3. Policy and Procedures
Core Competencies
Decentralized Registration Areas
Potential new initiatives to drive efficient teamwork
(edit note - review content)
4. In order to remain in working unison with
other departments, it is paramount that all
University Health System policies are
adhered to.
Patient Access Services has developed
and implemented policies that provide
greater clarity of UH System policies.
Patient Access Services as a division of
University Health Systems has also
developed procedures that provide
direction/instruction to carry-out specific
functions.
5. The purpose of this policy is to provide a standardized dress
code for Patient Access Service Departments that present a
consistent, positive, professional image across all integrated
Patient Access departments.
To maintain and build community support, you are expected to
maintain high standards of personal appearance and grooming.
Neatness and cleanliness are essential in hospital services. You
are to be certain that personal hygiene and clothing make a
professional impression on visitors and patients at all times
(reference Hospital Policy 3.10, Dress Code).
Patient Access Services employees are expected to wear
uniforms while on duty. It is important for patients to be able to
distinguish medical personnel. Patient Access Representatives
who have direct contact with the patient shall wear uniforms
while on duty. You have been provided a copy of the dress
code policy in the Patient Access Services (PAS) New
Employee folder. Please review and sign the acknowledgement
form and return to the PAS manager.
6. Work Schedule: Patient Access Services representatives are expected to arrive at their respective locations in sufficient time to clock-in via the APS system. PAS reps
must be ready to assist patients at the beginning of their scheduled shift. A tardy is incurred when a clock-in occurs one minute after the start of a shift. A tardy is also
incurred if a PAS returns from a 30 minute meal-break at one-minute after the time they are due. Please refer to the Time and Attendance Policy for Patient Access
Service. A copy has been provided in the PAS New Employee folder. After reviewing the policy, please sign, date and return the Time and Attendance
Acknowledgement form to the patient access services manager.
Meal Period (Lunch Break) – PAS representatives are provided a 30 minute meal period when they are scheduled to work five (5) or more consecutive hours. Meal
periods are required and must be taken when scheduled. Your direct supervisor will be responsible for assigning your meal break period.
30 minute meal periods cannot be taken at the workstation. This also applies to staff that work in locations that may not have direct patient flow.
Co-workers or other hospital staff may not utilize a PAS work station or office space as a location for lunch. Any employee taking lunch in an
undesignated lunch area will be asked to leave. PAS staff will receive one reminder. Repeated occurrences will be documented using the employee
counseling procedure for University Health Systems. Other non-PAS staff will be given a verbal notice. Repeated occurrences will be reported to the
employees reporting supervisor or manager.
Co-workers or other hospital staff may not utilize a work station or office spaces as a location for their meal period or break
Mini-break periods – due to the high pace/high volume of each registration area, mini breaks of fifteen (15) are not provisioned for. PAS representatives may take a
five (5) restroom break when there is a cessation in patient flow.
Restroom breaks should not be utilized to obtain snacks or beverages from the cafeteria on second floor.
Breakfast and coffee must be purchased and consumed before clocking-in.
Eating a meal is not allowed at the workstation. Small individual size snacks and concealed beverages are allowed at the work station however it must not be
visible to the patient or any person that may walk by the work station. It is also important that the PAS representatives takes special care to ensure the food
particles and liquids are not spilled on the keyboard, CPU unit or scanners.
7. Time And Attendance: employees will give an advance
notification of any unscheduled absences or tardy to immediate
supervisors for each specific department.
Patient Access Reps must provide a two hour notice of any unscheduled
tardy or absence.
Supervisor must be notified through office phone. If supervisor cannot be
reached, a voicemail must be left.
8. Scheduled Time Off: In order to be considered for time off,
patient access representative must provide significant notice to
supervisor through APS.
