Patient Access Associate ED IP

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?

Responsibilities:

1. Greets patient with a positive and professional attitude and initiates registration process. Selects the correct patient through properly entering the required fields within the ADT system to ensure patient safety and creates visits appropriately in the ADT system.
2. Performs follow up on assigned third party accounts for all ED and Inpatient admissions. Follow up includes but is not limited to verifying eligibility, obtaining benefits, ensuring authorization/referral requirements have been completed i.e. Drug screenings, Global International patients, attain appropriate referrals for hospital contacted facilities. 
3. Demonstrates flexibility and adaptability to changing work environment. Demonstrates willingness to meet the needs of departmental operations effectively as an individual and team member. 
4. Support Customer Service and Performance Improvement goals of the Department. 
5. Determines and appropriately documents out of pocket responsibility for services as related to insurance contracts or Penn Medicine Princeton Health Fee Schedules (i.e. Self-Pay Fee Schedule). Collects Time of Service (TOS) and Point of Service (POS) Payments according to policy. If necessary, refers patient to Financial Counselor and/or Medicaid Screener for assistance. 
6. Participates in educational sessions, seminars, annual mandatories staff meetings and Hospital sessions, utilizing the information provided to enhance patient care activities and work behaviors. 
7. All Patient Access Associates assigned bedside registration are required to utilize Workstation On Wheels (WOW) or a handheld device. 8. Commitment to shift, arrive on time, ready to work at the start of your shift. If calls out, facilitate appropriate back up coverage for the ED. 

Additional Responsibilities: 

1. Insurance Verification 

• Performs follow up on assigned third party accounts for all ED outpatients or Hospital Admissions (IP and OBS). Follow up includes but is not limited to verifying eligibility, obtaining benefits, ensuring pre-certification and/or authorization/referral requirements have been completed. 
• Utilizes web-based applications and or internet resources to follow up on outstanding items. Contacts insurance companies and patients as needed to facilitate coverage and payment within established guidelines. 
• Utilizes web-based applications and or internet resources to follow up coverage. 
• Contacts insurance companies and patients/POA as needed to facilitate coverage and payment within established guidelines. 
• Processes correspondence from insurance companies, case management and other areas within 24 hrs.' of receipt. 

2. Front Desk Functions 

• Greets patient with a positive and professional attitude and initiates registration and/or check-in process depending on situation. 
• Monitors Waiting Room patients and addresses patient questions. 
• Communicate effectively with ED Charge Nurse and Triage Nurse on critical patients. 
• Appropriately enters patient on the correct Clinical System wait list. 
• Responsible for answering the department phone and processing requests such as patient registration inquiries as needed. 
• Ensures that the appropriate signatures are obtained to meet regulatory requirements. Scans all appropriate paperwork on correct visit. 
• Correct registration errors via Patient Work Queues. 
• Escorts or arranges to have patient escorted to treatment areas throughout the ED and/or hospital units. 
• Direct patient guests to patient rooms. 
• Gathers and prepare charts for Health Information Management collection (ED only). 
• Provides instruction to Behavioral Health visitors on safety and assigns lockers for personal belongings (ED). 
• Communicates with Labor and Delivery regarding arrival of maternity patients presenting to the Emergency Department to expedite patient flow. 
• Assist in providing transportation information to patients. 
• Back up to Hospital ED Screeners. 
• Cross trained for full registration in Main. 

3. ED Outpatient Registration 

• Manage the ED Track Board, identify patients ready to register, quickly and expeditiously complete registrations to minimize Length of Stay (LOS) for patients and meet ED Registration Metrics. 
• Safely registers patients with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at bedside, this includes COVID positive patients. 
• Interviews patients/family in a caring, empathetic, and professional manner for purpose of obtaining demographic and insurance information for appropriate billing and ensures that the appropriate signatures are obtained to meet regulatory requirements. 
• Contacts insurance companies, outside facilities (such as Nursing Homes, transfer facility), patients, healthcare representative and/or hospital clinical departments when necessary to obtain any missing information. 
• Determines and appropriately documents out of pocket responsibility for services as related to insurance contracts or Penn Medicine Princeton Health Fee Schedules (i.e. Self-Pay Fee Schedule). Collects Time of Service (TOS) and Point of Service (POS) Payments according to policy. If necessary refers patient to Financial Counselor for assistance. 
• Greets EMS Team and patients (and guests) entering via Ambulance Entrance with a positive and professional attitude and initiates registration and/or check-in process depending on situation. 
• Accurately selects patient from ADT system. 
• Properly enters Chief complaints into the ADT system as appropriate. 
• Ensures that the appropriate signatures are obtained to meet regulatory requirements. Scans all appropriate paperwork on correct visit. 
• Identifies admission, transfer, conversion, and upgrade requests by monitoring the Emergency Department Registration Track and responds to ensures that the appropriate signatures are obtained to meet Emergency Dept. and Inpatient regulatory requirements. Scans all appropriate paperwork on correct visit. 
• Pre-screens candidates for Presumptive Eligibility and collaborates alerts to the Medicaid Screener consultant. 
• Ensure compliance for scheduled downtime processes. 
• CMS Compliance of PCP data collection.

Education or Equivalent Experience: High school diploma or equivalent. Two years of medical experience, with previous hospital or physician office registration experience preferred.

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.

Live Your Life's Work

We are an Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action 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.