Experience the highest level of appreciation at UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center — named Top Workplace in the Baltimore area by The Baltimore Sun two years in a row (2019 & 2020); Top Workplace in the USA for 2021! As part of the acclaimed University of Maryland Medical System, our facility is one of three ANCC Pathway to Excellence® designated hospitals in Maryland. UM BWMC features one of the state’s busiest emergency departments, as well as a team of experts who care for our community and one another. The University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center (UMBWMC) provides the highest quality health care services to the communities we serve. Our medical center is home to leading-edge technology, nationally recognized quality, personalized service and outstanding people. We have 285 licensed beds and we’re home to 3,200 employees and over 800 physicians. Our expert physicians and experienced, compassionate staff are connected to medical practices in the local community as well as at University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore. For patients, this means access to high-quality care and research discoveries aimed at improving Maryland’s health. Our physicians and nursing staff specialize in emergency, acute, medical-surgical and critical care. In addition, our medical center is home to many Centers of Excellence, offering expert outpatient health care.

General Summary

Under general supervision, performs scheduling, registration, pre-admission processing, wayfinding, and other administrative duties, while adhering to the department specific standards for data entry and patient selection. The additional duties of this role can include verification of insurance benefit eligibility, insurance pre-certification and authorization, and estimates creation and/or finalization.

Works with the care teams and revenue cycle to identify and eliminate barriers to access, reimbursement and affordable care. Provides education to the patient and family regarding the financial clearance process and offer information regarding estimated cost of services and financial assistance opportunities. Performs specific administrative and Admission, Discharge and Transfer (ADT) functions and performs these duties in multiple clinics and registration areas within the institution.

Principal Responsibilities and Tasks

The following statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all job duties performed by personnel so classified.

• Serves as the first point of contact for patients and visitors who enter the facilities and is responsible for all aspects of customer service for Patient Access/Patient Administrative Services areas in a manner that ensures a customer focused, quality conscious work climate recognizing that patients visits are filled with anxiety and unknowns.
• Primary functions include focusing on interpersonal skills, data collection, the ability to assess situations, and to assist the team in developing solutions to achieve excellence in customer service while ensuring the financial viability of the hospital.
• Collects and verifies patient and insurance demographics, verifies insurance benefits and coverage by reviewing benefits collection in Epic, provides cost estimates, securing pre-certifications and/or pre-notifications for patient services, collection of co-pay and deposits prior to services and providing financial assistance to patient.
• Provides wayfinding to all clinics which Patient Administrative Services provides registration assistance. Staff must be aware of clinic locations in order to safely and efficiently navigate patients to their appointments.
• Maintains regulatory and functional knowledge of all registration information required, which ensures timely and accurate reporting/billing; also obtains all required signatures, and performs clerical duties as necessary.
• Educates patients regarding adequate insurance coverage. Understands applicable hospital and physician billing requirements and communicates the proper procedures and requirements to patients.
• Communicates coverage issues to the service areas; works with patients and staff to resolve.
• Ensures accuracy and completion of paperwork, prior to filing admissions. Contacts physician/clinical staff to assist with incomplete patient registration paperwork. Distributes admission documents if required.
• Maintains department scheduling templates for applicable providers in outpatient department locations. Ensuring appropriate scheduling utilization.
• Maintains consistent contact with the Care Management team and Social Work departments to ensure required information has been obtained for reimbursement, and that pre-admission and pre-certification requirements are followed.
• Assists supervisor with training of new Admitting staff by demonstrating department operating processes and procedures

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Knowledge of health insurance principles and practices is required.
• Current knowledge of payer requirements for referrals and preauthorization is preferred.
• Current knowledge of price transparency and facility fee disclosure regulatory requirements as well as the ability to interact with patients to deliver price estimates for some or all of a patients care needs.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to adapt to technical upgrades and changes throughout the hospital system.
• Ability to work independently and take initiative in executing work tasks keeping in mind that the patients overall experience is directly related to our staffs interactions.
• Ability to work cooperatively with various personalities with the ability to process information quickly and take actions to keep the patients on schedule.
• Strong interpersonal skills with ability to work and communicate (verbally and written) with all levels of hospital personnel, including physicians, clinicians, and all customers with our patients being the most important.
• Experience in an administrative position in a healthcare setting such as acute care hospital or physician’s office is preferred.
• Ability to maintain composure in difficult situations and resolve patient concerns in a timely manner.