Patient Services Associate

Job Title:   Patient Services Associate
Department: ED LD
Location: HUP - 3400 Spruce St
Hours: Full Time - 2nd shift - 10AM - 8:30PM

Responsibilities:

• Strives to create and maintain a culture of safety and service excellence through the following accountabilities:
• Greets and interacts with patients in a pleasant and professional manner, on phone or in person.
• Listens carefully and communicates clearly with patients to ensure understanding of patient’s request. Analyzes problems from the customer’s point of view.
• Learns/anticipates the individual patient/customer needs and does the best possible job of satisfying those needs using the best solutions. Documents needs, as appropriate, in EPIC.
• Establishes positive relationships with patients by demonstrating knowledge of patient history, compassion and responding to individual needs.
• Handles stressful patient/customer situations appropriately and delivers seamless patient/customer service.
• Ensure patient/family confidentiality, safety and security.
• Identifies opportunities to improve the patient experience, including areas identified in patient satisfaction surveys.
• Ensures communication and collaboration with clinical staff and fellow co-workers to serve patients to the best of his/her ability.
• Shows initiative, sets priorities, organizes tasks, and works independently and as part of a team while completing daily tasks.
• Safety: Participates in Entity and Department wide initiatives for Patient /Employee safety
• Demonstrates an awareness of patient/ employee safety when carrying out daily responsibilities of their position.
• Patient Service: Takes accountability for ensuring patient/work areas are neat and clean.
• Orders supplies, as requested, for practice/department.
• As per practice/department protocols and/or measurements: answer phones/retrieve voicemails in a timely manner, manage/handle patient requests and route appropriately, take thorough messages and route appropriately through EPIC.
• Schedule patient appointments (on phone or in person) accurately and completely:
• Utilizes knowledge of schedules and protocols
• Uses proper billing area/appointment location
• Cancels/reschedules appointments as needed and changes appointment status in EPIC
• Communicates changes to patient and confirms appointments.
• If scheduling patients via telephone, remind patient what to bring to appointment (insurance card, test results, referrals, etc.). Encourages patients, as appropriate, to sign up for My Penn Medicine.
• Responsible for arriving/departing activities of patient at practice and performs point of service activities
• obtains insurance cards, copays, signatures/forms, referrals/authorizations as required and updates EPIC accordingly
• finalizes all check-out procedures as per practice protocol
• 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
• Successfully navigate and resolve EPIC work queues – escalate as needed
• Perform other duties as requested or assigned.
• Financial: Maintains up to date knowledge of insurance requirements pertinent to patient service and billing procedures: including basic knowledge of all managed care plans UPHS participates with and which insurers require a copayment or referral.
• Achieves proficiency in automated systems; such as EPIC APM and EMR (including inbasket), hospital based EMRs (where necessary), Navinet, credit card machines, IPayment, etc.
• Validates patient demographic/insurance information and/or registers new patients into EPIC using established protocols
• Validates financial responsibility prior to service utilization and completes an accurate financial interview at time of registration
• Records receipts according to practice protocol so as to ensure appropriate end of day reconciliation. Participates in cash reconciliation delineations.
• Generates/runs reports, as requested, related to front-end processes
• Resolve work queues and/or issues from front-end reports which may include the patient pre & post visit, charge review, and others as requested. Proactively prioritizes recovery of missing charges.
• Regulatory Compliance: Complies with educational and training requirements at prescribed intervals (via Knowledge Link and/or other methods as required).
• Ensures compliance with all applicable federal, state, and local regulatory standards (ex TJC, DOH, FDA, HIPAA, HCFA, DPW, LCGME, SCGME, etc)
• Change Management: Flexible and readily adopts new processes and is engaged in practice operation changes.

• Other duties as assigned to support the unit, department, entity, and health system organization.

Skills:

• Thorough knowledge of third party insurance coverage guidelines preferred.
• Must successfully complete/pass EPIC schedgistration training/tests.
• Computer knowledge and skills required.
• Ability to speak English for a business setting.
• Customer-focused communication skills (verbal/written) required.
• Critical thinking and multi-tasking skills required.
• EMR skills preferred.

Education or Equivalent Experience:

• High school diploma or GED required; 2 or 4 year college degree preferred.

• 2-3 years of medical office experience, or 4 years of customer service experience, required.
• Advanced degree (Associates, Bachelors, Masters) may be considered in lieu of experience.