Patient Encounter Associate - Ruttenberg Cancer Center - Mount Sinai Hospital - Full Time Days

Patient Encounter Associate

The Patient Encounter Associate performs all support functions related to patient reception, scheduling and financial pre-clearance, ensuring a high degree of patient satisfaction and maximum reimbursement to the institution. Responsibilities include but are not limited to: scheduling, pre-registration, self-pay screening and insurance eligibility determination. Responsible for obtaining and verifying patient demographic and insurance information, determining insurance/payment source, identifying necessary authorization or referral requirements, and assisting with determining and resolving insurance issues.

Responsibilities

1. Greets patients in person and by telephone and updates their insurance/demographic information in the practice management system.

2. Gathers registration and financial information for patient pre-registration, enters the information into the practice management system and ensures all entries are complete and accurate.

3. Answers phones for the practice; schedules, re-schedules and cancels patient appointments based on established protocols.

4. Contacts patients at home to confirm scheduled and canceled appointments.

5. Checks in patients upon arrival at the practice and performs full registration, including: verification of demographics, completion of financial screening, prioritizing and verifying insurance as appropriate with third-party providers, making follow-up appointments, discussing MSMCs self-pay policy for new patients, completing of Medicare as Secondary Payer questionnaire if appropriate, and having patient read and sign NOPP.

6. Ensures the patient has paid, or collects, the appropriate co-pay under the direction of billing management, and provides the patient with a receipt as per cash-control protocols.

7. May perform simple to moderately-complex charge entry tasks or enter payments collected from patients and prepares Cashiers deposit. Note: duties are mutually exclusive and may not be performed by the same employee.

8. Facilitates prior authorization and appointment scheduling for diagnostic testing requested by providers for patients in EPIC.

9. Reviews status of waiting room on a regular basis and advises patients of wait times.

10. Ensures prior approval and other required procedures are met prior to delivery of care, by working collaboratively with other hospital departments.

11. Reconciles daily patient schedule with encounters closed.

12. Works billing edit reports and reviews encounters which may require correction.

13. Scans documents into EPIC on a daily basis.

14. Participates in system development and process improvement by providing feedback to Manager regarding issues in registration and change posting that impact negatively on operations.

15. Follows all HIPAA and other federal/state agency requirements regarding proper handling of PHI documents.

16. Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• HS/GED; Associates degree preferred
• 1 year physician practice experience. Must have a minimum of one week training on-site which will be provided by practice. Preferred: experience in a medical office setting, utilizing a computer system for physician scheduling

Required Skills

• EPIC
• MS Excel
• MS Word
• Outlook

About Us

Strength through Unity and Inclusion

The Mount Sinai Health System is committed to fostering an environment where everyone can contribute to excellence. We share a common dedication to delivering outstanding patient care. When you join us, you become part of Mount Sinai's unparalleled legacy of achievement, education, and innovation as we work together to transform healthcare. We encourage all team members to actively participate in creating a culture that ensures fair access to opportunities, promotes inclusive practices, and supports the success of every individual.

At Mount Sinai, our leaders are committed to fostering a workplace where all employees feel valued, respected, and empowered to grow. We strive to create an environment where collaboration, fairness, and continuous learning drive positive change, improving the well-being of our staff, patients, and organization. Our leaders are expected to challenge outdated practices, promote a culture of respect, and work toward meaningful improvements that enhance patient care and workplace experiences. We are dedicated to building a supportive and welcoming environment where everyone has the opportunity to thrive and advance professionally. Explore this opportunity and be part of the next chapter in our history.

About the Mount Sinai Health System:

Mount Sinai Health System is one of the largest academic medical systems in the New York metro area, with more than 48,000 employees working across eight hospitals, more than 400 outpatient practices, more than 300 labs, a school of nursing, and a leading school of medicine and graduate education. Mount Sinai advances health for all people, everywhere, by taking on the most complex health care challenges of our time discovering and applying new scientific learning and knowledge; developing safer, more effective treatments; educating the next generation of medical leaders and innovators; and supporting local communities by delivering high-quality care to all who need it. Through the integration of its hospitals, labs, and schools, Mount Sinai offers comprehensive health care solutions from birth through geriatrics, leveraging innovative approaches such as artificial intelligence and informatics while keeping patients' medical and emotional needs at the center of all treatment. The Health System includes more than 9,000 primary and specialty care physicians; 13 joint-venture outpatient surgery centers throughout the five boroughs of New York City, Westchester, Long Island, and Florida; and more than 30 affiliated community health centers. We are consistently ranked by U.S. News & World Report's Best Hospitals, receiving high "Honor Roll" status, and are highly ranked: No. 1 in Geriatrics, top 5 in Cardiology/Heart Surgery, and top 20 in Diabetes/Endocrinology, Gastroenterology/GI Surgery, Neurology/Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology/Lung Surgery, Rehabilitation, and Urology. New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai is ranked No. 12 in Ophthalmology. U.S. News & World Report's "Best Children's Hospitals" ranks Mount Sinai Kravis Children's Hospital among the country's best in several pediatric specialties. The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai is ranked No. 11 nationwide in National Institutes of Health funding and in the 99th percentile in research dollars per investigator according to the Association of American Medical Colleges. Newsweek's "The World's Best Smart Hospitals" ranks The Mount Sinai Hospital as No. 1 in New York and in the top five globally, and Mount Sinai Morningside in the top 20 globally.

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Mount Sinai Health System is an equal opportunity employer, complying with all applicable federal civil rights laws. We do not discriminate, exclude, or treat individuals differently based on race, color, national origin, age, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We are deeply committed to fostering an environment where all faculty, staff, students, trainees, patients, visitors, and the communities we serve feel respected and supported. Our goal is to create a healthcare and learning institution that actively works to remove barriers, address challenges, and promote fairness in all aspects of our organization.