Executive Director, Patient Access

Beth Israel Lahey Health; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 220,000; Full time

Job summary

Beth Israel Lahey Health is seeking an Executive Director of Patient Access to provide strategic and operational leadership across hospital registration and access functions. You will standardize workflows, drive revenue cycle transformation with Epic optimization, and develop KPIs with Directors and senior leaders to improve patient experience and financial performance.

This role reports to the VP of Patient Access and partners with IT, clinical ops, and managed care to align system-wide

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required; Master's preferred.
• 10+ years in Patient Access, Revenue Cycle, or Healthcare Operations.
• 5+ years of progressive leadership overseeing multi-site operations.
• Experience leading system-wide revenue cycle transformation or large-scale operational initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement a system-wide strategy for Patient Access operations.
• Standardize access workflows, policies, and technologies across hospitals and ambulatory locations.
• Lead participation in enterprise revenue cycle transformation initiatives, including automation and patient self-service and Epic optimization.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve KPIs across Patient Access operations.
• Lead regular operational performance reviews with Directors and senior stakeholders.
• Oversee alignment between Patient Access and Registration, Financial Counseling, Financial Clearance, Managed Care, HIM, and clinical operations.

Skills

Epic/EHR systems

Advanced analytics

Leadership

Operational KPI management

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree in Health Administration or related field

Tools

Epic

Job description

When you join the growing BILH team, you're not just taking a job, you're making a difference in people's lives.

The Executive Director of Patient Access provides strategic and operational leadership for patient registration across Beth Israel Lahey Health hospitals. This role oversees multiple Directors of Patient Access and is responsible for ensuring consistent operational excellence, standardization, and performance across all patient access functions.

The Executive Director is responsible for developing and executing consistent, patient-centered registration and access strategies that support accurate patient identification, demographic and insurance information, timely access to care, regulatory compliance, revenue integrity, and an optimal patient and provider experience.

The Executive Director works in close partnership with appointment scheduling teams, Financial Clearance, Financial Counseling, Revenue Cycle, Health Information Management, Managed Care, clinical and ambulatory operations, Information Technology/Epic, and other Patient Access functions to ensure patients move effectively through the access and revenue cycle continuum.

The Executive Director is a key participant in system-level revenue cycle transformation initiatives, ensuring that patient access operations align with best practices, digital innovation, and system standardization. The role reports to the Vice President, Patient Access and represents Patient Access leadership in enterprise initiatives and governance forums.

Job Description:

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

including but not limited to:

Strategic Leadership & System Integration Develop and implement a system-wide strategy for Patient Access operations aligned with organizational goals for revenue cycle performance, patient experience, and operational efficiency. Partner with executive leadership to standardize access workflows, policies, and technologies across multiple hospitals and ambulatory locations.

Lead Patient Access participation in enterprise revenue cycle transformation initiatives, including automation and patient self-service, centralized access models, and Epic optimization.

Identify opportunities to reduce revenue leakage, improve throughput, and enhance financial performance through front-end process improvement. Represent Patient Access at system-level leadership forums, revenue cycle governance committees, and operational planning initiatives.

Performance Management & KPI Oversight Establish, monitor, and continuously improve key performance indicators (KPIs) across Patient Access operations.

Hold Directors accountable for performance across metrics including:

• Point-of-service collections
• Insurance eligibility verification accuracy
• Pre-registration and estimates completion
• Registration accuracy and data integrity
• Patient throughput and wait times
• Denial prevention related to front-end errors
• Staff productivity and quality metrics

Implement performance dashboards and reporting frameworks to monitor trends, identify risks, and drive continuous improvement.

Lead regular operational performance reviews with Directors and senior stakeholders.

Operational Oversight

Provide executive oversight for Patient Access registration operations

Ensure departments meet or exceed industry benchmarks for access operations and revenue cycle performance.

Oversee operational alignment between Patient Access and:

• Patient Registration
• Financial Counseling
• Financial Clearance
• Managed Care
• Health Information Management
• Clinical operations

Drive operational standardization across hospitals while accommodating site-specific needs.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

Serve as a primary liaison between Patient Access leadership and clinical, operational, and financial stakeholders. Partner with hospital leadership to ensure Patient Access supports clinical throughput, patient satisfaction, and financial goals.

Lead cross-functional collaboration with departments including:

• Emergency Medicine
• Surgical Services
• Ambulatory Operations
• Finance and Revenue Integrity
• Information Technology / Epic teams

Facilitate regular stakeholder engagement meetings to align priorities and resolve operational barriers.

Leadership & Talent Development

Provide leadership, mentorship, and development for multiple Directors of Patient Access and their teams.

Establish clear expectations and accountability for operational performance, staff engagement, and service excellence.

Foster a culture of continuous improvement, accountability, and patient-centered service.

Ensure compliance with Beth Israel Lahey Health HR policies regarding hiring, performance management, disciplinary actions, and professional development.

Financial & Budget Oversight

Collaborate with the Vice President to develop and manage department operating and capital budgets across Patient Access functions.

Ensure effective management of staffing models, productivity standards, and expense controls.

Identify opportunities to optimize staffing structures and centralized models to support system efficiency.

Minimum Qualifications

Education: Bachelor's degree required. Master's degree in Health Administration, Business Administration, or related field preferred.

Licensure, Certification & Registration: N/A

Experience: 10+ years of experience in Patient Access, Revenue Cycle, or Healthcare Operations. 5+ years of progressive leadership experience overseeing multi-site operations or multiple leaders. Demonstrated success implementing system-wide operational improvements and performance management programs. Experience leading revenue cycle transformation or large-scale operational initiatives.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

Preferred Qualifications & Skills

Strong experience with Epic or similar enterprise EHR systems. Advanced analytical skills with experience using performance dashboards and operational KPIs.

Dept/Unit Specific Skills

Expertise in patient access workflows, eligibility verification, authorization management, and point-of-service collections.

Key Business Relationships

• 1 Revenue Cycle Leaders Monitor quality of registration, denial mitigation
• 2 Hospital Leaders Understanding scheduling and other support for the departments
• 3 Vendors Monitoring quality and efficiency of support services

Pay Range

$180,000.00 USD - $220,000.00 USD

The pay range listed for this position is the annual base salary range the organization reasonably and in good faith expects to pay for this position at this time. Actual compensation is determined based on several factors, that may include seniority, education, training, relevant experience, relevant certifications, geography of work location, job responsibilities, or other applicable factors permissible by law.

As a health care organization, we have a responsibility to do everything in our power to care for and protect our patients, our colleagues and our communities. Beth Israel Lahey Health requires that all staff be vaccinated against influenza (flu) as a condition of employment.

More than 35,000 people working together. Nurses, doctors, technicians, therapists, researchers, teachers and more, making a difference in patients' lives. Your skill and compassion can make us even stronger.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disabled