Patient Services Associate - ED

Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System; West Chester (Chester County); On-site; USD 35,000 - 45,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits program

Prepaid tuition assistance program

Job summary

Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System is seeking a Patient Services Associate for the Emergency Department. This role involves assisting with patient registration, scheduling, and answering inquiries to enhance patient satisfaction.

Qualified candidates will possess a high school diploma and 2+ years of medical office or customer service experience. This position requires strong communication skills, attention to detail, and a commitment to comply with regulatory standards.

The schedule includes 36 hours a week with evening shifts and weekend requirements.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or GED required.
• 2+ years of medical office or customer service experience.
• Advanced degree may substitute for experience.

Responsibilities

• Answer patient calls and manage requests promptly.
• Schedule and confirm patient appointments accurately.
• Collect payments and ensure all financial transactions are recorded.
• Manage and route patient information in the EMR system.
• Stay informed about insurance and billing procedures.

Skills

Customer service skills

Communication skills

Attention to detail

Problem-solving skills

Education

H.S. Diploma/GED

2+ years of medical office experience or customer service

Associate of Arts or Science

Job description

Description

Penn Medicine is dedicated to our tripartite mission of providing the highest level of care to patients, conducting innovative research, and educating future leaders in the field of medicine. Working for this leading academic medical center means collaboration with top clinical, technical and business professionals across all disciplines.

Today at Penn Medicine, someone will make a breakthrough. Someone will heal a heart, deliver hopeful news, and give comfort and reassurance. Our employees shape our future each day. Are you living your life's work?

Patient Services Associate - Emergency Department

36 hours a week, 7:00pm - 7:30am (3 shifts)

Every Other Weekend Required, Every Other Holiday Required

On call rotation and in-service days as scheduled

Summary

• The Patient Services Associate (PSA) assists the practice/department in maintaining a patient/customer focus, supports the delivery of high-quality care, shares a passion for patient and customer-centered care, and assists in meeting or exceeding patient satisfaction and financial/operational targets. The PSA is responsible for intake/patient registration and/or scheduling, arrival and/or departure activities, handling patient calls and inquiries, coordinating appointments, updating insurance/billing information, providing patient navigation and liaison support, and performing point-of-service activities. The PSA may function in any Patient Access location or department. Rotation between PSA functions and/or departments may be required.

Responsibilities

• Strive to understand and anticipate patient needs, manage service recovery efforts when needed, enlist management assistance as appropriate, and identify opportunities to improve patient experience.
• Answer phones in a timely manner, manage/handle patient requests and route appropriately, retrieve voicemails promptly, take accurate and thorough messages, and route them appropriately through EMR.
• Schedule patient appointments (by phone or in person) by determining reason for visit, following established schedules and protocols, using appropriate billing area/appointment location, communicating changes, confirming appointments, offering alternatives, and canceling/rescheduling when necessary.
• Responsible for arrival and departure activities of patients at any Patient Access location or department and perform point‑of‑service activities: collect copays and record accurately, obtain necessary signatures and forms, collect insurance cards and referrals/authorizations, update appointment status in EMR, and finalize all check‑out procedures.
• Communicate with patients regarding flow and wait times – keep manager aware of potential issues as they arise.
• Issue referrals and obtain pre‑authorizations for patients as required and according to protocol.
• Maintain up‑to‑date knowledge of insurance requirements for patient service and billing procedures, including basic knowledge of all managed care plans and insurers that require a copayment or referral.
• Validate patient demographic/insurance information and register new patients into EMR using established protocols.
• Record receipts accurately to ensure end‑of‑day reconciliation and participate in cash reconciliation delineations.
• Resolve work queues and/or issues from front‑end reports and proactively prioritize recovery of missing charges.
• Ensure compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulatory standards (e.g., TJC, DOH, FDA, HIPAA, HCFA, DPW, LCGME, SCGME).
• Stay current with communications from the Patient Access Management Team while remaining flexible, readily adopting new processes, and engaging in practice operation changes.
• Coordinate the clinical and administrative aspects of new patient scheduling encounters.
• Perform within the expected outcomes of the Automated Call Distribution (ACD) environment.
• Resolve telephone issues and report problems related to volume to manager promptly.
• Follow established downtime procedures for registration.
• Perform duties in accordance with Penn Medicine and entity values, policies, and procedures.
• Complete other duties as assigned to support the unit, department, entity, and health system organization.

Education or Equivalent Experience

• H.S. Diploma/GED (Required)
• Education Specialization: Equivalent Experience
• And 2+ years of medical office experience, or 2 years of customer service experience. An advanced degree may be considered in lieu of experience.
• Associate of Arts or Science (Preferred)

We believe that the best care for our patients starts with the best care for our employees. Our employee benefits programs help our employees get healthy and stay healthy. We offer a comprehensive compensation and benefits program that includes one of the finest prepaid tuition assistance programs in the region. Penn Medicine employees are actively engaged and committed to our mission. Together we will continue to make medical advances that help people live longer, healthier lives.

We are an Equal Opportunity employer. Candidates are considered for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, marital status, familial status, genetic information, domestic or sexual violence victim status, citizenship status, military status, status as a protected veteran or any other status protected by applicable law.