Patient Access Manager

Position type: Full-Time Pay/Salary: $55,000 - 65,000 Now Hiring: Patient Access Manager Schedule: Monday - Friday, 8:00am-4:30pm (flexibility required) Pay: $55,000 - $65,000 We are seeking a full‑time, on‑site Patient Access Manager to join our team at Sarah D. Culbertson Memorial Hospital, a Critical Access Hospital located in Rushville, IL. As a long‑term member of our organization, you will help lead the hospital’s access services and ensure excellent patient experience. The Patient Access Manager is responsible for day‑to‑day operational management and performance execution of all patient access functions within the organization, encompassing multiple sites and patient access staff. This role ensures consistent, efficient, and compliant patient access workflows aligned with organizational policies and the Revenue Cycle Director’s performance expectations. The Manager is the primary operational leader for front‑end access functions, supporting access to care, patient satisfaction, revenue integrity, and compliance with CMS requirements. Primary Responsibilities and Duties 1. Patient Access Operations Provide direct operational oversight of patient access functions across the organization, including scheduling, registration, insurance verification, check‑in, check‑out, and registration workflows. Create and maintain patient access policies, procedures, and ensure consistent implementation of workflows. Identify operational barriers to access, patient flow inefficiencies, and front‑end workflow challenges; and implement corrective actions. Serve as the primary escalation point for complex or sensitive patient access issues within the organization, resolving concerns promptly and professionally. Conduct regular site visits to ensure operational consistency, staff adherence to standards, and alignment with organizational expectations. 2. Staff Leadership, Training & Performance Management Directly manage patient access frontline staff across multiple locations. Ensure appropriate staffing coverage and scheduling to meet organizational demand, extended hours, and access goals. Lead onboarding, training, cross‑training, and competency development for patient access staff. Conduct performance evaluations, coaching, and corrective action in partnership with Human Resources. Promote a culture of accountability, teamwork, professionalism, empathy, and customer service excellence across patient access teams. Identify high‑potential staff and support leadership development and succession planning efforts. 3. Access, Productivity & Patient Experience Management Monitor organization’s patient access performance metrics, including appointment availability, registration accuracy, wait times, no‑show rates, and patient satisfaction indicators. Support access strategies by implementing operational initiatives to improve same‑day access, continuity of care, and preventive care scheduling. Collaborate with leadership to optimize scheduling templates, provider availability, and front desk workflows to improve access and patient flow. Lead service recovery efforts related to access complaints, scheduling issues, or registration errors, ensuring timely resolution and patient‑centered communication. 4. Revenue Cycle Support & Front‑End Financial Integrity Ensure accurate and timely insurance verification, eligibility validation, and authorization processes across assigned areas. Oversee front‑end data accuracy to support clean claims, reduce denials, and improve revenue cycle performance. Ensure consistent application of policies related to patient demographics, payer data collection, and point‑of‑service payments. Partner with Revenue Cycle and Finance teams to identify trends related to registration errors, eligibility failures, and front‑end denials. Reinforce patient affordability principles while supporting financial sustainability and compliance with organizational requirements. 5. Quality, Compliance & Process Improvement Ensure patient access operations comply with organizational standards, payer requirements, and privacy regulations. Participate in audits, monitoring activities, and corrective action plans related to patient access functions. Conduct routine quality checks, including registration accuracy reviews, front desk observations, and workflow assessments. Identify opportunities for standardization, efficiency gains, and process improvement; lead or support improvement initiatives. Serve as the primary liaison between leadership and the patient access team. Provide regular reporting on performance trends, staffing challenges, access barriers, and improvement initiatives. Collaborate with IT, Revenue Cycle, Quality, and Operations to support EHR optimization, patient portal use, and integrated workflows. Participate in leadership meetings, workgroups, and organizational initiatives related to patient access. Culture Gratitude – Maintains a positive attitude and appreciative mindset that fosters a sense of well‑being in self and others. Collaborative Teamwork – Demonstrates flexibility, enthusiasm, and a willingness to work effectively with others in an inter‑professional team to support organizational activities. Encourages the professional development of team members when opportunities arise. Quality Improvement – Actively participates in team efforts to drive continuous improvement initiatives aimed at enhancing quality standards, processes, and outcomes. Accountability – Consistently follows regulatory guidelines and organizational policies and procedures. Takes responsibility for and addresses mistakes and errors in a constructive manner. Qualifications General Professional Development Organizational Skills – Displays more advanced organizational skills in an administrative capacity in order to organize projects or the work of others. Problem Solving Skills – Devises effective solutions to situations encountered based on the general goals and objectives of the healthcare administrative function. Communication Skills – Able to effectively communicate opinions drawn from conclusions using inference and logic. Critical Thinking Skills – Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems. Problem Resolution – Resolves conflicts that may arise because of disagreements between employees, between employees and customers/clients, or with the public, other legal entities or governmental authorities. Math Development – Must be able to solve mathematical problems and understand statistics. Professional/Technical Knowledge, Skills & Abilities 1. Education Preferred: Possesses Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, business, or a healthcare‑related setting or human services field (an equivalent combination of education and extensive experience in patient access may be considered). Required: High school diploma or equivalent. 2. Experience Preferred: 2 or more years of experience strongly preferred, with the majority of that time focused on patient access functions. Experience managing patient access in a hospital and rural health clinic setting is a plus. Required: At least 1 year of leadership experience (supervisory or management) in healthcare patient access, admissions, clinic front office operations, or other supervisory or management experience in a related field. Technical Skills Word Processing Skills – Prepares more complex documents in Microsoft Word including creating tables, charts, graphs, and other elements. Spreadsheet Skills – Uses Microsoft Excel to analyze data, including the use of formulas, functions, lookup tables and other standard spreadsheet elements. Graphics/Presentation Skills – Creates basic presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint as needed. Cerner Electronic Health Record – Experience preferred. Benefits: Paid Time Off, Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF), Life Insurance, Employee Discounts, Discount at Rushville Family Fitness Center. #J-18808-Ljbffr