Patient Access Associate

Houston Methodist; Baytown (TX); On-site; USD 32,000 - 48,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Uniform provided

Professional environment

On-site facility access

Job summary

Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital is seeking a Patient Access Associate to accurately collect and enter demographic and insurance information in the EHR at all entry points of the facility.

The role includes cashiering, collecting co-pays, deductibles and co-insurance, performing insurance verification, explaining consent forms, and ensuring compliance with EMTALA and HIPAA while delivering exceptional customer service.

Qualifications

• High School diploma or equivalent.
• Two years of experience in a strong customer service environment.
• One year of registration experience in a hospital environment preferred.
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing English.
• Ability to communicate with patients, physicians, families and coworkers with customer service focus.

Responsibilities

• Obtains and records accurate demographic and insurance information in the EHR at patient intake.
• Performs cashiering functions and collects co-pays, deductibles, and co-insurance.
• Verifies insurance and communicates billing and consent information clearly.
• Explains consent forms and documents signatures in a professional manner.
• Ensures compliance with EMTALA and HIPAA and maintains patient privacy and safety.

Skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Cash handling

Multitasking

Detail oriented

Education

High school diploma

Tools

EHR system

Billing software

Job description

Come lead with us at Houston Methodist Baytown Hospital

At Houston Methodist, the Patient Access Associate position is responsible for obtaining and entering accurate demographic and insurance information in the electronic health record (EHR) on patients presenting at the various entry points of the facility. This position performs cashiering functions, ensuring that all hospital accounts are secure, through the collection of the required co-pay, deductibles and co-insurance. This position also performs the medical necessity check, to ensure compliance with Medicare guidelines. The Patient Access Associate position employs effective communication skills, promoting excellent customer service in every interaction. This position is also required to adhere to all departments, hospital, governmental and/or any other healthcare licensing agency requirements related to the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

FLSA STATUS

Non-exempt

QUALIFICATIONS

EDUCATION

• High School diploma or equivalent education (examples include: GED, verification of homeschool equivalency, partial or full completion of post-secondary education, etc.)

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of experience in a strong customer service environment
• One year of registration experience in a hospital environment preferred

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job, determined through on-going skills, competency assessments, and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job, especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients, physicians, family members and co-workers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Ability to multi-task and flexibility to meet the requirements of the patients and the department
• Knowledge of basic registration/access functions and insurance procedures
• Ability to problem solve
• Ability to remain calm in stressful situations with patience and understanding
• Excellent customer service and professional communication skills
• Proficient computer skills and ability to learn and navigate multiple software programs
• Ability to handle detail work accurately and rapidly

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Promotes a positive work environment and contributes to a dynamic team focused work unit that actively helps one another to achieve optimal departmental and organizational results.
• Communicates openly in a non-judgmental manner and in a professional demeanor during all interactions with customers and co-workers.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Obtains and records accurate demographic and insurance information on patients by interviewing patients, family members and physicians. Ensures that the correct insurance plan codes are utilized for the billing process.
• Explains the consent forms, obtains signatures on the forms and responds to any questions in a professional manner.
• Contributes to departmental and hospital patient experience. Proactively seeks solutions to address patient issues and concerns. Alerts management in a timely manner to any unusual and/or difficult situations impacting the level of service.

QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Consistently takes the necessary steps to ensure that protected health information remains private and confidential, according to established HIPAA guidelines. Uses patient identifiers consistently to properly identify patients and the correct medical records. Refrains from issuing new medical record numbers to patients with existing accounts.
• Meets goals set by the department (e.g., registration error rate, productivity/activities per hour, etc.).

FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Ensures that ordered services meet established medical necessity criteria when applicable.
• Collects payments based on pre-determined information. Performs insurance verification to determine patient out of pocket expenses for services. If applicable, offers payment options after the minimum required payment has been received. Fulfills monthly goals for cash collection.
• Accurately posts and receipts patient payments. Balances cash drawer on a daily basis; follows the department policy related to cash drawers and cash receipting.
• Organizes time effectively, minimizing incidental overtime and sets priorities. Utilizes time between heavy workloads efficiently and helps other team members.

GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Displays initiative to improve job functions. Demonstrates adaptability and flexibility during changing demands. Offers suggestions to streamline process for efficient patient flow.
• Seeks opportunities to expand learning beyond baseline competencies with a focus on continual development.

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform: Yes
• Scrubs: No
• Business professional: Yes
• Other (department approved): Yes

ON-CALL*

• Note that employees may be required to be on-call during emergencies (ie. Disaster, Severe Weather Events, etc) regardless of selection below.
• On Call* No

TRAVEL**

• Travel specifications may vary by department**
• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

EXPERIENCE

• Two years of experience in a strong customer service environment
• One year of registration experience in a hospital environment preferred

Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.