Patient Access Spec - ED

100 Albany Med Health System; City of Albany (NY); On-site; USD 46,215 - 60,080; Full time

Job summary

100 Albany Med Health System is seeking an Admitting Operations specialist to manage patient registration and support in high-pressure situations. This role includes tasks such as bedside registration, interacting with emergency services, and managing patient data.

The ideal candidate should have a high school diploma, customer service experience, and skills to handle demanding scenarios while maintaining quality patient care. Willingness to adapt to varying operational challenges is essential.

Qualifications

• Customer service experience in a hospital or clinic setting preferred.
• Ability to remain composed in high-stress environments.
• Good judgment and resourcefulness for problem solving.

Responsibilities

• Perform bedside registration and collect demographic and insurance data.
• Identify and verify insurance at bedside.
• Interact effectively with external agencies including EMS.

Skills

Customer service

Communication skills

Conflict management

Adaptability

Social and Emotional Intelligence

Education

High School Diploma or G.E.D.

Associate’s Degree

Tools

Multi-line telephone system

Job description

Job Summary

Department/Unit: Admitting Operations
Work Shift: ED DIFF_DAY (United States of America)
Salary Range: $46,215.00 - $60,080.00

Key Disciplines

• Triage of walk-in patients – includes rapid data collection and entering information into the ADT system, placing patient wristbands, obtaining regulatory signatures on the HIXNY Consent, and completing full registration (General Consent and financial responsibility) when a provider sees the patient.
• ED Zone Support – answers a 10‑line telephone, manages inquiries, transfers calls, discharges patients via the medical record, and verifies laboratory specimens placed in hazardous bags for accurate labeling by a nurse or provider.
• Bedside Registration – collects demographic, insurance, regulatory consent forms, and financial responsibility information at the patient’s bedside.
• EMS Desk – shadows EMS Radio calls from ambulance agencies, providing brief patient summaries, age, chief complaint, vital signs, and agency capture; manages unknown patient policy and procedure.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Accurately identify patients in stressful situations – a key patient safety measure.
• Perform bedside registration, including work from a WOW, collect demographic and insurance data, and obtain regulatory signatures via electronic systems.
• Identify and verify insurance at bedside; obtain additional information for no-fault or worker’s compensation cases.
• Execute key clinical measures within required timeframes (e.g., Chest pain – Door to EKG notification).
• Review, assess, and assign suitable health insurance plans, collecting copayments when required.
• Interact effectively with external agencies including EMS, law enforcement, and correctional facilities.
• Capture patient pharmacy information to expedite discharge by nursing and physician teams.
• Answer a multi-line telephone system and manage all calls calmly, courteously, and respectfully.
• Capture brief information from ambulance radio calls, including patient description, age, chief complaint, and vital signs.
• Manage the ED Patient Tracker, completing all Access Specialist tasks as identified.
• Verify laboratory specimens and ensure timely send to the laboratory.
• Oversee daily workflow during scheduled and unscheduled system downtimes, following downtime procedures.
• Maintain compliance with EMTALA regulations.

Functional Competencies

• Social and Emotional Intelligence – manage diverse populations, including critically injured, mentally disturbed, and belligerent patients.
• Patient‑centric customer service focus.
• Conflict management and team‑oriented support.
• Adaptability to high‑stress situations.
• Excellent communication skills.

Qualifications

• High School Diploma or G.E.D. – required.
• Associate’s Degree – preferred.
• 1–3 years of customer service experience in a hospital or clinic setting – preferred.
• Ability to remain composed in high‑stress environments.
• Capacity to multi‑task in high patient‑volume units and manage intense situations.
• Good judgment and resourcefulness for problem solving; ability to escale issues as needed.
• Ability to handle blood, urine, and other bodily fluids.
• Proficiency with a multi‑line telephone system and paging.
• Physical ability to push 35–50lb WOW.
• Must be able to stand for long periods; sneakers are permitted.
• Equivalent combinations of relevant education and experience may be substituted.

Physical Demands

• Standing – constant.
• Walking – constant.
• Sitting – constant.
• Lifting – constant.
• Pushing – occasional 35–50lb.
• Pulling – constant 35–50lb.
• Climbing, balancing, stooping, kneeling, crouching, crawling – rarely.
• Reaching, handling, feeling – occasionally.
• Speaking – frequent.
• Hearing – constant.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Albany Medical Center is an equal opportunity employer.

Role may require access to sensitive information; employees must protect HIPAA‑protected patient data according to applicable regulations.