Organization Overview, Mission, Vision, and Values

Our mission is to improve the health of people in the communities we serve through compassionate, high-quality care, prevention, and wellness education. Washington Regional Medical System is a community-owned, locally governed, non-profit health care system located in Northwest Arkansas in the heart of Fayetteville, which is consistently ranked among the Best Places to live in the country. Our 425-bed medical center has been named the #1 hospital in Arkansas for five consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report. We employ 3,400+ team members and serve the region with over 40 clinic locations, the region’s only Level II trauma center, and five Centers of Excellence - the Washington Regional J.B. Hunt Transport Services Neuroscience Institute; Washington Regional Walker Heart Institute; Washington Regional Women and Infants Center; Washington Regional Total Joint Center; and Washington Regional Pat Walker Center for Seniors.

Position Summary

The role of the ER Admitting Specialist reports to the ER Admissions Manager. This position is responsible for efficiently and accurately registering patients in the emergency room, collecting demographic and insurance information, obtaining signatures on consent forms, and ensuring compliance with HIPAA regulations. This position also assists with managing patient-provider communication, coordinating with bed control, processing payments, and resolving registration issues in a fast-paced, high-intensity environment.

Essential Position Responsibilities

• Accurately collect and enter patient demographic, insurance, and contact information into the hospital's electronic health record (EMR) system.
• Obtain signatures on necessary legal and insurance consent forms, and ensure all required documents are completed and scanned into the system.
• Prepare service estimates, arrange payment plans, collect upfront payments, and process cash collections, reconciling daily reports.
• Serve as a liaison between patients, families, and medical staff; coordinate with the Bed Control department for bed placement; and communicate any delays to patients and leadership.
• Escort and transport patients to their designated areas and ensure timely processing from registration to their appropriate room, as needed.
• Monitor for and resolve any registration edit errors to maintain accurate patient records and billing information.
• Adhere strictly to HIPAA privacy policies and hospital procedures, including verifying patient identity.

Qualifications

• Education: High School Diploma or GED
• Licensure and Certifications: N/A
• Experience: Minimum 1 years’ experience in a previous medical office setting, preferred. Familiarity with medical terminology, CPT, and ICD10 coding, preferred.

Professional Skills

• Excellent communication, compassion, and a patient-focused approach to ensure a positive patient experience.
• Strong computer skills and the ability to quickly learn and navigate hospital software and EMR systems.
• Ability to manage multiple tasks, multitask, and maintain high accuracy in a fast-paced, stressful environment.
• Ability to identify and resolve issues related to patient admissions and insurance coverage.
• Adaptability to changing priorities, with the ability to work a variety of shifts, as needed.

Work Environment: This position will spend 80% of the time sitting while performing work in a clerical/registration environment in the emergency room and 20% of work time standing and/or walking short frequent distances with occasional lifting, bending, pushing and/or pulling up to 50 lbs. This position may be exposed to communicable disease and body fluids.

Notice: This job description is designed to provide an overview of the essential and principal duties and responsibilities of the position. The job description is not designed or intended to cover or set forth a comprehensive listing of all activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee. Washington Regional reserves the right in its absolute discretion to change duties, responsibilities or activities or assign new duties, responsibilities, or activities at any time with or without notice. Employees may be directed to perform job-related tasks other than those specifically presented in this description.