Patient Services Associate

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? 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 the arrival and/or departure activities of patients in the practice, managing and handling patient calls and inquiries, coordinating patient appointments, updating patient insurance/billing information, and performing point‑of‑service activities. The PSA may function in a physician practice or a call center environment. Rotation between PSA functions and/or departments may be required. Responsibilities Patient Service: Strives to understand and anticipate patient needs, manages service recovery efforts when needed, enlists management assistance as appropriate, identifies opportunities to improve the patient experience. As per practice/department protocols and/or measurements: answers phones in a timely manner, manages/handles patient requests and routes appropriately, retrieves voicemails in a timely manner, takes accurate and thorough messages and routes appropriately through EMR. Schedules patient appointments (on phone or in person) by determining reason for visit, following established schedules and protocols, using appropriate billing area/appointment location, communicating changes and confirming appointments, and, as needed, offering alternatives, canceling or rescheduling appointments. Responsible for arriving/departing activities of patients at practice and performs point‑of‑service activities: collects copays and records accurately, obtains necessary signatures/forms, obtains insurance cards and referrals/authorizations, updates appointment status in EMR, and finalizes all check‑out procedures. Communicates with patients regarding patient flow and wait times – keeps manager aware of potential issues as they arise. Issues referrals and obtains pre‑authorizations for patients as required and as per protocol. Financial: Maintains up‑to‑date knowledge of insurance requirements pertinent to patient service and billing procedures: includes basic knowledge of all managed care plans and which insurers require a copayment or referral. Validates patient demographic/insurance information and/or registers new patients into EMR using established protocols. Records receipts accurately to ensure end‑of‑day reconciliation; participates in cash reconciliation delineations. Resolves work queues and/or issues from front‑end reports; proactively prioritizes recovery of missing charges. Orders supplies for the office and generates front‑end process reports as requested. Other / Regulatory: Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulatory standards (ex TJC, DOH, FDA, HIPAA, HCFA, DPW, LCGME, SCGME, etc). Flexible and readily adopts new processes and engages in practice operation changes. Access Center Responsibilities (if appropriate): Coordinates clinical and administrative aspects of the new patient scheduling encounter. Performs within the expected outcome of the Automated Call Distribution (ACD) environment. Solves telephone issues and timely reports problems related to volume to manager. Follows established downtime procedures for registration. As needed: assists with coverage of POS and Pre‑Processing Areas, creates/mail new patient packets, appointment “bumping”, wait list scheduling, resource scheduling, and team scheduling. Credentials Education or Equivalent Experience: H.S. Diploma/GED (Required) 2+ years Medical office experience, or 4 years of customer service experience. Advanced degree (Associate's, Bachelor's, Master's) may be considered in lieu of experience. Associate of Arts or Science. Benefits 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. Equal Opportunity Employer 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. #J-18808-Ljbffr Penn Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Health System