Health Access Partner

The Access Center with UT Health Austin is seeking a Health Access Partner, Medical Specialties, to join their team. The ideal candidate demonstrates a high level of professionalism, efficiency, and the ability to navigate complex healthcare workflows, contributing to the Access Center's commitment to accessible, high-quality patient care.

Purpose

The Health Access Partner (HAP) – Call Center Staff provides essential support in the UT Health Austin Access Center, coordinating patient care through registration, scheduling, and addressing various patient inquiries. This role is central to ensuring a positive patient experience by applying exceptional customer service skills and utilizing electronic health and scheduling systems for accurate and timely care coordination. The HAP is also responsible for handling specialty referrals, managing data entry, and engaging with patients through multi-channel communications.

Responsibilities

• Patient Scheduling and Coordination: Schedule appointments for specialty clinics, surgeries, and diagnostic imaging. Manage referral processing, insurance verification, appointment confirmations, cancellations, and rescheduling.

• Customer Service and Collaboration: Provide excellent customer service for all contacts, including scheduling and confirming patient appointments. Work closely with Access Center and Clinical Care Teams to ensure smooth patient care processes.

• Multi-Channel Communication Management: Respond to patient inquiries via email, chat, and other electronic channels. Obtain and coordinate medical records as needed, following UT Health Austin guidelines.

• Data Entry and Patient Information Management: Update and maintain accurate patient information, including demographics and insurance details. Perform outbound contact to confirm appointments and support patient attendance.

• Specialty Care Referral Processing: Process specialty referrals using Access Center software, ensuring timely coordination and communication with care providers.

• Documentation and Conflict Resolution: Document all interactions, steps, and coordination efforts in patient records. Utilize conflict resolution and de-escalation techniques to manage patient concerns professionally.

• Adherence to Quality Standards: Maintain Quality Performance Review Scorecard standards, achieving a minimum score of 90%. Follow department protocols, using reference materials to ensure consistent service quality.

• Insurance and Authorization Coordination: Verify insurance coverage and secure necessary authorizations in collaboration with insurance payers and program facilitators.

• Support for External Workflows: Assist with integrating external workflows through Athena or other systems, as needed, to support patient management.

• Documentation of Referral and Scheduling Processes: Document each step of the referral and scheduling processes to ensure clear communication and record-keeping for internal and external care teams.

• Perform other related functions as assigned.

Required Qualifications

High school graduation or GED and a minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience, preferable in a healthcare setting. Proficient in Electronic Practice Management systems, including scheduling and general billing functions. Skilled in documenting patient communication, referrals, and clinical notes accurately. Familiarity with medical terminology and basic math skills. Ability to navigate and use multi-line phone systems or electronic call management systems. Strong verbal and written communication skills with a focus on professionalism. Excellent customer service skills, with strong phone etiquette. Ability to communicate effectively with patients and healthcare teams, including explaining registration policies and procedures. Ability to anticipate needs and follow through with both internal and external customers. Strong organizational skills, with the ability to work in a fast-paced environment. Ability to maintain and respect the confidential nature of medical information. Ability to use experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Ability to read and interpret documents such as patient charts, safety rules, operating instructions, and procedural manuals.

Relevant education and experience may be substituted as appropriate.

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in patient access, registration, or medical office administration. Familiarity with HIPAA guidelines and healthcare compliance standards. Bilingual in English and Spanish. Experience with insurance verification and authorizations. Knowledge of referral and pre-authorization processes. Experience working in a multi-specialty or high-volume medical office setting.

Salary Range

$43,500+ depending on qualifications

Working Conditions

• May work around standard office conditions

• Repetitive use of a keyboard at a workstation

• Lifting and moving

Required Materials

• Resume/CV

• 3 work references with their contact information; at least one reference should be from a supervisor

• Letter of interest

Important for applicants who are NOT current university employees or contingent workers: You will be prompted to submit your resume the first time you apply, then you will be provided an option to upload a new Resume for subsequent applications. Any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) will be uploaded in the Application Questions section; you will be able to multi-select additional files. Before submitting your online job application, ensure that ALL Required Materials have been uploaded.  Once your job application has been submitted, you cannot make changes.

Important for Current university employees and contingent workers: As a current university employee or contingent worker, you MUST apply within Workday by searching for Find UT Jobs. If you are a current University employee, log-in to Workday, navigate to your Worker Profile, click the Career link in the left hand navigation menu and then update the sections in your Professional Profile before you apply. This information will be pulled in to your application. The application is one page and you will be prompted to upload your resume. In addition, you must respond to the application questions presented to upload any additional Required Materials (letter of interest, references, etc.) that were noted above.