Supervisor Patient Access

NMC is currently recruiting a Supervisor Patient Access. The position is full-time (80 hours bi-weekly), generally 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Additional off hours may apply as position supports a 24/7 department. Northwestern Medical Center’s mission is to provide exceptional health care to our community. Join our high reliability team! With “people” as one of our core values, valuing our employees is a top priority for Northwestern. We care about our employees, their families, and their overall health & well-being. We are proud to offer a generous benefits package, with recognized national carriers, designed to help our people stay healthy, balance work & life responsibilities, protect your assets & plan for a secure financial future.

Hiring Range:  $54,100 - $75,587.20 

The posted hiring range represents the anticipated pay range for this position. Individual compensation is determined based on a variety of factors, including relevant experience and internal equity. Placement within the range will be based on the candidate's qualifications and alignment with the requirements of the role. 

 Supervisor Patient Access

JOB SUMMARY:

The Patient Access Supervisor oversees the daily operations and staff of assigned units within the Patient Access department, under the direction of the Patient Access Manager and/or Director of Revenue Cycle. Prioritizes and coordinates patient and call flow to ensure smooth service delivery. Assists with management of employee performance to meet and exceed established performance standards in areas of accuracy, productivity, the patient experience, and point of service collections, while maintaining compliance with departmental and organizational policies and procedures, and other relevant regulatory guidance. Acts as a role model for performance standards. Participates in the management of the human resources activities for the department, including hiring of new staff, onboarding, staff scheduling, corrective actions, and performance evaluations. Supports ongoing development and training of new and current employees. Participates in process improvement and quality assurance activities. Provides routine coverage as a Patient Access or Pre-Encounter Representative as needed.

PRE-REQUISITES:

       Education:  Associate's degree or comparable experience and enrolled in an Associate’s degree program.

       Experience: Three years of relevant work experience and two years of supervisory experience preferred. Prior patient access or revenue cycle experience preferred.

       Special Skills:    

• Must be able to manage the operational flow of a medical setting and demonstrate critical decision making to successfully meet operational goals.
• Must have exceptional customer service skills and be able to create high performing teams that can demonstrate these skills.
• Must have functional knowledge of the registration and scheduling processes as they relate to the revenue cycle.

RELATIONSHIPS:

       Reports To: Patient Access Manager / Director of Revenue Cycle

       Supervises: Patient Access staff

       Other Contacts: Providers and their staff, patients and their families, hospital staff, general public.

SCOPE:

       Machinery or Equipment Used: Computer and basic office equipment, multi-line phone system

       Physical Demands: Sitting for long periods, standing and walking, manual dexterity and mobility, may need to push a patient in a wheelchair

       Working Conditions: May be exposed to infections and contagious diseases. Subject to many interruptions, stress due to a high patient volume areas.

       Required Protective Equipment: PPE as patient condition or situation dictates

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:

Supervisory Functions

• Provide daily oversight and support to patient access staff. Acts as a point of contact for team members for any day-to-day operational needs. Maintains expert level knowledge of day-to-day workflows, and patient access software systems to support staff.
• Monitors and coordinates patient and call flow to ensure smooth delivery to service areas.
• Maintains appropriate staffing to perform patient access functions in accordance with departmental standards.
• Optimizes productivity by monitoring staff schedules to identify and eliminate gaps, and to ensure adequate staffing coverage.
• Regularly covers as a Patient Access or Pre-Encounter representative as needed.
• Complete and maintain reports for performance management and compliance

Performance Management and Quality Assurance Functions

• Ensures patient access personnel meet or exceed all performance standards, while maintaining compliance with departmental and organizational policies and procedures.
• Review and respond to AccuReg disputed edits.
• Receive quality assurance feedback from various sources, including independently conducted quality assurance activities. Utilize feedback to identify root cause of quality and performance issues. Creates and executes action plans to address performance issues.
• Actively monitor real time performance (via dashboards, reports, observations, KPI alerts, etc.). Provide real time feedback to team members.
• Conduct daily quality assurance activities.
• Provide coaching and corrective feedback to staff members via various platforms to deliver feedback (verbal real time feedback, one-on-one meetings, email, thank you notes, etc.).
• Completes and delivers annual performance evaluations for assigned direct reports.
• Assists Manager to ensure maximum use of available systems technology to maximize efficiency of patient access functional areas.

Communication and Change Management

• Maintains effective working relationships and effectively communicates with internal and external stakeholders.
• Ensure strong communication with team members within assigned functional areas.
• Acts as a change agent, and positively embraces change.
• Facilitate daily briefs and debriefs in assigned units to foster good communication and engagement.
• Facilitate staff meetings for assigned units
• Periodically rounds in assigned units to support team members.
• Creates and maintains tools and reference materials to support consistent and reliable operations.

Administrative Leadership Functions

• Coordinates staff scheduling for assigned units to maintain adequate coverage within budgeted parameters. Responsible to create monthly staffing schedules, to review and approve time off requests, and review and approve shift swaps.
• Makes recommendations to Patient Access Manager and/or Director of Revenue Cycle for position and staffing needs.
• Assist with hiring and onboarding new team members to the department.
• Assist with reconciliation and approval of timecards.
• Ensures adequate supplies for assigned units within budgetary parameters.
• Addresses patient complaints and concerns in a timely manner.

Effectively Manages Change

• Provides an active support mechanism during times of change including but not limited to reaffirming goals/values, considering concerns as they arise, and an open door policy
• Detects and resolves team/individual isolation and other breakdowns resulting from change
• Communicates excessively to quell rumors and work through barriers to change
• Remains flexible and responsive to new information during change

Manages and Improves Processes

• Analyzes service and quality metrics to identify areas where corrective action can be taken within the department.
• Questions the status quo to seek more efficient ways to accomplish department functions
• Seeks out industry benchmarks and stays aware of emerging technology and best practices to exceed quality standards
• Actively seeks opportunities to improve own leadership skills through education and job shadowing.

Understands the Financial Impact of their Department

• Proficient in interpreting the meaning of various organizational financial reports and able to communicate this meaning appropriately with staff
• Demonstrates an understanding of the components of productivity and expense management that pertain to their department
• Proactively identifies opportunities for market share enhancements, expense reductions, and outcome improvements
• Exhibits ability to assess the risks, effort, benefits, impact, results, and costs involved in any proposed new course of action or current activity

Builds Effective Networks

• Demonstrates a willingness to create win-win situations with other departments
• Seeks and is open to others’ viewpoints
• Establishes rapport with other NMC connections without motive
• Rounds on important internal customers with regularity

Drives Operational and Service Excellence

• Sets and communicates clear, legitimate standards of performance with credible metrics
• Prioritizes the department’s activities to achieve long and short term organizational goals; clearly communicating goals so employees understand what they are working toward achieving
• Committed to NMC Service Standards; holding self, team, and colleagues accountable for AIDET and other must-haves
• Willing to reorganize roles and responsibilities to align with strategy, including cross training when appropriate and allowed

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Northwestern Medical Center is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating and maintaining a workplace that values diversity, inclusion, and belonging. All employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

Northwestern Medical Center is dedicated to fostering a respectful, inclusive, and supportive work environment where all employees have the opportunity to contribute, grow, and succeed. We encourage qualified individuals from all backgrounds and experiences to apply.

Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the application and employment process. Applicants requiring accommodation are encouraged to contact Human Resources for assistance.