PATIENT REGISTRATION SPEC

Overview

Patient Registration Specialist, Admitting & Registration

PRN/OCC, Variable Hours and Shifts

This will be a flex PRN position that will be shared with other decentralized areas such as breast center

Covenant Health is the region's top performing healthcare network. Each of our more than 10,000 employees, physicians, and volunteers are unified by one covenant: to put our patients first every day, to strive for excellence in everything we do, and to make Covenant Health the first and best choice in our region.

Cumberland Medical Center is a 189-bed hospital in Crossville, Tennessee, with more than 650 employees and 175 active physicians. It offers a full range of specialty services, including cardiology, gastroenterology, surgery, orthopedics, maternity services, cancer care, and advanced wound care.

• • Emergency Department: 24 emergency beds       
  • Critical Care Unit (ICU): 12 ICU beds
  • Labor & Delivery: 12 LDRP suites
  • Med/Surg: 37 beds
  • Surgery: 9 operating room surgery suites
  • Telemetry: 37 beds  

Fully accredited by the Joint Commission, Cumberland Medical Center is an acute care hospital offering all private patient rooms as well as specialized services not usually found in the rural medical system.

For seriously ill patients, advanced medical and surgical care is provided at CMC including telemetry monitored beds and an intensive care unit. Additionally, Cumberland Medical Center offers an outpatient imaging center, same day surgery unit, cardiac and pulmonary rehab programs, a sleep disorder center, breast center, cancer center, and hyperbaric medicine and wound center.

"Cumberland Medical Center offers a unique, family-oriented healthcare setting in a rural environment. We strive to deliver exceptional care to our patients, their loved ones, and each other. We look forward to welcoming team-focused people to grow their careers with us!" -Chief Nursing Officer, Cumberland Medical Center

Position Summary:

Coordinates the centralized scheduling of all out patient diagnostic and surgical procedures.  Accurate collection and data entry of the required financial and demographic information for all patients registered to our facility. Ensuring verification of benefits and pre-certification requirements are met prior to scheduled appointment/admission. Follow up as necessary on all urgent or unscheduled registrations for consistency in the process.  Establishes controls so unscheduled patients understand and receive accurate information on their patient liability.

Recruiter: Brittany Smithson || bpartell@covhlth.com || (865) 374-5363

Responsibilities

• Collects co-payments/deposits based on verification information obtained, generates receipts to the payer, and delivers all cash transactions to the cashier for proper posting to the patient account.
• Maintain strict confidentially of patient information.
• Recommends to the Coordinator updates to existing police and procedures that support our values and are intended to increase efficiency and promote data integrity.
• Notifies the Financial Counselor immediately upon scheduling or registering any potential self pay, worker’s compensation patient, or any non-covered procedures.
• Makes patient type changes based on information given from Medical Records Staff and/or Care Coordinators, ensuring documentation is present in the medical record to support the change.
• Ensures all reservations are properly documented to support departmental statistics. Enters faxed reservations into the HBOC scheduling system.
• Schedules operative and diagnostic procedures utilizing the HBOC scheduling system. Documents each scheduled procedure/event with detailed information. Notifies departments of any special resources required for procedure/event.
• Verifies insurance benefits and obtains pre-certification from various third-party payers. Has extensive knowledge of insurance plan requirements. Provides necessary documentation to DHS and Med Assist staff for patients potentially in need of financial assistance or TennCare enrollment.
• Efficiently gathers all demographic, medical and financial information for scheduling, registration, and verification of patient accounts utilizing the HBOC computer system to record data. Enters verification and pre-certification notes into SMS financial system as cross-reference.
• Participates with clinical and care management areas to address opportunities to improve overall collections and cash flow.
• Analyzes claims denial data for opportunities to achieve improved collections, enhance relations with insurance companies and physician practices, and improve workflow process.
• Reports pertinent procedural changes/updates to appropriate leadership.
• Professionally deals with patients, physicians, visitors, and other hospital staff members.
• Demonstrates ability to keep abreast of regulatory and insurance requirements ensuring that changes are incorporated in daily job functions.
• Assures the registration process is handled in a professional manner, maintaining registration accuracy rate of 95 to 100 percent.
• Explains a variety of necessary information to the patient/family member, such as: consent for treatment, advance directives, medical/financial release, deposit requirements, billing and payment polices and advanced beneficiary notices.
• Recognizes situations that necessitate supervision, seeking appropriate resources.
• Directs, escorts, and/or provides wheelchair assistance to the patient upon completion of the registration process to the appropriate nursing unit or diagnostic testing area.
• Demonstrates motivation necessary for acceptable productivity.
• Understands goals and objectives for the department that take into consideration the mission and values of Covenant Health.
• Performs pre-registration process by utilization of phone and mail techniques, advising the patient during the conversation of any co-pay or deductible amounts due upon admission.
• Maintains an accurate bed board, utilizing the computerized bed tracking system, so wait times for admitted patients are kept to a minimum.
• Coordinates with Nursing Services the flow of inpatient and observation patient admissions.
• Displays competence in use of all Information Computer Systems that supply information regarding patient registration and scheduling. (DeRoyal, HBOC, Account Link and Medifax)
• Update schedules daily of unexpected procedures, cancellations or changes and communicates with all individuals affected by revisions.
• Shows initiative to cross-train in all duties related to; Scheduling, Registration, Verification and Pre-Certification.
• Prepares the patient account folder by scanning all vital registration/scheduling/verification documents into the optical imaging system. Examples of documents: Insurance cards, financial agreements, ER charge sheets, Verification Sheets, Pre-Certification letters and physician orders. Will also index the document(s) using the optical scanning system, placing the document(s) in the correct electronic file folder.
• Demonstrates the ability to handle varying tasks and setting priorities.
• Utilizes resources available appropriately, i.e. use of hospital equipment and/or supplies.
• Activates manual systems for computer network downtime, printing schedules in advance when necessary. Notifies leadership of unscheduled downtime occurrences.
• Coordinates scheduling of classrooms for meetings, conferences, etc, ensuring confirmation is provided for the correct date and time.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

Minimum Education:          

None specified; will accept any combination of formal education and/or prior work experience sufficient to demonstrate possession of the knowledge, skill and ability needed to perform the essential tasks of the job, typically such as would be equivalent to a high school diploma or GED. Preference may be given to individuals possessing a Bachelor’s degree in a directly-related field from an accredited college or university.

Minimum Experience:         

One (1) year experience in a hospital or financial setting OR minimum three (3) years of total customer facing/customer service experience required.

Licensure Requirement:      

None