Manager, Patient Access (Registration)

Manager of Patient Access – Hospital Setting

Position Summary
 The Manager of Patient Access oversees all patient registration and access functions within the hospital, including Emergency Department registration, inpatient and outpatient admissions, pre-registration, insurance verification, Scheduling and Precertification. This role ensures accurate data collection, regulatory compliance, and a positive patient experience while supporting the hospital’s revenue cycle and operational goals.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Department Oversight

• Manage daily operations across multiple hospital access points, including Emergency Department, inpatient admissions, outpatient registration, imaging, and prior authorization.
• Supervise, coach, and evaluate Patient Access, team leads, registrars, and schedulers and precertification team.
• Promote a culture of compassion, teamwork, and service excellence.

Revenue Cycle & Financial Accuracy

• Ensure accurate insurance capture, and authorization verification.
• Partner with HIM, and Billing department to reduce errors and improve clean claim rates.
• Monitor POS collections, registration accuracy, and insurance eligibility metrics.
• Implement corrective action plans to address registration errors or compliance risks.

Regulatory & Compliance

• Ensure all Patient Access operations comply with EMTALA, HIPAA, CMS Conditions of Participation, Joint Commission standards, and hospital policies.
• Maintain and update standard operating procedures for all hospital registration functions.
• Conduct routine audits of registration accuracy and financial clearance workflows.

Patient Experience

• Respond to escalated patient concerns related to registration, coverage, insurance issues, and financial counseling.
• Work closely with Patient Experience, Social Work, and Financial Counseling teams to support patients with complex needs.
• Train staff to provide service with empathy, clarity, and professionalism.

Data, Reporting & Performance Improvement

• Track key department metrics including registration error rates, authorization turnaround, and productivity.
• Provide routine reports to hospital leadership and assist in developing improvement strategies.
• Use Lean or Six Sigma principles to drive process improvements and standardization.
• Lead initiatives to improve real-time insurance verification, bedside registration, and electronic workflows.

Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Healthcare Administration, Business, related field or equivalent experience required.

Experience

• Minimum 3–5 years of experience in hospital Patient Access, Admissions, or front-end revenue cycle operations.
• At least 3 years of supervisory or management experience in a hospital setting.
• Strong knowledge of medical terminology, hospital billing practices, and payer requirements.
• Experience with hospital EHR systems (Epic, Cerner, Meditech, or similar).

Skills & Competencies

• Strong leadership and team development skills.
• Excellent communication and customer service abilities.
• Ability to manage fast-paced, high-volume hospital environments.
• Strong critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
• Proficient in data analysis and KPI monitoring.
• Ability to coordinate across multiple hospital departments.

Working Conditions

• Hospital environment with exposure to clinical areas such as the Emergency Department and inpatient units.
• Requires flexibility to support 24/7 hospital operations, including weekends and evenings.
• Frequent interaction with patients, families, physicians, nurses, and administrative partners.