Northwestern Memorial Healthcare

The Patient Access Specialist provides exceptional customer service to patients, ensuring a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine. Responsibilities include scheduling appointments, maintaining patient confidentiality, and managing work schedules efficiently. | A high school diploma or equivalent is required, along with 2-3 years of customer service or medical office experience. Excellent communication skills and proficiency in computer data-entry are essential. | At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better? Job Description The Patient Access Specialist reflects the mission, vision, and values of NMHC, adheres to the organizations Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. Responsibilities: Consistently practices Patients First philosophy and adheres to high standards of customer service. This includes setting an example to peers, coworkers, etc. by fostering a team atmosphere. Responds to questions and concerns. Forwards, directs, and notifies Team Lead or Operations Coordinator of extraordinary issues as necessary. Maintains patient confidentiality per HIPAA regulations. Provides exceptional customer service to patients which establish a positive first impression of Northwestern Medicine. Exceeds all consumer requests and alerts management of issues or concerns that require escalation. Correctly identifies and collects patient demographic information in accordance with organization standards. Interacts with various hospital departments and physicians offices to effectively schedule and direct patients through the NMHC systems in a patient/customer friendly manner. Reaches out to patients to schedule an appointment as defined. Performs medical necessity checks as necessary for scheduled services, communicates options to patient if appointment fails. Informs patients of any issues with securing the financial account for their encounter. Completes out-of-pocket estimations as requested by patients. Provides training and education as needed. Manages work schedule efficiently, completing tasks and assignments on time. Completes other duties assigned by manager. Cross-training between various departments will take place to ensure coverage. Participates in Quality Assurance reviews to ensure integrity of patient data information. Uses effective service recovery skills to solve problems or service breakdowns when they occur. Utilizes department and hospital policies and procedures to complete assigned tasks. Adheres to all department policies and compliance requirements. Avoids putting patient in financial or safety risk. Other duties as assigned. Communication and Collaboration: Communicates information to the patient regarding questions about physician referrals, insurance referrals and consultations. Collects authorization numbers in appropriate systems as applicable. Provides professional and constructive environment for communication across units/departments and resolves operational issues. May attend intra/interdepartmental meetings which involve walking within NM Campus. Communicates customer satisfaction issues to appropriate individuals. Demonstrates teamwork by helping co-workers within and across departments. Communicates effectively with others, respects diverse opinions and styles, and acknowledges the assistance and contributions of others. Interacts with internal customers to provide excellent support service to staff in departments which provide direct patient care. Accommodates all levels of communication ability. Technology: Utilizes multiple online order retrieval systems to verify or print the patients order. Verifies insurance eligibility and benefit levels through the use of online tools (NDAS, ASF, etc.) or over the phone as necessary. Completes accurate handoff instructions and notes to scheduling staff, by noting appropriately in Epic. Demonstrates ability to use all computer applications efficiently and to the capacity needed in this position. Runs real time eligibility (RTE) on all patients to verify insurance and follows out of network policies as applicable. Sends quality Epic Messages/Telephone encounters that are descriptive and grammatically correct. Efficiency, Process Improvement, and Business Growth: Proactive in preventing issues with patient visit by double checking type of test, preps required, assuring no conflict with other tests, verifying time and location, communicating relevant information, verifying documenting order retrieval in notes for check-in person, ensures there are no duplicate patient records. Understands minimum data set required for a complete registration, collects and verifies critical data and updates that information into registration system. Understands departmental and individual quality metrics. Proactively analyzes account activity, identifies problems, and initiates appropriate actions/resolutions. Evaluates procedures and suggests improvements to enhance customer service and operational efficiency. Participates in departmental quality improvement activities. Provides ideas and suggestions for process improvements within the department. Monitors registration and scheduling, including insurance verification to ensure processing within prescribed quality standards. Adjusts processes as needed to meet standards. Uses organizational and unit/department resources efficiently. Acts as a training resource for new staff and a resource for coworkers, sharing process and workflow information. Understands that schedule may change to reflect shifting business needs. Evolves and learns as healthcare policies change. EOE including Disabled and Veterans. Qualifications Required: High School diploma or equivalent. 2-3 years customer service or medical office experience. Excellent interpersonal, verbal, and written communication skills. Proficiency in computer data-entry/typing. Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Ability to read, write, and communicate effectively in English. Basic Computer Skills. Ability to type 40 wpm. Ability to multi-task. Customer service oriented. Excellent organizational, time management, analytical, and problem solving skills. Preferred: Additional education. Additional language skills. Healthcare finance and/or healthcare insurance experience. Knowledge and experience in a healthcare setting, especially patient scheduling and/or registration. Additional Information Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Analyze patient access data, collaborate with leadership and IT teams, recommend and implement process improvements to optimize clinical service access. | Bachelor’s degree with strong analytical and project management skills, ability to communicate effectively and work independently in a healthcare environment. | At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better? Job Description The Access Program Analyst reflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. The Access Program Analyst, provides analytical and operations improvement support to the Manager of Access. This position facilitates data analysis, trends, supporting materials to lead improvement efforts in patient access to clinical services. The Business Analyst makes recommendations for improvement and participates in the implementation and ongoing monitoring of improvements pertaining to access strategies, improvements and goals. Responsibilities: • Gather data using interviews, document analysis, surveys, site visits, business process description, workflow analysis, EDW reporting, Epic reporting, etc. • Critically evaluate information gathered from multiple sources, reconcile conflicts, decompose high-level information into details, and abstract up from low-level information to a general understanding and recommendation • Proactively communicate and collaborate with external and internal customers to analyze information needs and functional requirements • Participate in new patient access goal development and implementation • Utilize data sources and analyze trends in provider and practice level access, volume and utilization data • Coordinate with regional partners to implement optimization tactics that drive master template changes, optimize new patient appointment availability and allow ease of scheduling • Collaborate with Epic IT team to monitor and evaluate questionnaire and template change requests • Establish ongoing meetings/touchpoints with Practice leadership to review access performance trends and identify opportunities. • Serve as a resource to practice leadership and access division leadership for access data analytics and performance improvement. • Utilize enterprise-wide requirements systems (EPIC, EDW, etc). • Successfully manage and engage in multiple initiatives simultaneously. • Work independently with users to define concepts and under direction of managers. • Drive and challenge processes and operations assumptions of how they will successfully execute their plans. • Serve as the conduit between IT, departmental leadership, and Access staff. • Ability to create, monitor, and analyze data for forecasting projections, trend analysis, and decision-making purposes. • Perform other duties as assigned by OC, Manager, and Director. Qualifications Required: • Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent work experience • Strong analytical and project management skills required Preferred: • Master’s Degree • Exceptional interpersonal skills • Demonstrated customer service skills. • Excellent verbal and written communication skills. Additional Information Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. If we offer you a job, we will perform a background check that includes a review of any criminal convictions. A conviction does not disqualify you from employment at Northwestern Medicine. We consider this on a case-by-case basis and follow all state and federal guidelines. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more.

