Position Summary
The Patient Access Operations Manager is responsible for overseeing and coordinating patient scheduling, registration, referrals, authorizations, and patient access operations to ensure efficient workflows, optimal provider utilization, regulatory compliance, and positive patient experience. This role provides leadership and operational oversight for patient access staff while ensuring departmental productivity, scheduling accuracy, workflow efficiency, and adherence to organizational standards. The position requires strong leadership skills, attention to detail, operational problem-solving, and the ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced healthcare environment.
The Patient Access Operations Manager works collaboratively with providers, leadership, and operational departments to develop, maintain, and optimize provider schedules, patient access workflows, and operational processes for the organization.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities
- Oversee and manage daily patient access operations, including scheduling, registration, referrals, and authorization workflows.
- Supervise patient access personnel to ensure efficient scheduling practices and exceptional customer service.
- Monitor provider schedules and staffing workflows to maximize patient access and operational efficiency.
- Develop and maintain scheduling workflows, procedures, operational standards, and provider scheduling templates.
- Using the master schedule as a guide, coordinate and maintain provider schedules incorporating vacation, education, office, procedure, and hospital service schedules.
- Devise schedules according to provider time, operational priorities, and space availability.
- Ensure provider schedules are updated daily, incorporating cancellations, reschedules, add-ons, and provider schedule changes promptly.
- Revise provider schedules and workflows to maximize operational efficiency and patient access.
- Collaborate with providers and leadership to optimize provider templates, scheduling availability, and clinic flow.
- Coordinate scheduling logistics for meetings, conference rooms, and provider operational needs when applicable.
- Review scheduling metrics, operational reports, patient access data, and productivity standards regularly to identify areas for improvement.
- Assist with resolving complex patient scheduling issues, complaints, operational concerns, and difficult situations professionally and promptly.
- Monitor referral and authorization processes to ensure timely completion and compliance with payer requirements.
- Provide training, coaching, and ongoing support to scheduling and patient access staff.
- Conduct employee evaluations, disciplinary actions, coaching sessions, and performance improvement discussions when necessary.
- Maintain accurate documentation within EMR and scheduling systems.
- Participate in Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) initiatives as directed.
- Communicate regularly with leadership regarding scheduling trends, workflow concerns, staffing needs, and operational challenges.
- Assist with departmental staffing schedules and coverage assignments.
- Provide assistance with scheduling patients with unique or complex scheduling needs as necessary.
- Demonstrate professionalism, courtesy, and tact when handling patient concerns, scheduling conflicts, and operational issues.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Template Management & Access Optimization
- Serve as the primary operational owner of provider scheduling templates across all clinics and service lines.
- Design, implement, maintain, and continuously optimize provider scheduling templates to maximize patient access, provider productivity, operational efficiency, and patient throughput.
- Analyze appointment utilization patterns, no-show rates, cancellation trends, appointment lag times, provider capacity, and scheduling demand to recommend template adjustments and operational improvements.
- Collaborate with providers, operations leadership, and clinical leadership to develop scheduling strategies that balance patient access, clinical appropriateness, provider preferences, and organizational goals.
- Monitor and manage schedule utilization, template compliance, block utilization, overbooking practices, appointment slot allocation, and scheduling consistency across departments.
- Develop standardized scheduling rules, appointment types, visit durations, scheduling protocols, and escalation procedures.
- Review provider templates regularly to ensure alignment with operational goals, productivity standards, payer requirements, and patient demand.
- Identify scheduling gaps, template inefficiencies, underutilized capacity, and access barriers, implementing corrective action plans as necessary.
- Assist with long-range scheduling strategies related to provider growth, clinic expansion, staffing changes, and operational initiatives.
- Partner with Southwest Endoscopy Director(s) to improve Open Access scheduling initiatives, advanced access models, and patient access improvement strategies.
Reporting, Analytics & KPI Management
- Develop, maintain, and analyze operational reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators (KPIs) related to patient access, scheduling operations, and provider utilization.
- Monitor and report on metrics including but not limited to:
- Provider utilization rates
- Appointment lag days
- Third next available appointment
- No-show and cancellation rates
- Scheduling accuracy
- Referral conversion rates
- Authorization turnaround times
- Call abandonment rates
- Schedule fill rates
- Template utilization
- Patient throughput
- Patient satisfaction trends
- Access-to-care benchmarks
- Utilize reporting tools, EMR analytics, spreadsheets, and operational dashboards to identify workflow inefficiencies, capacity concerns, and scheduling trends.
- Present operational findings, recommendations, and improvement plans to organizational leadership.
- Establish productivity benchmarks and performance expectations for patient access staff.
- Conduct trend analysis and forecasting to support staffing models, provider scheduling decisions, and operational planning.
- Ensure data integrity and reporting accuracy within scheduling systems and EMR platforms.
- Participate in operational meetings and strategic planning discussions, providing data-driven recommendations to improve patient access and clinic efficiency.
