Team Lead Patient Access

Patient Access Team Lead
Performance Profile
Appleton, Wisconsin

THE OPPORTUNITY

Neuroscience Group is looking for a Patient Access Team Lead to redefine and reshape the scheduling department that supports its neurology, physiatry, pain management, neurosurgery, and interventional radiology teams. The department splits into three areas: five Intake Specialists handling new patient requests and referrals, a Schedulers/PSR team booking follow-ups, MRIs, EEGs, EMGs, injections, and concussion clinic visits, and a two-person PT/OT/ST scheduling team. Fully staffed, fourteen people will report into this role.

This is primarily a management position: the expectation is that you lead from the front through coaching, metrics, and process, and step into the queue yourself only when someone calls in or volume spikes. You will report directly to Mike Benisch, Manager of Patient Access, working out of the Appleton clinic on West Calumet Street roughly 90% of the time, with occasional trips to the Neenah location for meetings (mileage reimbursed) and many meetings held over Teams. Mike is looking for someone genuinely collaborative who earns buy-in early, listens without getting defensive, and gives the team the voice it has been missing.

WHY THIS ROLE

AUTONOMY
You are being brought in to redefine and reshape this department, not maintain someone else's playbook. Mike is explicitly open to new insight on how the team's current processes and structure should change.

CULTURE
Neuroscience Group is an independent, physician-led practice that describes itself as family oriented. After a difficult stretch, leadership wants a leader who listens, gets buy-in, and never turns defensive.

IMPACT
Every schedule your team of fourteen fills touches a patient managing a brain, spine, or pain condition. Leadership has also flagged this seat as a track toward a larger leadership role.

THE COMPANY

Founded in 1991 by Dr. Thomas A. Lyons and Dr. Steven J. Price, Neuroscience Group has grown into a multi-specialty independent practice serving Northeast Wisconsin's Fox Valley region, with roughly 215 employees, close to 60 providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants), and about $85 million in annual gross revenue. Close to half of the organization sits in clinical and PT roles, with the other half in support functions like scheduling, billing, and authorization. The practice brings together neurology, neurosurgery, orthopedic spine surgery, interventional pain management, and physical therapy under one roof, a combination Dr. Lyons set out to build so patients with complex neurological and spinal conditions no longer had to travel to Madison, Milwaukee, or the Mayo Clinic for coordinated care.

The practice operates from two primary locations: Neenah, off Highway 41, and Appleton on West Calumet Street, where this role is based. Neuroscience Group's community presence includes a long-standing naming partnership with the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers' home stadium, and its stated mission centers on improving patients' lives through personal care and compassion. Core values guiding the organization include teamwork, continuous learning and improvement, community involvement, fiscal responsibility, and initiative and leadership.

WHAT THE ROLE ENTAILS

Team Leadership & Coaching
Lead Intake Specialists, the Schedulers/PSR team, and a two-person PT/OT/ST scheduling team. Run monthly one-on-ones (weekly at first), coach toward performance targets, and build trust.

Daily Operations
Assign daily responsibilities across work queues, incoming calls, callbacks, and voicemails. Monitor call volume and metrics, and step in hands-on only when someone calls in or volume spikes.

Performance & Metrics
Hold the team accountable to a 90%+ call-answer rate, run quality assurance on calls, and manage the work queue.

Process Improvement
Enhance operational processes for efficiency in collaboration with other departments. The goal is for scheduling turnaround to stay inside 3-5 business days.

Training & Development
Step into a well-thought-out new-hire orientation. Your onboarding will be full: facility tours, Epic and IT systems, HR and paperless Paylocity setup, and weeks 4 and 5 in cross-departmental orientation.

Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner with the Manager of Patient Access, fellow Team Leads, and NSG leadership, and take a lead role in interviewing, performance reviews, and disciplinary conversations alongside HR.

90 / 180 / 365-DAY MILESTONES

90 DAYS
• Complete facility tours, Epic and IT training, and paperless HR onboarding through Paylocity
• Get to know the team and NSG’s culture firsthand
• Develop a working understanding of every role you manage
• Begin building trust across all three sub-teams

180 DAYS
• Know the scheduling preferences of each NSG provider
• Have the call-answer rate and work queue metrics stabilized
• Be actively coaching toward practice performance targets
• Have identified initial process improvement opportunities

365 DAYS
• Have the full team trained across all aspects of their jobs
• Have a formal training program built and running
• Show measurable gains in call answer rate and scheduling turnaround
• Be positioned for growth into a broader leadership role

REQUIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALITIES

• 2 to 3 years of people management experience
• 2 or more years of healthcare scheduling experience
• Epic proficiency strongly preferred, other specialties welcome
• Understanding of HIPAA and healthcare confidentiality standards

• No specific degree required; healthcare administration background is a plus, but experience matters more
• Prior experience designing or delivering training programs
• Background in a multi-specialty medical practice

Integrity: High personal integrity and sound judgment under pressure
Composure: Calm and caring with patients, families, and team members alike
Communicator: Resolves communication breakdowns before they become team issues
Trust-Builder: Earns buy-in and motivates a team that has been through a rough stretch

WHO THRIVES HERE

This role suits someone who leads primarily through people, metrics, and process, but is not above stepping into the queue when the team needs it. The right person walks in ready to earn trust with a team that has been through a difficult stretch, and treats that as an opportunity rather than a warning sign.

• You can hold people accountable to metrics while still being the person they come to for support
• You get buy-in from the team early, genuinely listen to what they need, and never get defensive when challenged
• You lead primarily through management, coaching, and process, and can still jump into the queue yourself when the team needs it
• You see healthcare scheduling as a direct line to patient care, not an administrative afterthought

This is not the right seat for someone who wants a purely strategic or purely administrative role, or who needs a fully built-out playbook to succeed. It also is not a fit for anyone who leads by authority alone rather than by earning it, given the team dynamic this person is stepping into.

THE SEAT IN SUMMARY

This is a chance to lead and rebuild a patient access team at an independent, physician-led practice with real roots in the Fox Valley community.

• Primarily a management role: lead through coaching, metrics, and process, stepping into the queue when needed
• Direct oversight of 14 team members across 3 areas (Intake, Schedulers/PSRs, PT/OT/ST)
• Based in Appleton about 90% of the time, with occasional mileage-reimbursed trips to Neenah
• Hourly role with some flexibility; no weekends or on-call requirements