It’s your first week in your role and you have your newly printed ID badge and parking pass. Now it’s time to get organized and get to work. In addition to completing required system training and securing access to the wide array of systems and applications and checking off the boxes on the new hire onboarding checklist, below is a list of suggestions and to-dos to get you up to speed quickly.
Administrative Must-Haves
- Have an organizational chart nearby, preferably one with revenue cycle positions and leaders. Understanding who the key players are and the formal chain of command is critical to a successful partnership with Patient Access.
- Create a list including all points of registration, scheduling, financial counseling, and cashier work areas. Prepare a list of addresses, phone numbers, and key contacts for each.
- Find that comprehensive list of Tax ID, NPI, Medicaid, and PTAN numbers. If one isn’t available, make one.
- Cost centers are key for budgeting, payroll, ordering supplies, and entering work orders. Have a complete list at your fingertips.
- Identify contacts not only for Revenue Cycle and clinical departments, but for ancillary departments that Patient Access frequently interacts with, such as Security, Environmental Services, Facilities, Materials Management, and Patient Experience. These relationships will immediately be beneficial.
- Get a map of the campus and learn the geography, building names, and acronyms. Don’t forget to scout out the conference rooms you’ll visit frequently for meetings.
- Study the Patient Access operational & FTE budgets. Understand what is available and allocated to your team and review monthly spending and staffing productivity reports. Know the scheduling methodologies and do the math to make sure schedules are prepared according to the budget.
Health Information System (HIS) Essentials
- Create an inventory of department names and facility abbreviations for Patient Access areas of oversight as well as for any de-centralized areas managing their own front-end functions. This will be key in managing work queues and other reporting needs.
- Send e-mail introductions or schedule meet and greets with de-centralized leaders to ensure collaboration and cohesive communication.
- Prepare a list of Patient Access-owned work queues and update accountable owners and users for each.
- Study the organization’s guarantor structure and types, especially those for special circumstances.
- Review any client bill agreements to understand unique billing scenarios.
- Review the cash reconciliation process for payments and collections and understand discrepancy procedures.
- Read sample reports to understand where key performance metrics originate (point of service collections, call center metrics, registration-related adjustments and initial denials, and many others).
Operational Necessities
- Familiarize yourself with the payroll schedule and mark key dates on your calendar.
- Read all the job descriptions for your team and learn the salary scales for each position.
- Understand key Human Resources Policies and Procedures including Time and Attendance, Corrective Action, Dress Code.
- Locate Patient Access operational policies, SOPs, tip sheets and ensure they are easily accessible to the team. Understand the review process to ensure each is timely and up to date.
- Carefully study Patient Access mass casualty or disaster Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and confirm appropriate supplies and system downtime forms are well stocked and easy to access at a moment’s notice. Disasters or unexpected downtime can happen without notice and our teams must be ready to respond.
- Obtain copies of key Patient Access forms and thoroughly review each one so you can assist with potential scripting opportunities for team members to use when communicating with patients and family members. Don’t forget about state-specific forms and requirements which you may not yet be familiar with on day one.
Conclusion
You bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to your role. Embrace the culture, use the tools and resources available to you, ask many questions, and get to work driving the metrics and developing your teams and programs.
Author: Jane Cordray, Director of Patient Access, Healthrise.
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