PATIENT ACCESS MANAGER - Patient Access - Full Time - Days

Job Description

Job Description

Patient Access Manager - Full Time

Shift: 8:00am - 4:30pm

Job Description:

PATIENT POPULATION:
The patient population served can be all patients, including geriatric, adult, adolescent, pediatric, and newborn. This also includes services which affect facility staff, physicians, visitors, vendors and the general public.

POSITION SUMMARY:
Reporting to the Director of Health Information Management/Utilization Management, the Patient Access Manager provides operational and strategic leadership for all patient access services - scheduling, pre-registration, insurance verification, eligibility, and registration while overseeing switchboard operations. This position ensures smooth, efficient front-end workflow, excellent patient and caller experiences, and compliance with regulatory and organizational standards. The Manager serves as the key link between patient access, switchboard operations, clinical areas, IT, and senior leadership, driving improvements in throughput, communication, and revenue cycle performance. Manager assists with Quality Control development and implementation within the Patient Access and Communication Departments. Ensures staffing levels are appropriate in the Patient Access and Communication areas and participates in call back and stand by as required. Will provide initial training for new employees and ongoing training and monitoring of current staff. Ensures that all staff in Patient Access and Communications demonstrates the ability to obtain and interpret information in terms of patient’s needs. Acts as a resource for other departments performing access functions and provides feedback to those departments on performance opportunities. Works with the Director of Health Information Management/Utilization Review to develop and establish best practice standards to measure and monitor processes to meet key performance indicators.

The participant integrates their department’s services with the Hospital’s primary functions and overall plan for care delivery and other departments. The participant develops and reviews house-wide and unit specific policies and where appropriate, coordinates policies with other primary functions and/or departments annually. The participant achieves and documents desired staffing to patient ratios within targeted goals. The participant determines the qualifications and competence of department personnel who provide patient care services and who are not licensed independent practitioners. The participant is involved directly and/or supports subordinate participation in the Employee Performance and Improvement process as measured by active participation in Quality Council activities annually, recommends capital equipment and physical space and resources appropriate to patient care needs and selects, orients, evaluates performance and competency of outside contractors and vendor services. Assumes 24-hour, seven day responsibility, authority and accountability for ensuring the department and all individuals in the department achieve the function’s mission and service expectations for delivering appropriate care of patients.

Must be able to work normal/scheduled working hours to include Holidays, call-backs, weeknights, weekends, and on-call. Agrees to participate, as directed, in emergencies and community disasters during scheduled and unscheduled hours. As a designated disaster service worker you are required to assist in times of need pursuant to the California Emergency Services Act. (Gov’t. Code §§ 3100, 3102)

Your position has been defined as exempt (Exempt employees are paid on a salary basis as their duties may include more complex tasks that require them to work inconsistent or longer hours on a weekly basis. Exempt salaried employees also may be obligated to work as many hours as required to fulfill their responsibilities.) therefore you may have the ability to work remote as long as your VP has given prior approval. In the event remote work is required 100% of the time or for a defined period of time for a medical accommodation, a full telework agreement must be completed and approved by both your VP and the President/CEO after remote work begins.

Needs to recognize that they have an affirmative duty and responsibility for reporting perceived misconduct, including actual or potential violations of laws, regulations, policies, procedures, or this organization’s standards/code of conduct.

The employee shall work well under pressure, meet multiple and sometimes competing deadlines; and the incumbent shall at all times demonstrate cooperative behavior with colleagues and supervisors.

EDUCATION/TRAINING/EXPERIENCE:
To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

To perform this job successfully, the individual should have the knowledge and skills typically acquired through a high school education or equivalent experience. Bachelor's degree in healthcare administration, Business, or a related field preferred.

Must have a minimum of three (3) years of progressive management experience in Pt. Access/Pt. Registration Department in a hospital-based setting or an equivalent combination of education and experience that provides the knowledge,, skills, and abilities required for the position. Previous management of switchboard communication department in a hospital-based setting highly desired.

The individual must demonstrate working knowledge of Medicare, Medi-Cal , and HMO/PPO billing requirements. Knowledge of Title 22, EMTALA registration and patient access workflows, patient financial consent requirements, and hospital Conditions of Participation is also required.

Strong organizational and leadership skills. Excellent communication, problem-solving, and interpersonal abilities. Ability to handle high-pressure situations calmly and professionally.

Ability to read and interpret documents such as safety rules, operating and maintenance instructions, and procedure manuals. Ability to write routine reports and correspondence if required.

Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions, proportions, and percentages if required.

Ability to apply common sense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form. Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in standardized situations.

To perform this job successfully, an individual should have working knowledge of PC based applications. Experience with medical information systems (Meditech preferred).

LICENSURE/CERTIFICATIONS:
Licensure/Certification: Certified Healthcare Access Manager (CHAM) required within one year of hire.

Responsibilities and Essential Functions:
*Indicates Essential Function

1 * Direct Daily operations of patient access functions (registration, admissions, scheduling, insurance verification, pre-service eligibility) across hospital and outpatient settings.
2 * Oversee switchboard operations, ensuring timely handling of incoming calls, paging, operator-assisted communication, and emergency notifications.
3 Hire, train, coach, and mentor staff, supervisors, and leads across patient access and switchboard teams to build engagement and maintain high service levels. Ensure adequate staffing and cross-coverage for 24/7 operations where applicable.
4 Monitors registration accuracy, insurance verification, and switchboard call handling quality through audits and reporting. Maintain accurate up-to-date on-call lists and paging protocols in compliance with organizational policies.
5 * Ensure adherence to HIPAA, EMTALA, CMS Conditions of Participation, and regulatory standards for both patient access and communications.
6 * Champion a culture of service excellence, ensuring compassionate, professional interactions for patients and callers. Acts as an escalation point for patient complaints, caller concerns, or urgent communication issues.
7 * Monitor and manage wait times (Qmatic or other systems), call abandonment rates, and paging response times to meet or exceed service-level expectations.
8 * Develop, monitor, and manage the operational budget for patient access and switchboard, including staffing, supplies, and contracted services. Participate in capital budgeting by identifying technology, equipment, or system upgrades needed to support operational excellence and preparing business cases for leadership approval. Prepare and present monthly operational, financial, and staffing dashboards for leadership review.
9 * Monitor financial performance, including point-of-service collections, registration related denials, and rework costs, implementing corrective actions as needed.
10 * Collaborate with IT and Facilities teams to maintain reliable switchboard, paging and communication systems, including disaster recovery protocols. Partner with EHR and scheduling system administrators to optimize front-end workflows and reduce registration errors. Lead implementation of new technology platforms (automated call routing, self-scheduling tools) to improve efficiency and satisfaction.