Patient Access & Scheduling Specialist

University of Texas - Rio Grande Valley; Edinburg (TX); On-site; USD 32,000 - 42,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is seeking a Patient Services Representative I for the CommunicationCenter in Harlingen, Texas. You will greet and register patients, answer calls, schedule appointments, and explain billing processes to patients, ensuring HIPAA privacy and accurate insurance data.

The role requires at least a high school diploma, basic computer skills, and prior front-office or customer service experience.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required.
• Bi-lingual English/Spanish preferred.
• Completion of Medical Office Specialist certificate program or Medical Administrative Assistant or closely related is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Acts as the first point of contact for patients in the clinical setting and provides high-level customer service consistently to both internal and external customers.
• Accurately and completely registers patients by obtaining patient demographic information, while maintaining patient confidentiality in accordance with HIPAA guidelines.
• Responsible for scheduling, rescheduling, and cancelling all patient appointments as needed and when appropriate to maximize patient flow and clinic efficiency.
• Responsible for answering incoming calls in a professional, timely manner, ensuring caller's needs are met and accurate information is relayed and obtained.
• Completes reminder calls as needed; greets incoming patients and visitors in person or on the telephone and promotes active listening responsively to patient concerns or complaints and provides or seeks appropriate remedies while promoting quality care.
• Performs all necessary daily check-in and checkout tasks as required for reconciliation purposes, including next day preparation of charts, deposit reconciliation, and charge entry.
• Maintains patient confidentiality regarding access to patient and other clinical information via email, computer, fax, and mail.
• Verifies patient insurance eligibility and benefits through various payers, including commercial insurances, Medicaid, and Medicare.
• Obtains the necessary prior authorizations, referrals, and other insurance documentation needed for all visits as required by the insurance carrier.
• Performs all Time-of-Service collections including collecting copays, deductibles, and outstanding balances due on the account.
• Educates the patient/responsible parties regarding billing processes, financial responsibilities, third party benefit information and, provides estimates of out-of-pocket costs to patients.
• Establishes payment plans for outstanding balances and prepayment plans for future services; refers patients to Financial Counselors and screens for charity programs when appropriate.
• Answers frequently asked questions regarding clinic services and appointment related information and is seen as a source of knowledge to both internal and external customers and knows when to scale questions and concerns.
• Demonstrates respectful, courteous, professional, and appropriate behavior that represents the core values of UT HealthRGV and supports the image, mission, and goals of the clinical enterprise.
• May be required to provide coverage at various clinical sites as needed.
• Performs other administrative duties as assigned.

Skills

Customer service

Phone etiquette

HIPAA compliance

Data entry

Multitasking

Education

High School Diploma or equivalent

Bi-lingual English/Spanish

Tools

EMR system

Microsoft Office

Job description

University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is seeking a Patient Services Representative I for the CommunicationCenter in Harlingen, Texas. You will greet and register patients, answer calls, schedule appointments, and explain billing processes to patients, ensuring HIPAA privacy and accurate insurance data.

The role requires at least a high school diploma, basic computer skills, and prior front-office or customer service experience.