory requirements.
• Provide regular reporting to facility leadership and identify operational improvements.
• Lead or support process improvements to enhance department efficiency.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Cross-functional collaboration

Problem solving

Time management

Data analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree

7+ years experience in lieu of Bachelor's

Tools

Google Suite

Microsoft 365

Healthcare software

Data analysis tools

Job description

Job Summary

The Director, Admissions is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and strategic direction of the hospital's admissions and patient access functions. This role ensures the accuracy and efficiency of patient registration, insurance verification, and financial clearance processes while maintaining compliance with regulatory and audit requirements. The Director works collaboratively with clinical, financial, and administrative leaders to ensure a seamless patient experience and effective revenue cycle performance. The Director provides leadership support and drives improvements in access, collections, and overall department effectiveness.

Essential Functions

• Oversees all functions related to patient registration, scheduling, insurance verification, pre-admission, and financial clearance for the facility.
• Collaborates with the Shared Services Center (SSC) to support revenue cycle performance, monitor metrics, and address operational barriers.
• Ensures compliance with policies and regulatory requirements related to Medicaid eligibility, insurance verification, prior authorizations, medical necessity, patient estimates, and point-of-service collections.
• Reviews and monitors reports to ensure timely and accurate completion of key tasks, including discharges, front-end collections, audits, and unbilled accounts.
• Provides regular reporting and performance updates to facility leadership, including the CFO, and assists in identifying areas for operational improvement.
• Supports hospital financial leadership in reviewing financial clearance exceptions, approvals for patients unable to meet payment expectations, and process escalation.
• Ensures staff are trained on audit, compliance, and quality registration practices, with an emphasis on correct financial class assignment and reducing front-end denials.
• Coordinates with other hospital departments to align operations and ensure effective communication of admission-related information.
• Leads or supports process improvement initiatives to enhance departmental performance and support organizational objectives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Maintains regular and reliable attendance.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Leadership Responsibilities

Supervision and Staff Management

• Provides leadership, mentorship and professional development opportunities for departmental staff.
• Schedules employees to ensure effective use of resources. Consults with leadership on any potential staffing issues.
• Conducts performance evaluations, sets goals and provides feedback to staff on their performance and development.

Strategic Planning and Financial Oversight

• Collaborates with hospital leadership to set the strategic direction for the department, including budgeting, resource allocation and long-term planning.
• Monitors expenditures, ensuring cost-effective delivery of services.
• Evaluates and implements new technologies to enhance operational efficiency.
• Develops and implements departmental policies and procedures and protocols to optimize quality and overall efficiencies.

Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance

• Ensures compliance with all relevant regulatory bodies. May oversee the accreditation process with relevant agencies ensuring that services meet or exceed industry standards.
• Participates in audits, inspections and accreditation processes as applicable.
• Follows established quality control practices to ensure accuracy, consistency and safety.

Collaboration and Communication

• Works closely with leadership teams to coordinate and improve service delivery.
• Stays up-to-date with industry advancements, new technologies, and regulatory changes.

Staff Responsibilities

• May work in a staff role, when required. Ensures that duties and responsibilities are fulfilled while meeting all competencies established for that job.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in relevant field required or
• Seven (7) plus years of direct experience in lieu of a Bachelor's degree required
• Master's Degree preferred
• 3-5 years of experience in closely related field with Bachelor's degree required
• 3-5 years of previous leadership experience preferred

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong leadership, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams and manage cross-functional relationships.
• Foster a positive work environment that promotes teamwork, professionalism, and continuous improvement.
• Communicate effectively with leadership, team members, and stakeholders.
• Ability to work effectively with others, delegate responsibilities, and independently manage tasks while meeting established deadlines.
• Problem-solving and critical thinking skills.
• In depth knowledge of industry best practices and regulatory compliance (if applicable).
• Strong organizational and time management skills.
• Proficiency with Google and Microsoft platforms, healthcare software systems, and data analysis tools.

Licenses and Certifications

• CHAM - Certified Healthcare Access Manager preferred