Patient Access Coordinator - BRGIC

Baton Rouge General Medical Center; Baton Rouge (LA); On-site; USD 32,000 - 52,000; Full time

Job summary

Baton Rouge General Medical Center is seeking a Patient Access representative to provide excellent customer service during the intake process and support the revenue cycle through pre-registration, registration, and collections as needed. The role emphasizes accuracy in patient identification, insurance verification, and timely data entry.

The position requires strong communication skills, basic computer proficiency (Windows, Excel, Word, Outlook), and adherence to HIPAA and EMTALA guidelines.

Qualifications

• Customer service experience required in healthcare or similar environment.
• Intermediate computer skills with Windows, Excel, Word and Outlook.
• Experience in Insurance or Patient Registration in healthcare environment preferred.
• One year of higher education or certification in coding may substitute experience.

Responsibilities

• Facilitates patient safety with accurate and timely patient identification.
• Completes pre-registration, registration or discharge collections accurately.
• Documents variations from normal process on appropriate form.
• Performs activation/collection duties as required by the patient access process.
• Maintains HIPAA privacy standards and complies with EMTALA when applicable.

Skills

Customer service

Insurance/Registration experience

Communication skills

Education

High School Diploma or GED

Coding certification or higher education (1 year)

Tools

Windows

Excel

Word

Outlook

Job description

JOB PURPOSE OR MISSION:

Provides excellent customer service during the patient access/intake process, executing patient access through the continuum of the revenue cycle that supports efficiency, cost reduction and service improvement. Performs duties according to established hospital procedures for the age population served, as defined in the department's scope of service.

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

CRITERIA A: Everyday Excellence Values

Performance Standards

• Demonstrates courtesy and caring to each other, patients and their families, physicians, and the community.
• Takes initiative in living our Everyday Excellence values and vital signs.
• Takes initiative in identifying customer needs before the customer asks.
• Participates in teamwork willingly and with enthusiasm.
• Demonstrates respect for the dignity and privacy needs of customers through personal action and attention to the environment of care.
• Keeps customers informed, answers customer questions and anticipates information needs of customers.

CRITERIA B: Corporate Compliance

Performance Standards

• Practices diligence in fulfilling the regulatory and legal requirements of the position and department.
• Maintains accurate and reliable patient/organizational records.
• Maintains professional relationships with appropriate officials; communicates honesty and completely; behaves in a fair and nondiscriminatory manner in all professional contacts.

CRITERIA C: Personal Achievement

Performance Standards

• Uses accepted procedures and practices to complete assignments. Uses creative and proactive solutions to achieve objectives even when workload and demands are high.
• Adheres to high moral principles of honesty, loyalty, sincerity, and fairness.
• Upholds the ethical standards of the organization.

CRITERIA D: Performance Improvement

Performance Standards

• Optimizes talents, skills, and abilities in achieving excellence in meeting and exceeding customer expectations.
• Initiates or redesigns to continuously improve work processes.
• Contributes ideas and suggestions to improve approaches to work processes.
• Willingly participates in organization and/or department quality initiatives.

CRITERIA E: Cost Management

Performance Standards

• Effectively manages time and resources
• Makes conscious effort to effectively utilize the resources of the organization — material, human, and financial.
• Consistently looks for and uses resource saving processes

CRITERIA F: Patient & Employee Safety

Performance Standards

• Employee effectively communicates, demonstrates, coordinates and emphasizes patient and employee safety.
• Employee proactively reports errors, potential errors, injuries or potential injuries.
• Employee demonstrates departmental specific patient and employee safety standards at all times.
• Employee demonstrates the use of proper safety techniques, equipment and devices and follows safety policies, procedures and plans.

Job Functions

• Facilitates patient safety with accurate and timely patient identification.

Performance Standards

• Follows all policies and procedures to accurately identify the patient.
• Prior to applying the patient's armband, reviews all patient identifying data on the armband with the patient. Does NOT apply armbands that are not correct. Replaces armbands when a discrepancy had been identified and corrected.
• Documents on appropriate form any variation from normal process.
• Timely, accurately and consistently completes the patient access process which may include pre-registration, registration or collections based on the patient's identified needs at the time service is rendered.

Performance Standards

• Conducts a confidential and professional interview with patients or the patient's representative and completes pre-registration, registration or discharge collections accurately.
• Patient access functions are completed timely, promoting patient safety and minimizing patient delays.
• Initiates quick registration processes in the ER or, in other areas, upon request of the clinical staff, when the patient's care is deemed emergent or urgent.
• Promptly performs initial quick registrations on targeted patients and completes the access process as soon as possible.
• Follows all Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA) regulations.
• Registers patients to the correct location and bed according to information obtained from the Physician's order, which may be obtained from bed board, case manager, nursing supervisor, patient's nurse or ED charge nurse.
• Maintains compliance in completing all documents required by specific payers for each patient registration.
• Communicates with Insurance Representatives when necessary to effectively promote continuity in pre-certification/insurance verification process.
• Interrupts insurance verification data as needed and takes appropriate action related to insurance responses.
• Maintains an overall error rate at or below 5%.
• Documents on appropriate form any variation from normal process.
• Performs duties for two areas of responsibility within the Business Services Department.
• Computes, requests, collects and receipts monies.

Performance Standards

• Requests and collects co-payments, deposits and payments due and documents according to financial policies.
• Accurately accepts and receipts all payments received for accounts as evidenced by correct receipt records.
• Accurately maintains and secures the cash drawer and monies collected at all times, as outlined in the financial policy.
• Delivers deposits to cashier with established timeframes.
• Researches related accounts' outstanding debts and discusses with patient as needed.
• Documents on appropriate form any variation from normal process.
• Performs activation of account according to standard procedures and disseminates chart appropriately.

Performance Standards

• Completes activation function of all registered or discharged patients facilitating timely patient account functions.
• Disseminates all records and distributes them to appropriate departments according to standard procedures.
• Documents on appropriate form any variation from normal process.
• Performs all other duties as assigned.

Experience Requirements

Customer Services Experience Required. Must posses intermediate computer skills with experience in Windows, Excel, Word and Outlook. Prior experience in Insurance or Patient Registration in healthcare environment required. One year of higher education or certification in coding may be substituted for experience, as approved by department management.

Educational Requirements

High School Diploma or GED required, higher education preferred.

Special Skill, License And Knowledge Requirements

Must be able to enter data using a computer with multiple applications. Excellent telephone and communication skills. Must possess basic knowledge of medical terminology.

Hipaa Requirements

Maintains knowledge of and adherence to all applicable HIPAA regulations appropriate to Job Position including but not limited to: medical record without limitation, patient demographics, lab results, patient financial and 3rd party billing information, patient related complaints, information related to patient location.

Safety Requirements

Maintains knowledge of and adherence to all applicable safety practices appropriate to Job Position including but not limited to: incident reporting, exposure control plan, hand washing for all age groups.