Covenant Health

Corporate Director, Patient Access, Centralized Scheduling 

Full Time, 80 Hours Per Pay Period, Day Shifts

Covenant Health Overview:

Covenant Health is the region’s top-performing healthcare network with 10 hospitals, outpatient and specialty services, and Covenant Medical Group, our area’s fastest-growing physician practice division. Headquartered in Knoxville, Covenant Health is a community-owned integrated healthcare delivery system and the area’s largest employer. Our more than 11,000 employees, volunteers, and 1,500 affiliated physicians are dedicated to improving the quality of life for the more than two million patients and families we serve every year. Covenant Health is the only healthcare system in East Tennessee to be named a Forbes “Best Employer” seven times.

Position Summary:

The Corporate Director of Patient Access provides strategic leadership for Patient Access operations across all system hospitals within the Enterprise Revenue Cycle. This role oversees key functions including registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, counseling, scheduling, and patient experience related to patient access. They are responsible for ensuring operational excellence, efficiency, and quality performance.

Suzie McGuinn:

apply@covhlth.com

Strategic Leadership & Alignment

• Supports leadership’s strategic oversight for all patient access functions, ensuring alignment with organization’s revenue cycle goals.
• Develops and execute initiatives that enhance efficiency, financial performance, and patient satisfaction in collaboration with leadership.
• Maintains a collaborative relationship with middle and back revenue cycle leadership ensuring that revenue cycle functions are a cohesive unit optimizing positive impact to organization.
• Supports leadership’s strategic vision and direction to effectively manage industry shifts, regulatory changes, and rising cost pressures.
• Under the direction of, implements system-wide projects, as assigned, for realizing process improvement opportunities within the function.
• Presents departmental budget recommendations to Leadership for consideration and approval.
• Monitors budget performance and variance explanations.
• Ensures that processes are consistently evaluated for alignment with the strategic vision set forth by leadership teams throughout the organization.

Front-End Revenue Cycle Management

• Directs registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, financial counseling, scheduling and patient access related patient experience.
• Works with Leadership to prioritize and organize work within division to meet changing priorities.
• Directs the development of patient access strategies, policies and procedures.
• Communicates policies and procedures for the department to key stakeholders for awareness, implementation and possible impact on operations.
• Ensures compliance with federal, state, and payer regulations while implementing industry best practices.
• Works with peers to coordinate and oversee all patient access process transition points between patient financial services, onsite patient access services, medical facilities and other areas.

Technology & Workflow Optimization

• Maximizes the use of front-end technology solutions for registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, financial counseling and scheduling to improve efficiency and facilitate information accuracy, optimize the patient experience and clean claims processing.
• Identifies opportunities for automation and digital access enhancements.
• Evaluates current and new technology solutions.
• As delegated by Leadership, participates in various IT-related steering committees for information technology changes which affect the Patient Access Services area and leads project groups as assigned.
• Performance Improvement & Data-Driven Decision Making
• Analyzes key performance indicators (KPIs) related to patient access, scheduling, denials prevention, and revenue cycle performance to determine Patient Access impact on KPIs and organization’s financial health.
• Recognizes areas of excellence and oversees the development and implementation of action plans related to functional areas where performance is not meeting expectations.
• Leads initiatives to reduce registration and authorization-related denials.

Supervisory Responsibility

• Direct activities of managers and staff in department.
• Provides leadership to direct reports and develops them into strategic thinkers and leaders across the organization.
• Oversees hiring, firing, and performance management in consultation with Human Resources and department manager.
• Oversees any disciplinary proceedings for staff, in consultation with Human Resources and department manager.

Leadership & Workforce Development

• Directs patient access leadership teams, fostering a culture of accountability, collaboration, trust, continuous improvement and staff growth aligning with organization’s standards and behaviors, mission and vision.
• Identifies and mentors future organizational leads.
• Develops training and maintains programs to ensure frontline staff adhere to best practices in registration, insurance verification, pre-certification, financial clearance, financial counseling, scheduling and patient experience.

Stakeholder & Vendor Collaboration

• Maintains strong relationships with payers, vendors, and internal stakeholders to optimize financial clearance and reimbursement processes.
• Coordinates and collaborates with key stakeholders outside of Revenue Cycle to ensure strategic alignment with broader organizational goals and objectives.
• Partners with clinical and operational leaders to improve revenue cycle outcomes.
• Communicates shifts in healthcare trends, develops strategic mitigation plans and coordinates with other functional areas of the Revenue Cycle Department regarding Patient Access.

Enterprise-Wide Initiatives & Innovation

• Supports initiatives related to self-service scheduling, automation, and digital patient access improvements.
• Maintains and develops initiatives that advance organization’s consumerism initiatives.
• Drives innovation in patient access to improve overall revenue cycle outcomes.
• Establishes performance improvement initiatives when appropriate to stay abreast of the latest developments, advancements and trends in Revenue Cycle and Patient Access.
• Coordinates performance improvement initiatives accordingly with department leadership to implement appropriate action plans across the functions and organizations.
• Leads redesign initiatives and other organizational efforts as requested.
• Follows policies, procedures, and safety standards. Completes required education assignments annually. Works toward achieving goals and objectives, and participates in quality improvement initiatives as requested.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Education:           

Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration with Healthcare or Finance Concentration or equivalent management experience.

Minimum Experience:         

Six (6) years of increasing responsibility or related work experience in a healthcare environment with at least three (3) years of direct leadership in hospital scheduling/registration office or equivalent experience in Revenue Cycle activities. Experience with Medicare, Medicaid and third-party payers, rules and regulations.

Licensure Requirement:      

Must have and maintain Professional healthcare certification or clinical license (e.g. RN, ARRT, NAHAM, PACS, CCS, CPC, etc.) or equivalent experience.