Patient Access Specialist

Job Description

Job Description

Keep Care Moving—Join Southside Community Health Services as a Patient Access Specialist

Southside Community Health Services (SCHS) is a full-service, non-profit healthcare clinic serving the South Minneapolis community. We are committed to improving the health of our patients and communities by delivering exceptional care, removing barriers, and promoting healthy lifestyles.

About the Role

The Patient Access Specialist supports organizational access, staffing, and operational efficiency through the coordination of clinical schedules, staffing coverage, timekeeping processes, and administrative logistics. This position partners with leaders across clinical and administrative departments to optimize schedules, support workforce planning, and ensure clinic operations run smoothly to support exceptional patient care.

Key Responsibilities

• Serve as a central resource for clinical scheduling and patient access across clinical departments
• Open, maintain, and optimize provider and clinical staff schedules and templates in accordance with approved staffing plans, scheduling protocols, and access goals
• Coordinate same-day absences, staffing coverage, schedule changes, and provider availability in collaboration with department leadership
• Maintain accurate scheduling and timekeeping information and assist leaders in resolving discrepancies
• Partner with department leaders to coordinate staffing coverage based on operational needs, patient demand, and budget expectations
• Communicate schedule, staffing, provider availability, and appointment capacity changes to Patient Access, Call Center, and operational teams
• Monitor schedules and escalate unresolved access, staffing, or coverage concerns to appropriate leaders
• Review schedules and templates to identify unused capacity, scheduling gaps, and opportunities to improve patient access, efficiency, productivity, and revenue
• Prepare and maintain reports related to schedule availability, staffing coverage, appointment capacity, and other assigned access measures
• Support outreach strategies to maximize available appointment capacity and assist with extended hours, evening clinics, weekend clinics, and other special scheduling initiatives
• Recommend practical scheduling and workflow improvements based on patient demand, operational needs, and identified trends
• Coordinate scheduling for required training, department meetings, employee one-on-one meetings, and other organizational activities
• Collaborate with clinical and administrative leaders to coordinate required training while minimizing disruption to patient access and clinic operations

What You Bring

• Strong organizational, time-management, and problem-solving skills with the ability to manage competing priorities
• Clear, timely, and professional written and verbal communication skills
• Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and consistent follow-through
• Ability to accurately review schedules, staffing data, timekeeping information, and operational reports and identify gaps or patterns
• Ability to build collaborative relationships across clinical and administrative departments
• Ability to respond calmly and effectively to changing operational needs
• Commitment to psychological safety through respectful communication, collaboration, and constructive problem-solving
• Commitment to the SCHS mission and organizational values

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent.
• Experience working in a community health center, FQHC, multispecialty clinic, or other complex healthcare environment.
• Experience with OCHIN Epic or another electronic health record and scheduling platform.
• Experience with schedule-template management, patient access, workforce planning, productivity monitoring, or timekeeping processes.
• Understanding of how staffing, schedule templates, patient demand, productivity, and appointment availability affect access and financial performance.