Patient Services Specialist

aoncology; Olympia (WA); On-site; USD 24,796 - 41,328; Full time

Job summary

Vista Oncology is seeking a Patient Services Specialist to deliver front-end patient support, handling intake, scheduling, medical records, and payments with accuracy and courtesy.

In this role you will greet patients, verify identity, manage EMR entries, coordinate appointments, and assist with payments while maintaining HIPAA-compliant documentation and a high standard of customer service across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma; Associates degree preferred.
• Experience: minimum one year in healthcare setting.
• Customer service-focused with attention to detail and multitasking.

Responsibilities

• Greet patients and caregivers professionally to create a welcoming, supportive environment.
• Check in patients per clinic policy and update EMR with demographics.
• Verify, update, and maintain patient information in required intervals.
• Process patient payments and co-pays; issue receipts and notify Financial Counselor when needed.
• Ensure completion of required patient forms and medical history documentation.
• Respond to inbound calls and route messages accurately within the EMR.
• Schedule and manage patient appointments per physician orders and policies.
• Coordinate physician schedule changes and patient assignments.
• Document hospital consults and urgent information to care team.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Multitasking

Microsoft Office

Education

High School Diploma

Associates degree preferred

Job description

Location: Vista Oncology

Pay Range: $18.09 - $30.14

Position Summary

The Patient Services Specialist (PSS) provides high-quality front-end patient support by managing patient intake, scheduling, medical records, and financial transactions while ensuring accurate documentation and exceptional customer service. Responsibilities may vary by office size, layout, and staffing model, with cross-coverage across functional stations as needed.

Key Performance Areas

KPA 1 – Patient Intake, Registration & Customer Experience

• Greet patients and caregivers professionally to create a welcoming, supportive environment.
• Accurately check in patients according to clinic policy, verify identity per AON Patient I.D. standards, and document arrival status and location in the EMR.
• Verify, update, and maintain patient demographic information at required intervals.
• Collect, document, and post patient payments and co-pays; issue receipts and notify Financial Counselor when payment cannot be made.
• Ensure completion of required patient forms and medical history documentation.
• Respond promptly and courteously to inbound calls; route calls or document messages accurately within the EMR.

KPA 2 – Scheduling, Physician Support & Communication

• Schedule and manage patient appointments, including new patients, follow-ups, treatments, referrals, outside testing, and hospital admissions per physician orders.
• Maintain physician schedules in alignment with preferences, capacity limits, and clinic policies; proactively resolve scheduling conflicts.
• Coordinate physician requests related to schedule changes, meetings, vacations, conferences, and drug representative visits.
• Assign new patients to appropriate clinicians per office guidelines and maintain accurate assignment records.
• Contact patients regarding missed appointments, document outreach efforts, and reschedule as appropriate.
• Accurately document and relay hospital consults, messages, and urgent information to physicians and designated care team members.
• Manage answering service activation/deactivation and retrieve messages in accordance with clinic hours and emergency call policies.

KPA 3 – Medical Records & Documentation Management

• Create, maintain, and update patient charts in the EMR and billing systems for new, follow-up, and hospital consult patients.
• Assemble and verify new patient and hospital follow-up records; obtain missing documentation from referring providers, facilities, or labs.
• Process, file, and distribute faxes, mail, courier deliveries, and electronic documents accurately and timely.
• Respond to medical record requests from patients, providers, and authorized third parties in accordance with policy and HIPAA requirements.
• Support legal and subpoena-related chart requests by coordinating with corporate and external vendors as required.
• Maintain EMR, fax servers, and document management systems with attention to accuracy, completeness, and proper categorization.
• Verify patient identifiers prior to filing records and resolve misfiled documentation promptly.

KPA 4 – Financial Transactions & Daily Reconciliation

• Collect and post all forms of patient payments accurately; log transactions in required systems and reports.
• Prepare daily close documentation, deposits, and trial closes in accordance with AON and clinic protocols.
• Balance cash drawers and handle funds according to established procedures.
• Notify Financial Counselors of insurance changes, STAT scheduling needs, or hospital admissions impacting billing or collections.
• Distribute reports, schedules, and documentation to appropriate departments, including EDI and Business Office, per protocol.

KPA 5 – Compliance, Team Support & Operational Flexibility

• Comply with all federal, state, and local regulations related to patient care, privacy, billing, safety, and records retention.
• Adhere to all AON policies, procedures, IT standards, and disaster recovery requirements.
• Perform duties across Patient Services stations (Check-In, Check-Out, Medical Records, Fax Server) as trained and assigned.
• Provide coverage for absences, lunches, vacations, and staffing needs across locations.
• Assist with training and onboarding of new Patient Services staff.
• Maintain organized workspaces, safeguard equipment, and ensure confidentiality of patient and employee information.
• Support multi-site operations and work at alternate AON locations as business needs require.

Required Qualifications

Education: High School Diploma; Associates degree preferred

Experience: Minimum of one (1) year experience in a healthcare setting; physician office experience preferred

Customer Service Focus: Demonstrated customer service focus with strong attention to detail and multitasking ability

Skills and Competencies:

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with diverse populations
• Critical thinking, problem-solving, and organizational skills
• Ability to manage competing priorities in a fast-paced, multi-site environment
• Proficiency in Mic