Outpatient Access Specialist

POSITION SUMMARY:

Performs functions associated with patient information processing for ambulatory care visits. Completes the tasks of reception registration, charge capture and charge entry, appointment scheduling, eRecord task management, In Basket management and Telephone encounter management. Responsible for accurate and timely input of data into Flowcast. Assures patient satisfaction with information processing and reception service. Requires accuracy in order to generate a billable service for the provider. Upon satisfactory completion of 6 months probation, and competence in performing all activities of role, the Outpatient Access Associate will advance to Outpatient Access Specialist.

SUPERVISION AND DIRECTION EXERCISED:

Responsible for monitoring his/her own performance on assigned tasks. Self-directed: Must make complex decisions independently. May coordinate the duties of less experienced support staff. May train less experienced support staff.

MACHINES AND EQUIPMENT USED:

Standard office equipment, including but not limited to, telephone, fax machine, pneumatic tube system, copiers, personal computers, terminals, printers, scanners, and credit card machines for point of service collection of co-pays. May use some clinic equipment.

TYPICAL DUTIES:

Reception: Greets patients to initiate positive ambulatory experience, requests patient identification, assures use of 2 identifiers to verify the correct patient, identifies healthcare provider to be seen, identifies referring provider and primary care physician, directs patients to next destination, ob tains signatures as needed (e.g., for insurance forms), identifies and assesses patients special needs (e.g., interpreters), monitors reception area to assure patient needs are met. Updates patients regarding waiting time for the provider every 15 minutes. Protects Personal Health Information (PHI) for patients as indicated by HIPAA regulations. Assures cleanliness and order in the waiting room/lobby.

Registration: Collects patient demographic and financial information in an efficient, customer oriented manner, asks specific questions of patient to verify information accuracy in order to establish a billable account. Enters information into Flowcast system. Requests patient e-mail address for eSurveying purposes. Assures completion of all appropriate forms by patients, such as, Medicare Secondary Payer assurance, provision of HIPAA information for new patients, requesting patient identification to verify identity, provision of Charity Care information, etc.

Charge Processing: Initiates a charge capture document for each clinic patient receiving Hospital services, reviews documents for accuracy, may conduct periodic audits under supervision for lost or late charges. Assures encounter form information is complete for billing. Interacts with other clinic personnel to verify accuracy of encounter forms. Enters charge data in Flowcast in an accurate and timely manner. May be required to perform extensive research to obtain required charge data. Reconciles encounter forms at end of day to assure that all arrived visits have been charge entered.

Appointment Scheduling: Schedules new and return visits to ambulatory care using Flowcast, monitors schedules and reports problems to Supervisor, pre-registers patients for next visit, coordinates appointments for ancillary testing or referrals to other clinic sites, follows-up missed appointments and cancellations, completes any correspondence or forms involved with appointment scheduling, schedules interpreters, schedules outside services to meet patients needs (e.g., transportation), assures patient satisfaction with visit prior to discharge from the area. Prints After Visit Summary (AVS) at check-out, uses 2 patient identifiers to assure provision of the summary to the correct patient.

Telephone Management: Answers phone in a timely and courteous manner. Manages incoming clinic calls, sorts calls to various providers.Opens a telephone encounter in eRecord when speaking with patients. Assures routing of encounter in eRecord to the appropriate staff/provider. Coordinates outgoing calls related to major functions above. Provides information to patients in order to minimize the need to distribute the telephone call, forwards calls, pages providers, and takes messages.

Manages multiple processes in eRecord including; messaging in eRecord In Basket. This information is part of the patient legal medical record, therefore assures accurate and concise information is entered.

Manages referral process in eRecord: MD initiates referral need, sends referral to work cue for clerical staff, staff member organizes the work for scheduling of the patient with a consulting provider and any associate labs or imaging. Must use independent judgment in organizing this work.

eRecord prescription refill requests may be set up by OAA and routed to the provider for completion based on patient or Pharmacy request.

Performance Analysis: Edits and corrects registration errors, completes missing registration data, reconciles and edits charge entry, assures accuracy of patient schedules, identifies ways to reduce follow-up, repetitive, or corrective work.

Other Clinic Service Tasks: May escort patient into the treatment corridor, collects height and weight information, records list of current medication, records basic visit documentation, obtains vital signs, etc. Competencies must be verified by clinical staff before performance of any of these duties.

Other Clerical Duties: Performs miscellaneous tasks as assigned by the Supervisor. For example, scanning of paper medical records, management of supply invoices, maintains logs and simple statistics, stocks examination rooms, and census reports.

QUALIFICATIONS:

High School diploma and 2 years related work experience; or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Prefer medical terminology experience. Demonstrated ability to word process documents and enter data into a database. Demonstrated skills related to achievement of customer satisfaction. Demonstrates ICARE values.

The University of Rochester is committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of equity, diversity, and inclusion to advance the University’s mission to Learn, Discover, Heal, Create – and Make the World Ever Better. In support of our values and those of our society, the University is committed to not discriminating on the basis of age, color, disability, ethnicity, gender identity or expression, genetic information, marital status, military/veteran status, national origin, race, religion/creed, sex, sexual orientation, citizenship status, or any other status protected by law. This commitment extends to the administration of our policies, admissions, employment, access, and recruitment of candidates from underrepresented populations, veterans, and persons with disabilities consistent with these values and government contractor Affirmative Action obligations.

How To Apply

All applicants must apply online.

EOE Minorities/Females/Protected Veterans/Disabled

Location: Strong Memorial Hospital
Full/Part Time: Full-Time
Opening: Full Time 40 hours Grade 007
Schedule: 8 AM-4:30 PM