Patient Access Week 2021 Resilience Through Adversity: Evolving Patient Access

In the face of our quickly changing health care environment, there is one constant: the Patient Access Team.

The first interaction that patients have with us often is with the Patient Access Team. That is why it is so important to have a friendly face/voice to connect with from the beginning. “We look for positive representatives with a friendly demeanor when hiring. Our access team has goals centered on the exceptional patient experience,” says Access Manager Sherri Bean. “It has been proven that skills can be trained, but kindness and warmth must be present for the first impression. Our job is to ease their concerns in a caring and efficient manner.”

Patients sometimes feel apprehensive and need support. When people aren’t feeling well, we need to be fast, accurate and friendly. If the Patient Access team doesn’t do its job correctly, the problems reverberate throughout the sites. On an average day, the Patient Access Department handles a variety of requests from many persons, including physicians, nurses and patients. Access staff schedule and arrive admissions and help coordinate patient care. The Access Team staff must also be familiar with the procedures of various insurance companies. Our Patient Access Team is also responsible for providing financial counseling and point-of-service cash collections. All of these are in some way touched by the Patient Access team.

As we approach National Patient Access Week, we acknowledge our special goodwill ambassadors in the Patient Access Team for setting the standard of care that all our employees aspire to achieve.

(photo: Deb Rowledge, scheduler)