1-2 days off; must provide seven days notice
3-4 days off; must provide ten days notice
5 or more days; a minimum of 4 weeks notice
Half a day; a minimum of 48 hours notice
Scheduled tardy; a minimum of 24 hours notice
9. Time and attendance policy must be followed as stated within
the Hospital Policy manual, SECTION 3.8.
SECTION 3.8 also lists disciplinary steps to be taken for
subsequent tardies.
10. Unscheduled days off
Scheduled days off
Approved holidays
Weekends
Same days of the week
Pay day
Days immediately following corrective action
Having a time of request denied any other suspicious
circumstance as determined by supervisor.
11. Each disciplinary step shall remain on employees file for one year
from the date that discipline was administered.
Supervisor will meet with employee to discuss the nature and
circumstance of each occurrence
The supervisor, and manager, will meet with employee to evaluate
each situation and to discuss any actions that should be taken.
Employee will be advised of the consequences of future occurrences
by supervisor.
Warnings will be documented and placed in the employees
permanent files located in Human Resources.
Human resources department must be consulted for actions of
suspension and termination.
12. Patient Access Representative must follow core competencies as
indicated within the University Health policy guidelines.
Core competencies pertain to the following
New hire training process, modules, and testing
Electronic information access
New hire initial requirements.
Departmental Orientation
Patient Access/Hospital Guidelines
Quality Assurance
13. New hires will go through a training course designed by the
patient access trainer to acclimate new hire to registration
system.
During the training course, new hire will go through modules
designed to prepare patient access representative for the
registration process and other core competencies.
New hires will be tested at the end of the training course.
Test is designed to measure progress of each trainee.
New hire must score an 80% in order to pass the training course.
14. Patient Access Representatives will be given a password and a
username in order to gain access to EPIC, APS, University
Health email, and training modules.
New hires will also be given an employee identification number.
For EPIC access, employees initials combined with employee
identification number will be used to login to EPIC. xx7000111
Patient access representative will use password established
through human resources to log into EPIC.
15. The system for time documentation is titled APS.
Before each shift, patient access representative will clock in
through APS.
Login information will be set up through the University Health
Website login information page.
To request PTO, this will be done through APS.
Paycheck summaries can be printed out through APS.
Also, if there are any discrepancies, Mrs. Janice from human
resources can be contacted or immediate supervisor.
16. If a patient access employee has an issue within APS. A time
adjustment form must be completed.
Time adjustment forms allow an employee to correct an error
during his or her scheduled shift.
For example
Double punches
Missed punches
17. New hires must wear University Health issued badges and
uniforms during each shift.
Staff is required to receive tuberculosis shots within the first
week of hiring.
Flu shots are optional for each staff member.
Although, if a patient access representative refuses to receive a flu shot
administration, they’ll will be required to wear a mask during each shift
throughout the winter.
New hires will be required to be fitted for a mask.
These masks will be required when dealing with a patient within the
direct care areas.
18. When a new hire is brought into the patient access department,
they will go through an orientation process.
Along with the training through the patient access trainer, new
hire will be orientated to the functions of patient access.
The new hire will shadow a current employee, and get a more
hands on experience during the registration process.
The new hire will also learn how complete other functions that
make up the responsibilities of the patient access worker.
19. Hospital guidelines in alignment with the patient access
department must be followed.
Whenever a patient is admitted to University Health, or
registered for their subsequent appointment..
Appropriate forms must be signed, while appropriate actions
must be taken regarding insurance, patient authorization, and
patient pre-certification.
20. HIPAA
MSP
ADVANCE DIRECTIVE
ADVANCED BENEFICIARY
NOTICE (ABN)
CONSENT FORM
Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act
Medicare Secondary Payer
Advance Directive (durable power
of living attorney
Advance Beneficiary
Notice(notification of changes to
insurance payment options)
Consent Form(Authorization to
give medical providers
21. Quality Assurance refers to the amount of registration procedures
performed correctly by the department as a whole.
After each shift, patient access representative will be required to
complete a tracking form.
