PATIENT ACCESS OFFICER

Overview

Patient Access Officer, Business Office

Full Time, 80 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shift

Covenant Health Overview:

Covenant Health is the region’s top-performing healthcare network with 10 hospitals, outpatient and specialty services, and Covenant Medical Group, our area’s fastest-growing physician practice division. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health is a community-owned integrated healthcare delivery system and the area’s largest employer. Our more than 11,000 employees, volunteers, and 1,500 affiliated physicians are dedicated to improving the quality of life for the more than two million patients and families we serve every year. Covenant Health is the only healthcare system in East Tennessee to be named a Forbes “Best Employer” seven times. 

Position Summary:

The Patient Access Officer of Revenue Cycle Patient Access Services is responsible for strategic leadership, operational oversight, and continuous improvement of all patient access functions. This role ensures an exceptional patient experience while optimizing financial clearance, front-end revenue cycle performance, and regulatory compliance.

The Patient Access Officer will lead initiatives to enhance patient registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, financial counseling, scheduling and patient experience while driving technology optimization and process efficiency.

Recruiter: Suzie McGuinn || [email protected]

Responsibilities

Maintain strong relationships with payers when needed, vendors, and internal stakeholders to optimize financial clearance and reimbursement processes.

Coordinate and collaborate with key stakeholders outside of Revenue Cycle to ensure strategic alignment with broader organizational goals and objectives.

Partner with clinical and operational leaders to improve revenue cycle outcomes.

• Oversee the development of Patient Access strategies, policies and procedures.
• Provide strategic oversight for all patient access functions, ensuring alignment with organization’s revenue cycle goals.
• Develop and execute initiatives that enhance efficiency, financial performance, and patient satisfaction in collaboration with leadership.
• Maintain a collaborative relationship with middle and back revenue cycle leadership ensuring that revenue cycle functions are a cohesive unit optimizing positive impact to organization.
• Provide strategic vision and direction to effectively manage industry shifts, regulatory changes, and rising cost pressures.
• Manage, direct, oversee, and approve budget development for operational areas while monitoring financial performance and developing action plans in order to remediate variances.

Front-End Revenue Cycle Management

• Oversee registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, financial counseling, scheduling and patient access related patient experience.

• Ensure compliance with federal, state, and payer regulations while implementing industry best practices.

Technology & Workflow Optimization

• Maximize the use of front-end technology solutions for registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, financial counseling and scheduling to improve efficiency and facilitate information accuracy, optimize the patient experience and clean claims processing.
• Identify opportunities for automation and digital access enhancements.

Performance Improvement & Data-Driven Decision Making

• Analyze key performance indicators (KPIs) related to patient access, scheduling, denials prevention, and revenue cycle performance to determine Patient Access impact on KPIs and organization’s financial health.
• Lead initiatives to reduce registration and authorization-related denials.

Leadership & Workforce Development

• Directly manage patient access leadership teams, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, trust, continuous improvement and staff growth aligning with organization’s standards and behaviors, mission and vision.
• Identify and mentor future organizational leads.

Stakeholder & Vendor Collaboration

Qualifications

Minimum Education:           

Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration with Healthcare or Finance Concentration or equivalent management experience.

Minimum Experience:         

Eight (8) years of increasing revenue cycle management responsibility or related work experience required which includes a minimum of five (5) years of Patient Access experience.

Licensure Requirement:      

None.