Patient Access Director at HealthPoint

Description

BASIC FUNCTION

The Patient Access Director provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for all patient access functions across HealthPoint’s clinics. This role is responsible for ensuring that patients experience efficient, compassionate, and high-quality access to care — from initial contact through appointment completion. The Director oversees front-end operations, including scheduling, registration, insurance verification, and centralized call management, while driving continuous improvement in service quality, efficiency, and patient satisfaction.

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

1. Strategic Leadership & Oversight

1. Provide leadership, guidance, and performance oversight for the patient access management team to ensure operational excellence and staff development, including succession planning and leadership development for Patient Access Managers.
2. Ensure adequate staffing levels in all patient access areas and oversee staff training programs (including new hire onboarding and ongoing training and retention planning) to maintain skill proficiency and service excellence
3. Develop and implement patient access policies and procedures, workflows, and strategies covering appointment scheduling, registration, insurance verification, and related front-end processes to ensure consistency in patient access processes across all sites.
4. Collaborate with leaders and departments across the organization to streamline processes, reduce barriers to care, and enhance operational efficiency.
5. Serve as a key member of the operations leadership team, working closely with the COO to align access strategies with HealthPoint’s mission and goals.

2. Patient Access Operations

1. Oversee the daily operations of patient access functions across all clinics, ensuring consistent and efficient execution of scheduling, check-in, and front desk workflows at each site.
2. Identify and address any barriers to access or process bottlenecks promptly to maintain smooth clinic operations and minimize patient wait times.
3. Ensure that patient access systems and workflows promote equitable care for all patients — including underserved and uninsured populations — while maintaining compliance with FQHC and HRSA guidelines.
4. Collaborate closely with Revenue Cycle and Finance leadership to ensure front-end processes support accurate claims submission, minimize denials, and enhance collections while maintaining patient affordability and access.
5. Establish standard procedures to verify coverage and collect payments during patient registration, ensuring accuracy and efficiency in these processes across all clinics.
6. Ensure the accuracy and completeness of patient registrations and documentation at all sites, maintaining data integrity to support billing and clinical care and ensuring accurate patient demographic and payer data capture that supports annual UDS reporting and funding compliance
7. Simultaneously, uphold a high level of customer service quality in all patient interactions – both in-person and over the phone – so that patients are treated courteously and professionally at every step
8. Track and analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) for patient access, including metrics like appointment scheduling timeliness, registration wait times, no shows, call response times, and error rates.
1. Use data to identify trends or problem areas and drive continuous improvement initiatives. This includes coordinating process improvement projects to enhance efficiency or patient satisfaction and adjusting workflows or resources to meet performance targets.
10. Collaborates with key stakeholders on integration and optimization of patient access functions within the EHR, patient portal, and call management systems, ensuring interoperability, accuracy, and ease of use for patients and staff.

3. Phone System Management

1. Oversee HealthPoint’s multi-line phone system and any centralized call center operations. Monitor inbound call volume and key call metrics (such as hold times and call abandonment rates) to ensure that patient calls are answered promptly, routed correctly, and handled with excellent customer service.
2. Implement scheduling protocols and staffing adjustments for the call system as needed to meet service level expectations for phone responsiveness and call quality.
3. Work closely with IT and Leadership to optimize call flow, reporting, and technology utilization.

4. Quality Improvement & Training

1. Lead initiatives to enhance patient access, reduce no-shows, and improve same-day and preventive care scheduling.
2. Establish and enforce customer service standards for the patient access team. Conduct quality audits (e.g. call listening, front desk observations, registration accuracy checks) and gather patient feedback to ensure that the front-line patient experience meets HealthPoint’s expectations for courtesy, empathy, and efficiency.
3. Address patient concerns or escalations regarding access issues, and use feedback to further improve service delivery.
4. Prepare and present regular reports to senior leadership on patient access performance, call center statistics, registration accuracy rates, and improvement plans.
5. Work closely with the Training Department and key stakeholders to develop and deliver training programs for front-end staff focused on customer service, compliance, and workflow optimization.

5. Strategic Planning & Compliance

1. Participate in operational planning, budgeting, and staffing models for access-related functions.
2. Collaborate with other departments and leaders to integrate patient access services with broader clinic operations. Work closely with clinical leadership, medical providers, HIT / IT, and the revenue cycle/finance team to ensure that scheduling and registration processes align with clinical workflows and billing requirements.
3. The Director will also communicate and coordinate with these stakeholders when implementing new systems (e.g. updates to the electronic health record scheduling module or phone system) or launching initiatives to improve patient flow and access.
4. Stay informed about current healthcare regulations and best practices related to patient access (such as privacy laws and insurance requirements). Update patient access policies and procedures to reflect changes in laws or accreditation standards.
5. Develop and maintain patient access continuity plans to ensure uninterrupted communication and scheduling during emergencies, outages, or disaster events.
6. Represent the patient access function in organizational initiatives, audits, and external partnerships.

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS:

GENERAL PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

1. Organizational Skills - Displays more advanced organizational skills in an administrative capacity in order to organize projects or the work of others. 

2. Problem Solving Skills - Devises effective solutions to situations encountered based on the general goals and objectives of the healthcare administrative function. 

3. Communication Skills - Able to effectively communicate opinions drawn from conclusions using inference and logic. 

4. Critical Thinking Skills – Uses logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.  

5. Problem Resolution - Resolves conflicts that may arise because of disagreements between employees, between employees and customers/clients, or with the public, other legal entities or governmental authorities.
6. Math Development - must be able to solve mathematical problems and understand statistics. 

PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

1. Education

1. Preferred: Possesses bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration, Business or in a healthcare-related setting or human services field (an equivalent combination of education and extensive experience in patient access may be considered).
2. Required: High school diploma or equivalent

2. Experience

1. Preferred: 2 or more years of experience strongly preferred, with the majority of that time focused on patient access functions. Experience managing patient access in a multi-site clinic setting or community health center is a plus.
2. Required: At least 2 years of leadership experience (supervisory or management) in healthcare patient access, admissions, or clinic front office operations

TECHNICAL SKILLS 

1. Word Processing Skills - Prepares more complex documents in Microsoft Word including creating tables, charts, graphs, and other elements. 
2. Spreadsheet Skills - Uses Microsoft Excel to analyze data, including the use of formulas, functions, lookup tables and other standard spreadsheet elements. 
3. Graphics/Presentation Skills - Creates basic presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint as needed. 
4. Other Software Skills –
   1. Uses HRIS to manage HR employee record keeping, workforce reporting, talent management, time & attendance and benefits administration
   2. Uses CRM or like software to manage and evaluate customer/patient information for business development of process improvement opportunities 

LICENSES & CERTIFICATIONS

1. Required:  Valid state Driver’s License
2. Preferred:  Automobile insurance with reliable transportation