PATIENT ACCESS REPRESENTATIVE

SEARHC is a non-profit health consortium which serves the health interests of the residents of Southeast Alaska. We see our employees as our strongest assets. It is our priority to further their development and our organization by aiding in their professional advancement.

Working at SEARHC is more than a job, it’s a fulfilling career. We offer generous benefits, including retirement, paid time off, paid parental leave, health, dental, and vision benefits, life insurance and long and short-term disability, and more.

This position is utilized in Rehabilitation Services departments at various locations throughout the SEARHC network.  This position acts as the primary and often sole, administrative support for the department and providers to include: incoming calls, scheduling and registration, ordering supplies, clinical aide, and building clinical schedules.  This position also performs a variety of complex tactical and analytical patient accounting functions related to: insurance billing, self-pay billing, remit analysis & cash posting, accounts receivable management, claims follow up, charge capture and analysis, denials analysis & resolution and tasks to support the Consortium’s month end close processes.

This position is required to multi-task while demonstrating excellent customer service skills. The position requires accuracy and concentration, interruptions produce high stress when trying to meet multiple demands. This job can involve working in a small space, at a demanding pace, with a variety of people and sometimes difficult personalities and situations; good judgement, tact and personal skills are necessary for positive working relationships between patients and co-workers.  This job involves potential risks that the Aide must work to avoid to the extent possible.  Exposure to infectious organisms is possible; use of precautions and appropriate protective equipment is necessary.  Latex may be present in the work place.

Pay range $18.39 - $26.06 per hour, DOE. 

• Registration and Scheduling: Answers in-coming calls. Greets patients. Schedules all rehab appointments. Demonstrates exceptional phone etiquette. Treats all calls/callers in a professional manner while maintaining confidentiality. Responsible for registration of all patients and ensures that all information is current in order to support our Revenue Cycle. Must remain current in specific registration and scheduling processes for the organization. Ensures that all demographic and insurance information is communicated and properly enter into the electronic health record to provide prompt and accurate billing. Responsible for coordination of benefits when more than one insurance carrier is used. Performs various duties such as processing cancellation notices, making daily reminder calls to patients, maintaining daily schedule accurately.
• Authorizations: Receives and prioritizes calls, faxes, requests from patients, incoming information, referring physicians, and/or clinic staff and schedules appropriate appointments in the scheduling system.
• Supply Ordering: Performs inventory control of all stocked items including dispensable supplies, office supplies and clinic supplies Send/receive faxes and distributes timely to the various departments. Ordering of supplies stocked in the warehouse and from local vendors.  Notifying providers of inventory levels for clinical supplies. Mail patient’s letters from the providers.
• Referrals: Processes all referrals and maintains provider’s clinic schedules within the department
• Clinical Aide: Assist providers in administrative manners and clinic operations as appropriate. Performs other duties as assigned. As directed by a Therapist, assists patients in transfers, gait and exercise routines.  May administer some therapy modalities or supervise patients during exercise consistent with training, experience and the patient’s plan of care.  Care may take place in multiple areas including the Rehabilitation Services gym, hallways, and various locations in the clinic. Maintain cleanliness of the clinic on regularly scheduled intervals out lined by infection control policies and as needed basis. Assist providers in therapy case management as appropriate.   In order to keep current with knowledge of the department and aide position, staff will participate as a learner or teacher in clinical education, in-services, etc.  Continuing educational funds will be allocated for the benefit of the department.
• Charge Capture and Billing: Ensure proper charge capture, billing and adjudication of claims in accordance with standard federal, state and private billing policies and reimbursement principles. Stays current on changing payor-specific charging and billing rules. Work billing scrubber edits and identity root causes impacting clean claim rates. Monitor payor claim acceptance and response timeliness.  When necessary, call, email, use payor portals to status claims. Responsible for reviewing patient account records and third party payer issues; escalate themes for potentially payor relations bulk resolution.  Validate balances, bill and follow-up on patient self-pay accounts consistent with the Consortium’s discount, bad debt and charity policies. Answer patient billing questions and take necessary action to resolve the account. 
• Cash Posting and ERA Management: Accurately and timely post all cash, checks, credit cards, and electronically transferred funds to beneficiary and non-beneficiary accounts within 2 business days (or 48 hours) of cash deposit or escalate non-post-able deposits for resolution. Researches and resolves un-applied cash and misapplied payment research requests.  Balances all transactions posted to source system and daily batch deposits.  Decipher Explanation of Benefits (EOB) and balance transfer money to the secondary insurance or patient liability. 
• Participates in development and updating of organization procedures and update of forms and manuals. Performs a variety of general clerical duties and other routine functions. Other duties as assigned.
• Maintains confidentiality following SEARHC policy and HIPAA regulations.

Education: 

• High School Diploma or equivalent.          

Experience:

• Two (2) years relevant and dependable experience
• Demonstrated proficiency in computer applications including MS Office
• Customer service experience preferred
• Experience with direct patient care in a health care setting preferred
• Certified Nursing Assistant can be exchanged for 1.5 years of office experience.
• Healthcare related course work may be exchanged for 4 months of experience per semester – examples include, but not limited to Medical terminology class, Anatomy/physiology, or Medical Coding.
• Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) can be exchanged for work required work history.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of multi-line phone systems
• Knowledge of scheduling software
• Knowledge of general clinic flow

Skills:

• Excellent customer service skills when interacting with patients and staff.
• Good communication skills both verbal and written
• Computer skills

Abilities:

• Ability to prioritize work assignments and accomplish the quality and quantity of work expected within set time limits.
• Ability to work as a part of a team
• Must have the ability to communicate effectively with patients, families, community members and non-Rehabilitation Services Department service professionals, persons of any level of understanding.
• Must have the physical ability to assist in patient care while keeping patients and self-safe, allowing the Aide to work effectively with patients as directed by the therapist.