Oversee daily coding operations, lead staff, ensure regulatory compliance, manage workflow improvements, and collaborate on coding-related projects and training. | Requires 5+ years acute healthcare coding experience, RHIT/RHIA/CCS credential, leadership skills, critical thinking, and ability to work under stress. | The Operations Coordinator, HB Codingreflects the mission, vision, and values of NM, adheres to the organization’s Code of Ethics and Corporate Compliance Program, and complies with all relevant policies, procedures, guidelines and all other regulatory and accreditation standards. The Operations Coordinator, HB Coding is a subject matter expert and role model of the Coding Department and coordinates a team effort to compile and maintain data for various functional areas within the Coding Department at NM. This position monitors division statistics and evaluation measures, maintains the department’s dashboard, assists in ensuring competencies and compliance requirements are met for all State and Federal standards and oversees the day to day staffing and work assignments within a work unit. This position also provides lead assistance to Coding Management with related projects and Coding function coverage. Responsibilities: • Responsible for overseeing daily operations. Provides direction, orientation training, and mentoring of staff • Monitors all areas of Coding responsibilities pertaining to the compliance with regulatory group standards • Serve as Subject Matter Expert (SME) within the division • Design and implement workflow processes to support continuous improvement • Participate in continuing education, collaborate with Coding Educators and provide education for operational processes • Assist with employee engagement and promote teamwork • Prepare division schedule for adequate daily coverage and to support management A/R goals • Collaborate with other divisions on maintaining content of the Team Site/SharePoint • Knowledge of existing technology • Collaborate with manager to complete staff performance reviews • Counsel staff when minimum required performance is not achieved • Review and analyze performance data • Responds to NMHC physicians, clinicians, support staff, regarding issues and concerns relating to the use of systems and coding results • Coordinates the implementation of department specific projects; leads system testing and staff training efforts • Provides day-to-day monitoring of staffing levels and work activity, and supports Coding management • Collaborates with the Epic team to ensure efficient workflows • Analyze and identify opportunities to reduce denials from a coding perspective • Assists with budget preparation, identifying ideas for increasing efficiencies and cost savings • Participates in other organizational meetings as required • Other analysis/reporting as required • Trains new hires and on-boards contract coders • Compiles monthly productivity and quality statistics and reports the results to Coding Manager • Through day to day interactions with staff, identifies areas of educational opportunity at an individual or team level • Regular travel to all NM locations/regions as specified by department manager to support team • Facilitates staff huddles to education team members, updates all resources on the Shared Drive • Assists with administrative supervisory functions such as handling requests for paid time off (PTO), creating and maintaining schedules, managing staff hours and verifying accuracy of timesheets for payroll • Assist in the development and maintenance of department policies and procedures Required: • RHIT, RHIA or CCS credentialed • 5 years of coding experience in an acute healthcare setting • Leadership experience • Critical thinking skills, decisive judgment and the ability to work with minimal supervision. Must be able to work in a stressful environment and take appropriate action Preferred: • Bachelor’s degree in related field • 7 years of coding experience in an acute healthcare setting Northwestern Medicine is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in hiring or employment on the basis of age, sex, race, color, religion, national origin, gender identity, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation or any other protected status. If we offer you a job, we will perform a background check that includes a review of any criminal convictions. A conviction does not disqualify you from employment at Northwestern Medicine. We consider this on a case-by-case basis and follow all state and federal guidelines. Benefits We offer a wide range of benefits that provide employees with tools and resources to improve their physical, emotional, and financial well-being while providing protection for unexpected life events. Please visit our Benefits section to learn more. At Northwestern Medicine, every patient interaction makes a difference in cultivating a positive workplace. This patient-first approach is what sets us apart as a leader in the healthcare industry. As an integral part of our team, you'll have the opportunity to join our quest for better healthcare, no matter where you work within the Northwestern Medicine system. At Northwestern Medicine, we pride ourselves on providing competitive benefits: from tuition reimbursement and loan forgiveness to 401(k) matching and lifecycle benefits, we take care of our employees. Ready to join our quest for better?