NI-Patient Access Lead

J  o  b    D  e  s  c  r  i  p  t  i  o  n

JOB INFORMATION

Effective Date:

7/2/2026

Entity:

Illinois

Job Code:

NI-4398AC

Job Title:

NI-Patient Access Lead

FLSA Exemption Status:

Non-Exempt

JOB SUMMARY

The Patient Access Representative Lead oversees the daily operations of specific work units within the Patient Access Department. The lead partners closely with the Patient Access Supervisors to provide leadership coverage and presence to the registration and admissions work units in the clinics and the hospital divisions. This individual is responsible for ensuring the effective operations through organizing, scheduling, and monitoring department workload. In addition, this individual will monitor work quality and productivity metrics and coordinate training as needed. The Lead will serve as the first line of escalation for staff questions on workflows and processes.

The incumbent is responsible for training new staff, assisting in the planning and development of training materials, assisting in the development and implementation of quality assurance processes, and serving as a go-to resource to staff. This individual will be responsible for ensuring the effective operations of the day-to-day activities of Registration and Admissions. This person will identify areas for improvements and develop plans for improving the quality of these processes.

This position is customer service driven and the incumbent must have the ability to effectively promote positive customer service while working in a highly stressful and complex environment. The Lead can quickly assess an urgent situation and provide issue resolution and de-escalation.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

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Provide general assistance to the Registration/Admissions teams.

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Train new staff and provide ongoing training for existing staff.

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Complete quality improvement and productivity activities.

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Serve as a knowledge expert and an escalation point for staff questions and concerns. Assists with questions regarding team functions and assist with team direction.

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Implement policies and procedures for the department and monitor adherence. Gather and enter departmental and program specific productivity and quality of service statistics from various reporting systems.

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Obtain and verify patient identity, demographic, and registration information; effectively communicate the purpose for and the requirements of all required patient documents. Must be able to complete and understand the differences between registrations in the ambulatory, inpatient, or Emergency Department setting. Must have a strong understanding of EMTALA rules.

•

Bedside follow-up with patients where all necessary information was not obtained at admission, obtain inpatient signatures and complete forms including accident reports for lien preparation and financial statements if needed.

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Change preadmission requests and perform cancellations, when necessary, to assure accuracy of records. Assign the preadmission unit for scheduled admissions.

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"Arrive" patients: Clinic outpatients and ancillary appointments for both scheduled and walk-in patients snf promote registration/arrival kiosks to patients and assist them with their use.

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Complete financial registration responsibilities including but not limited to creating guarantor accounts, interpreting eligibility requirements, collecting document signatures, insurance card scanning, taking patient photos, collecting patient payments, and creating financial estimates.

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Complete notifications of urgent admissions to ensure payor contractual requirements are met.

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Counsel patients on prior authorization, referral requirements, insurance networks, covered services, and financial responsibility forms.

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Process discharge and readmission requests for patients transferring between the rehab or psychiatric units and medical units. These requests must be processed real time to prevent delays in patient care.

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Work closely with the Operating Room staff and expedite any requests for changes to admissions, patient class, or attending information.

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Provide patients with information on the financial assistance policy and application process, explaining alternatives and routing patients without clearance to Financial Counseling.

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Support co-workers and engage in positive interactions.

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Communicate professionally and timely with internal and external customers.

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Demonstrate friendliness by smiling and making eye contact when greeting all customers.

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Provide helpful assistance in anticipating and responding to the needs of our customers.

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Collaborate with customers in planning and decision making to result in optimal solutions.

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Ability to stay calm under pressure and deal effectively with difficult situations.

As needed, additional responsibilities reasonably within the scope of duties and physical requirements may be assigned.  ALL DUTIES AND REQUIREMENTS MUST BE PERFORMED CONSISTENT WITH THE UW HEALTH PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND RESPECT FOR PEOPLE COMMITTMENTS.

X

Non-Clinical

JOB REQUIREMENTS

No minimum education.

Required

Associate Degree in Business, Finance, Health Info Management, or related field.

Preferred

High School Diploma or equivalent.

Preferred

One (1) year of experience in a patient access, healthcare revenue cycle, or clinic operations role.

Required

Experience operating office machines such as personal computers, fax machines, photocopier, and document scanners.

Required

Two (2) years of experience in a patient access, healthcare revenue cycle, or clinic operations role with progressive leadership responsibilities.

Preferred

LICENSE, CERTIFICATIONS, AND REGISTRATIONS MUST BE MAINTAINED PER UW HEALTH POLICY. 

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Advanced knowledge of practices and procedures followed in the Revenue Cycle.

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Mastery of the responsibilities and skills required to do complex Revenue Cycle work, including advanced knowledge of insurance plans and benefits.

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Ability to assist with special projects and initiatives.

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Aptitude and willingness to assume additional responsibility and a leadership role within and across departments.

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Effective interpersonal skills which foster a team approach to problem solving and ensure a high degree of customer satisfaction and service.

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Expertise in complex problem-solving and decision-making skills.

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Must independently recognize and evaluate situations for the level of urgency.

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Strong emotional intelligence and empathy.

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Excellent written and oral communication skills.

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Maintains effective and cooperative working relationships with co-workers, leaders, clinical staff and the general public.

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Must be detail oriented and accurate.

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Ability to multitask and prioritize tasks.

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Willingly accepts feedback.

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Flexible and innovative.

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Displays a professional appearance.

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Dependable and reliable in achieving goals.

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Knowledge of medical terminology and abbreviations.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS/WORKING CONDITIONS

Standing

X

Walking

X

Climbing

X

Bending

X

Crouching

X

Pushing / Pulling

X

Carry

X

Fine Hand / Eye Coordination

X

Color Discrimination

X

Hearing Ability

X

Lifting / Lowering 1 -15 lbs.

X

15 - 30 lbs.

X

30 - 50 lbs.

X

Over 50 lbs.

UW Health does not require, nor does it expect that its employees lift more than 50 lbs unassisted. Objects in excess of 50 lbs should be lifted or moved with mechanical means or through a team lift. Employees in patient care areas are expected to utilize mechanical lifts and adhere to the "Use of Mechanical Lifts (Liko)" policy in the Patient Services Policy and Procedure Manual.

Concentration on Detail

X

Attention Span of 1 + Hours on a Task

X

Ability to Remember Multiple Tasks

X

Oral Communication

X

Written Communication

X

Exposure to Blood and Body Fluids

X

Exposure to Toxins, Cytotoxins, Poisons

X

Exposure to Extreme Heat, Cold, Temp Fluctuations

X

Exposure to Hazardous Chemicals

X

Exposure to Radiation

X

Note: The purpose of this document is to describe the general nature and level of work performed by personnel so classified; it is not intended to serve as an inclusive list of all responsibilities associated with this position.

THE EMPLOYEE MUST BE ABLE TO COMPLETE ALL PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS OF THE JOB WITH OR WITHOUT AN APPROVED ACCOMODATION. Note: The purpose of this document is to describe the general nature and level of work performed by personnel so classified; it is not intended to serve as an inclusive list of all responsibilities associated with this position.