Patient Services Specialist II - Towncenter, Internal Medicine

Patient Services Specialist II

The Patient Services Specialist II has advanced Patient Services Specialist skills and is proficient in independently maintaining a positive patient experience by consistently exceeding expectations in customer service and patient care, by coordinating clerical and medical activities of a healthcare team, patient registration activities and facilitating access to UTMB services for new and returning patients.

Required Education / Experience

Bachelor's degree and one year experience or High School or equivalent and three years clerical or customer service experience.

Essential Job Functions / Responsibilities

1. Ability to function as a team leader.
2. Provides peer guidance and leadership.
3. Able to effectively triage problems.
4. Understand clinic flow to maximize clinic usage to meet patient needs.

Customer Service

• Provides high level customer service in all interactions with internal and external customers.
• Provides direct, professional, and knowledgeable interactions with patients, physicians, referral sources, and the treatment team.
• Answers calls accurately and with exceptional customer service.
• Ensures caller's needs are met and accurate information is obtained.
• Ensures calls are documented and triaged appropriately ensuring patient satisfaction and patient safety. Completes telephone encounter process if appropriate.
• Acts as patient advocate and liaisons with various departments to meet mutual goals.
• Maintains patient confidentiality regarding access to patient and other clinical information via email, computer, fax, and mail
• Addresses concerns of patients, provides service recovery, and escalates issues as needed.

Scheduling

• Applies the policies of the clinical entity to schedule appointments.
• Coordinates financial counseling for day surgery
• Completes reminder calls to patients for scheduled appointments
• Educates patient/responsible parties regarding billing process and any additional financial responsibilities including third party benefits information.
• Provides out of pocket cost estimates to patients
• Counsels' patients about unpaid bills.
• Obtains future appointments at time of service for clinic follow-up, referrals, and ancillary services.

Patient Arrival / Registration / Disposition

• Arrives patients and prepares paperwork/chart for visit.
• Appropriately receipts all monies collected, tokens distributed, and deferments authorized.
• Verifies, ensures eligibility, and pre-registers patients by obtaining patient demographics and third-party coverage(s) at every encounter.
• Obtains and documents information required for third party reimbursement.
• Ensures compliance with Medicare and third-party coverage.
• Communicates with patient, referral source, UTMB physician and clinical staff regarding any obstacle to access or authorization.
• Fully dispositions each patient within the designated timeline.

Periodic Job Functions

• Performs related duties as required.
• Reads all OSA Announcements and relevant communications relating to job duties.
• Successfully completes competency-based training and testing on an annual basis.
• Prioritizes and completes all work in an accurate, effective, and efficient manner.
• Adheres to internal controls established for department.
• Locks office and secures files containing money or confidential information when away from workstation. Properly disposes of printed patient information, logs off computer when leaving workstation and keeps passwords confidential.
• Participates in team meetings/activities and supports the philosophy and goals of the team/department.

Equal Employment Opportunity

UTMB Health strives to provide equal opportunity employment without regard to race, color, religion, age, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other basis protected by institutional policy or by federal, state or local laws unless such distinction is required by law. As a VEVRAA Federal Contractor, UTMB Health takes affirmative action to hire and advance women, minorities, protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.

Compensation