A tracking form is meant to document the amount of patients
registered by a patient access representative.
Each week, patient access representative will be given a grade on
the amount of correct accounts registered.
Scores must be at least above an 80%.
22. Patient Access Services has six (6) decentralized locations
throughout University Health Conway.
Centralized Registration - ground floor, just off the main entrance prior to reaching the elevators. Provides
registration services for the following services: radiology, oncology, medicine-3 clinic, diabetes education,
physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, respiratory therapy.
Emergency Room – Located at the emergency room entrance. Provides dedicated registration services for the
emergency room services of the facility.
Family Practice – Located on the northwest side of the facility in a standalone building. Provides registration
services to Family Practice practioners.
OB/GYN – located on 3rd floor. Provides registration services to OB/GYN services.
Orthopedics – located on the 5th floor. Provides registration services for Orthopedic clinic.
Out-patient Registration – entrance located north of the main hospital entrance. Provides registration services to
the following clinics: rye, pediatrics, medicine 1, out-patient Surgery follow-up, nephrology, heart, walk-in.
23. Patient access representatives are responsible for completing the
financial clearance, registration/check-in and check out process with
Patient Access and creating the first impression of University’s
Health’s services to patients and families an other external customers.
The Patient Access Representative must be able to articulate
information in a manner that patients, guarantors and family
members understand and so they know what to expect and have an
understanding of their financial responsibilities.
This position assumes clinical and financial risk of the organization
when collecting and documenting information on behalf of the
patient.
24. The Patient Access Representative may be responsible for
completing the pre-registration, registration, insurance
verification, benefits verification, authorization, referral
management, patient liability collections, scheduling and
medical necessity check.
Also, responsibilities may include interviewing patients and
guarantors to obtain information to screen for financial
counseling, verify eligibility and corresponding benefit levels,
coordinating referrals and obtaining treatment authorizations.
25. • Located on the first floor.
• Patients who are scheduled for appointments come to this location to be register.
• Open Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 6:00pm daily.
26. Patients who come to receive
treatment on the same day
register with the outpatient
clinic.
The outpatient clinic is open
from 7:00am to 4:30pm
Typically, the Outpatient Clinic
has the highest volume of
patients.
27. • Open from 7:00am to 3:30pm Monday through Friday
• Patients come to the lab to receive orders as stated by their physician.
• Lab registration has the third highest volume in all of Patient Access.
28. Located outside of the main
building adjacent to the prison
facility.
Patients who have
appointments at family practice
go to this location to register.
29. Located on the Third floor of
the main building.
Patients who are only
scheduled for OB-GYN related
appointments report to this
location.
Open from 7:00am to 4:30pm
Monday through Friday.
30.
31.
32. The emergency room is for patients who require medical assistance
immediately.
Patients who want to be seen by a doctor within the ER must be seen
without any questions or qualms.
Discussion of payment options must be discussed after a patient has
completed his or her emergency room visit.
EMTALA: this acronym stands for the emergency treatment and
labor act.
EMTALA refers to a patients right to be seen by a doctor once they
have come to the emergency room regardless of ability to pay.
The ER is open 24/7.
33. Patient Access representatives play an integral role in the
patients University Health experience.
It is very important that teamwork is emphasized among one
another.
Weekly progress reports are done in order to promote a healthy
relationship within the patient access department.
Monthly meetings are conducted by the leadership staff in order
to discuss new developments and to recognize individual and
team accomplishments.
35. The presentation is intended to provide a generalized overview of pertinent policies and
procedures for Patient Access Services of University Health Systems. As part of your onboarding
process with UH Conway you have completed new hire orientation. You have received a Patient
Access Services folder that should contain a copy of the policies and/or procedures referenced in
this overview. It is every employee’s responsibility to read the Employee Handbook and become
familiar with policies for University Health Systems and Patient Access Services.
Welcome to University Health Systems Patient Access Services Department
