Patient Access and Support Specialist

Position Overview

Join UNC Health, a community of over 56,000 employees dedicated to enhancing health and wellness throughout North Carolina. We are seeking a full-time Patient Access and Support Specialist to be part of our 24/7 operations, which include holidays. This role primarily covers weekday evenings, weekends, and rotating holidays, requiring a flexible schedule to also accommodate daytime and overnight shifts as needed.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage patient calls initially for nurse triage, identifying urgent medical conditions requiring immediate response.
• Conduct research and provide recommendations for UNC Health Care System providers to both new and returning patients based on their individual needs and preferences.
• Handle patient registration, appointment scheduling, cancellation, rescheduling, and confirmation across primary and specialty care facilities statewide.
• Provide administrative front desk support for the UNC Virtual Practice, including schedule management, facilitating appropriate care access, troubleshooting common issues, ensuring one-call resolution, routing patient care documentation, and upholding strict privacy protocols on digital platforms.
• Coordinate communication between healthcare professionals for consultations and follow-ups to guarantee timely patient care.
• Contribute to special projects that enhance departmental support and align with organizational objectives collaboratively and respectfully.
• Monitor call volume and take proactive measures to prioritize and manage call queues to meet service level targets and deliver outstanding patient experiences.
• Accurately document all incoming and outgoing calls in real-time within the Epic system following established standard operating procedures.
• Deliver superior customer service across various services and telecommunication lines, supporting RN triage, system navigation, scheduling for primary and specialty care, and virtual front desk functions.

Qualifications

• Minimum education requirement is a high school diploma or GED.
• Experience varies based on education level: Bachelor’s degree holders should have at least one year of customer service experience, preferably in a healthcare or patient-focused environment; Associate degree holders require three years; and high school graduates should possess five years of relevant experience.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills centered on patient-focused care; includes professionalism, active listening, building rapport, facilitating, showing empathy, resolving conflicts, managing complaints, and problem-solving.
• Ability to offer positive, mission-driven communication and assistance to internal and external customers, showing initiative, teamwork, and a proactive attitude.
• Capable of thriving in a fast-paced, dynamic workplace while maintaining strong critical thinking, communication, and organizational skills.
• Willingness to take on additional responsibilities and identify issues requiring escalation.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office applications and skilled in computer and technology use, including typing.
• Adept at accessing and using multiple databases simultaneously and adapting to shifting priorities.
• Must acquire knowledge of the UNC Health Care System, supported services, and some medical terminology during training.
• Ability to learn and adhere to established protocols efficiently.

Additional Information

• Legal Employer: NCHEALTH, a private subsidiary of UNC Health Care System.
• Department: Patient Access Center - CASI within Shared Services.
• Work schedule: Full-time, 40 hours per week, variable shifts based remotely.
• Location: Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
• Salary range: $19.78 to $28.12 per hour, offers based on experience and internal equity.
• Not exempt from overtime.
• Equal opportunity employer committed to inclusive hiring, offering reasonable accommodations for religious practices and disabilities.