Scheduling Productivity Standards
- The Patient Access Operations Manager is responsible for maintaining departmental productivity, scheduling accuracy, workflow efficiency, and operational performance standards.
- Productivity is measured through staff performance, patient access metrics, scheduling accuracy, patient satisfaction, provider utilization, and operational outcomes.
- Departmental productivity and workflow performance are reviewed regularly by leadership.
- Managers are expected to proactively identify operational concerns and implement workflow improvements when necessary.
- Failure to maintain operational and productivity expectations may result in corrective action in accordance with organizational policies.
Scheduling Operations & Workflow Expectations
- Schedules will be managed according to established provider templates, operational priorities, organizational guidelines, and space availability.
- Provider schedules must incorporate office coverage, procedural coverage, vacation schedules, education schedules, and operational needs.
- Cancellations, reschedules, add-ons, and provider schedule changes must be addressed promptly to minimize scheduling gaps and maximize patient access.
- Staff workflows must be monitored continuously to ensure efficiency, accuracy, and timely patient service.
- Scheduling processes and workflows should be reviewed regularly to improve efficiency and operational effectiveness.
- Managers are expected to maintain effective communication with providers, staff, and leadership regarding scheduling and operational concerns.
Compliance & Legal Responsibilities
- Maintain compliance with HIPAA, HITECH, and all patient privacy and confidentiality laws.
- Ensure staff compliance with federal, state, payer-specific, and organizational guidelines related to scheduling, authorizations, registration, and documentation.
- Adhere to workplace safety standards and internal compliance programs.
- Report any compliance concerns, operational issues, documentation discrepancies, or potential violations promptly to leadership.
- Assist with audits, corrective action plans, and quality assurance initiatives as required.
- Maintain confidentiality of all patient care and business information to ensure patient rights are protected.
Qualifications
- Associate degree required; Bachelor’s degree preferred in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or related field.
- In lieu of a degree, a minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible experience in healthcare scheduling, patient access, medical office operations, or healthcare leadership may be considered.
- 3–5 years of healthcare scheduling, patient access, or medical office operations experience required.
- 2+ years of supervisory or management experience preferred.
- Experience or training with computers, including Microsoft Office 365 and EMR software.
- Working knowledge of EMR and scheduling systems.
- Strong organizational skills with attention to detail.
- Team-oriented with the ability to work collaboratively.
- Familiarity with medical terminology preferred.
Preferred Qualifications
- Experience managing patient access or scheduling teams in a specialty medical practice.
- Experience with Open Access scheduling models.
- Knowledge of insurance verification, referrals, and prior authorizations.
- Certified Medical Assistant (preferred, not required).
- Experience in healthcare operational workflow improvement initiatives.
Skills & Competencies
- Familiarity with medical terminology.
- Excellent computer skills.
- Strong leadership and organizational skills.
- Strong typing and data entry skills.
- Ability to exercise sound judgment in prioritizing work assignments and operational concerns.
- Ability to multitask effectively in a fast-paced environment.
- Professional communication and interpersonal skills.
- Strong problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities.
- Ability to analyze reports, productivity data, workflow trends, and operational metrics.
- Ability to manage multiple provider schedules and operational priorities simultaneously.
- Ability to maintain professionalism and courtesy during difficult or stressful situations.
- Ability to work collaboratively with providers, staff, leadership, and external contacts.
- Advanced understanding of provider template design and scheduling optimization strategies.
- Strong analytical and reporting skills with the ability to interpret operational data and develop actionable recommendations.
- Experience creating dashboards, operational reports, and KPI tracking tools.
- Knowledge of patient access metrics, healthcare access standards, and provider utilization management.
- Ability to identify operational bottlenecks and implement process improvement initiatives.
- Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel and reporting tool proficiency preferred.
- Experience with EMR reporting functionality and scheduling analytics platforms preferred.
Physical & Work Environment Requirements
- Ability to walk, sit, and stand for extended periods.
- Frequent arm, wrist, and hand movements.
- Significant amount of computer and typing work required.
- Minimal physical work not to exceed 20 pounds; assistance required for any workload exceeding 20 pounds.
- Frequent interaction with patients, providers, staff, and external contacts.
- Occasional in-house meetings.
- Standard office and healthcare environment.
Performance Management & Discipline
- Performance is evaluated based on operational efficiency, leadership, productivity, compliance, attendance, professionalism, and adherence to organizational policies.
- Employees are expected to accept supervision and benefit from constructive feedback.
- Employees must demonstrate cooperation, self-control, courtesy, and respect when interacting with co-workers, patients, providers, and job-related contacts.
- Employees are expected to comply with attendance requirements and follow established schedules.
- Employees must demonstrate respect for authority, follow the chain of command, and appropriately raise concerns or operational issues.
- Employees are expected to maintain confidentiality of all patient care and business information to ensure patient rights are protected.
- Employees are expected to demonstrate a commitment to excellence in guest and patient relations.
- Failure to meet established performance expectations may result in corrective action up to and including termination, consistent with organizational policies.
Pay: $25.00 - $32.00 per hour
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- Dental insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
