Manager, Patient Access (Admitting Operations & Patient Placement)

Hours: 40 hours per week; Monday through Friday 8:30-5 PM. Individual will be on-call as needed.

Location: Primarily onsite at Tufts Medical Center - Boston, MA. Occasional travel to Lowell General Hospital will be required.

Job Profile Summary

This role focuses on activities related to revenue cycle operations such as billing, collections, and payment processing. In addition, this role focuses on performing the following Patient Access duties: Performs the administrative and financial-clearance duties necessary to facilitate the procurement of clinical services by patients. Collects patient's necessary demographic and financial information from physician offices, acute-care entities, or the patients themselves, schedules services for patients, and handles referrals from primary care doctors to ensure patients are scheduled for recommended appointments/procedures, etc. A management role that supervises employees focusing on tactical, operational activities within a specified area, with the majority of time spent overseeing area of responsibility, planning, prioritizing and/or directing the responsibilities of employees. Goal achievement is typically accomplished through performance of direct and/or indirect reports. A role that supervises all levels of employees. Responsibilities that typically include: Setting goals and objectives for team members for achievement of operational results, problems faced may be difficult but typically are not complex, and ensures policies, practices and procedures are understood and followed by direct reports, customers and stakeholders.

Job Overview

This position works collaboratively with all disciplines and departments including the Admitting Office, prioritizes and assists with the assignment of all inpatients, observations and surgical day patients to adult and pediatric inpatient beds. Works with attending physicians, House Officers, nurse managers and charge nurses, unit coordinators, Case Managers triage patient access and ensure appropriate patient placement based upon the patients' clinical needs. Also assists with the establishment and maintenance of standards for appropriate bed and resource utilization and patient flow.

Job Description

Duties and Responsibilities: The duties and responsibilities listed below are intended to describe the general nature of work and are not intended to be an all-inclusive list. Other duties and responsibilities may be assigned.

1. Interacts and collaborates with attending physicians, house officers, nursing and admitting staff to identify upcoming discharges, admissions, and transfers on an ongoing basis 24/7.

2. Interacts and collaborates with physicians, nursing staff and admitting staff to triage and secure appropriate adult ICU beds and adult and pediatric inpatient beds.

3. Rounds frequently in areas of congestion to gain appreciation as to the opportunities to promote throughput and timely patient placement.

4. Works closely prioritizing bed cleaning sequence and communicates system improvements, and ideas concerning such.

5. Obtains all phone calls from outside facilities in search of patient access and works diligently with the team to support timely access to patients within and referred to the Medical Center.

6. Communicates with admitting staff regarding the prioritizing of bed assignments and ensure clinical appropriateness of assignments.

7. Facilitates bed meetings, when necessary and coordinates information shared to maximize efficient patient flow.

8. Facilitates all transfers/direct admissions to ensure appropriateness of admissions, in relation to the most appropriate level of care, bed availability and timeliness of transfers.

9. Communicates with the Emergency Department attending and Emergency Department nurse manager regarding inpatient, telemetry and ICU bed availability.

10. Role models service excellence to all areas consistently.

11. Develops system to ensure optimal bed management operations and organizational throughput.

12. Participates in giving a detailed hand-off to oncoming team membership to ensure continued patient flow.

13. Participates on hospital committees and quality initiatives pertaining to patient flow and throughput.

14. Coordinates with Critical Care Units, and the Emergency Department to develop and gain efficient systems to maximize access to the Medical Center.

15. Recommends system changes based on data themes.

16. Studies themes or trends in data overtime to adjust systems to maximal efficiencies and report results within Operations Council on a quarterly basis or as requested.

Physical Requirements:

1. Prolonged, extensive, or considerable standing/walking.

2. Lifts, positions, pushes and/or transfers patients and equipment.

3. Considerable reaching, stooping, bending, kneeling, crouching.

4. Frequent exposure to hazardous chemicals, sick patients, bodily substances, noise and possible exposure to radiation, lasers, electric shock etc.

5. Regularly exposed to the risk of blood borne diseases and other transmissible infections.

6. Contact with patients under a wide variety of circumstances.

7. Subject to varying and unpredictable situations.

8. Handle emergency and crisis situations.

9. May have contact with hazardous materials.

Skills & Abilities:

1. High level of interpersonal skills necessary to establish working relationships with physicians, administrative and nursing staff.

2. Ability to inspire and motivate others.

3. Ability to function independently, without supervision and establish work priorities.

4. Through knowledge of hospital and interdepartmental functions.

5. Functional leadership skills in the areas of admissions and billing.