The Lead Registrar serves as a primary resource and department trainer for the Patient Access staff and leadership.  This role provides key customer service and financial services to ensure demographic and insurance accuracy during a patient’s registration encounter.  The position provides services for pre-and point of service registration, payer authorization, pre and point of services collections, medical necessity checks, insurance verification, financial screening/counseling, and referral to appropriate sources as needed for hospital financial assistance or state insurance screening.  The Lead Registrar is a senior member of the Patient Registration team who also acts as a resource to others in the absence of the Manager.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

These duties and responsibilities described below represent the general tasks performed daily; other tasks may be assigned.

Serves as a Patient Access Department subject matter expert and resource for managers and the Patient Access Director; works with leadership to resolve daily personnel and staffing concerns.
Manages registrations for patients for various hospital services; meets patient access scorecard standards by registering patients in < = 10 minutes maintaining a wait time of <=10 minutes, when applicable (ED registration wait times exempt).
Interviews and accurately collects patient information and demographics for various hospital services; meets patient access scorecard productivity standards by meeting accuracy rate as defined in annual goals and ensuring accuracy in medical record selection.
Uses knowledge to verify, review, and coordinate insurance benefits in the patient management system on behalf of patients; meets Patient Access Scorecard expectations and insurance verification rate.
Manages payments pre and point of service, conducts cash receipting, and posts payments; point of service collection expectations as per the goals defined on the patient access scorecard.
Assists patients with financial clearance of accounts by communicating financial responsibility through estimates, providing referrals to financial counselors, or other third-party resources for state or government insurance screening.
Perform daily review of accounts, authorizations, and identifies high risk admissions/registrations, obtains necessary authorizations and notifications of admissions for patients; meets patient access scorecard standards by reducing denial rates.
Assists with training of new staff as well as shares department knowledge and provides assistive training with teammates.
Manages scanning for patient medical record using appropriate identifiers as required to reduce duplicating a patient medical record.
Reviews, manages, and monitors patient accounts in order to meet Patient Access Scorecard standards of productivity.
Compiles, reviews, and manages weekly and monthly electronic reports an assigned by manager; makes financial edits preventing billing of accounts, corrects addresses or other demographic data for patients, or manages errors for other staff to successfully clear accounts.
Provides courteous service to all internal and external stakeholders (patients, patient families, teammates, other department staff, etc.) by resolving stakeholder problems, responding to inquiries, and timely follow-up to develop and strengthen customer relationships.
Complies with governmental regulations about healthcare, billing, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) as well as departmental policies and procedures.
Demonstrates general knowledge ICD coding requirements and other billing rules.
Promotes continuous process and quality improvement processes by sharing and providing ideas/solutions/workflow recommendations to teammates and supervisors; maintains educational requirement and participates in new learning activities.
Explores learning opportunities for professional development and growth of self, patient access department, and CRMC by participating in professional organizations (i.e. National Association of Healthcare Access Management – NAHAM, Healthcare Financial Management Association – HFMA).
Participates in interdepartmental committees, projects, and patient access initiatives.
Demonstrates an awareness of appropriate confidentiality rules and regulations and acts accordingly.
Actively participates in service recovery and customer service activities to ensure a superior customer contact.
Attend required hospital-wide orientations, meetings, and in-services
Demonstrate a commitment to flexible work scheduling when necessary to ensure patient care and throughput.