Director of Patient Access at Lake Regional Health System – Osage Beach, Missouri

The Director of Patient Access leads strategic operations for patients’ entry into and methods in which they access care to Lake Regional Health system, overseeing scheduling, registration, financial counseling, and insurance verification functions to ensure efficient workflows, compliance, and excellent patient experience needs are met while managing budgets, staff, policies, and collaborating across departments as the access point to both Revenue Cycle and Clinical Services. Key duties involve setting department/organizational strategic goals, improving processes, monitoring patient acquisition/retention, managing personnel, and ensuring adherence to regulations for optimal financial performance and patient experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Leadership & Strategy: Provide vision, set goals, and develop strategic plans for patient access services.
• Operations Management: Oversee daily functions including patient scheduling, financial clearance, pre-registration, authorizations/referrals, and point-of-service collections, as well as technology solutions supporting department operations.
• Financial Performance: Ensure accurate insurance eligibility, verification, and collections to support revenue cycle goals to prevent denials.
• Policy & Compliance: Develop, implement, and maintain policies while ensuring compliance with healthcare regulations.
• Process Improvement: Lead quality assurance and process improvement initiatives for smoother patient access to care, intake, engagement and flow prior and at the point of service.
• Staff Management: Recruit, train, develop, and retain high-performing patient access teams across the organization.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with other departments (e.g., billing, clinical, IT) to integrate services and resolve issues.
• Budgeting: Manage departmental budgets, including capital and salary planning.

Essential Skills & Qualifications

• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
• In-depth knowledge of healthcare operations, revenue cycle, and compliance (e.g., HIPAA, NSA, Price Transparency).
• Patient Access experience in both hospital and ambulatory settings is preferred.
• Revenue Cycle, patient experience, intake & engagement experience required.
• Experience with EMR implementation and a strong understanding of ADT/HL7 and application technology is required.
• Bachelor's degree in Healthcare Administration or related field preferred.
• High School Graduate required.

Typical Reporting Structure

• Reports to senior leadership, such as the Vice President of Revenue Cycle or Chief Financial Officer.
• Manages Patient Access Managers, Supervisors, and front-line staff.

An annual influenza vaccination is required.

Lake Regional Health System has a competitive Benefits and Compensation package:

• Tuition assistance & continuing education opportunities
• Wellness incentives including mental and physical wellness programs
• Paid Time Off (PTO)
• Health, Dental, and Vision insurance
• Employer-sponsored Life and AD&D insurance
• 401K with a company match
• Area discounts to popular attractions and retail spaces

At Lake Regional Health System, Our Commitment Runs Deep!

https://www.lakeregional.com/about-us/awards-and-recognition/