Patient Access Supervisor

Patient Access Supervisor

Position summary

The Patient Access Supervisor oversees day‑to‑day operations of the call center and front desk to ensure patients receive timely, accurate, and courteous registration, insurance verification, sliding‑fee screening, and scheduling services in a hybrid Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC)/Community Mental Health Center environment. This position directly supervises Patient Access staff, coordinates staffing and workflows, and supports a smooth front‑end revenue cycle while maintaining excellent customer service and compliance with organizational, HRSA, FSSA/DMHA and payer requirements, including the sliding fee discount program.

Essential duties

• Supervises 4–6 Patient Access staff working in the call center and at the front desk, providing daily direction, coaching, and support.
• Coordinates staffing and work assignments to ensure adequate coverage for phones, front desk, and check‑in/check‑out during operating hours.
• Monitors registration and scheduling work for accuracy and completeness, including patient demographics, insurance information, and appointment details, and corrects or escalates errors as needed.
• Oversees routine insurance eligibility and benefits verification completed by Patient Access staff for scheduled and walk‑in visits, ensuring coverage is active, key benefits are documented, and required patient payments are identified prior to service.
• Monitors accuracy and timeliness of insurance verification work, performs spot checks on accounts, and partners with billing/revenue cycle staff to resolve complex coverage issues and reduce denials related to front‑end errors.
• Ensures staff inform patients about the availability of the sliding fee discount program, support patients with completing applications and providing income documentation, and correctly apply sliding fee levels in the EHR/PM system in accordance with health center policy.
• Oversees collection of appropriate copays, nominal/sliding fees, and other patient payments at check‑in and check‑out, and ensures that inability to pay does not create a barrier to care, consistent with FQHC requirements.
• Trains and orients new hires and provides ongoing education to staff on EHR/PM workflows, customer service, HIPAA/privacy, insurance verification, sliding fee procedures, and front‑end revenue cycle processes.
• Tracks and reports key performance indicators such as call handling, registration accuracy, insurance verification completion, sliding‑fee processing, wait times, and patient feedback, and partners with leadership to improve processes and results.
• Handles escalated patient concerns and complex access or financial‑responsibility issues, resolving them promptly and modeling professional, patient‑centered service.
• Participates in interviewing, hiring, performance feedback, and disciplinary processes for Patient Access staff in collaboration with management and HR.
• Communicates workflow changes, schedule/template updates, sliding‑fee policy updates, and other policy revisions to the team and coordinates with clinic, billing, and IT leaders to support efficient and compliant operations.

Qualifications

• High school diploma or equivalent required; associate’s degree in business, health administration, or related field preferred (associates or bachelor’s degree a plus).
• Three (3) or more years of experience in patient access, registration, call center operations, medical front desk, or related healthcare setting.
• At least one (1) year of supervisory or lead experience in a healthcare environment, preferably overseeing front‑desk, registration, or call center staff.
• Strong working knowledge of insurance eligibility and benefits, basic revenue‑cycle concepts, and front‑end collection practices.
• Experience using electronic health record (EHR) and practice‑management systems for scheduling, registration, and insurance verification.
• Demonstrated skills in customer service, de‑escalation, communication, and coaching staff in a fast‑paced, high‑volume environment.
• Ability to understand and apply HIPAA/privacy regulations and organizational policies related to patient information and front‑desk/call center operations.
• For FQHCs: Experience in a community health center or safety‑net setting strongly preferred, including familiarity with sliding‑fee programs and serving diverse, underserved populations.