Program Description
The Patient Access Specialist will efficiently and effectively fill the demands of the healthcare field that have dramatically increased with the expansion of health care coverage brought about by the Affordable Care Act and the Meaningful Use incentives brought about by the use of the Electronic Health Record. The median income for a Patient Account Assess Specialist in North Dakota is approximately $20,000 annually and had an expected growth of 13% in the next 7-10 years.
Purpose
The Patient Access Specialist program prepares students to be trained as specialists who handle patient encounters, patient customer service questions and other registration duties within a health care organization. The Patient Access Certificate will provide the individual with entry level skills in patient registration/access duties. Students will begin with basic tasks such as answering the telephone, customer service skills, making appointments, canceling appointments, updating demographic information, verifying insurance coverage, and calculating co-payment. Through classroom instruction and a simulated office program, students learn proper phone etiquette, how to schedule, cancel and modify patient appointments, how to verify third party coverage and calculate co- payments. The curriculum is based on a 9-month certificate – with the option of continuing on to the 2-year Medical Administrative Assistant degree.
Career Opportunities
Upon completion of the 9-month program, graduates may find employment opportunities with medical offices, hospital admitting departments, emergency rooms, and freestanding clinics as patient registration clerks, admission clerks and ward clerks. Additional experience may provide opportunities as managers or supervisors, in Patient admissions, patient registration or patient accounts.
Required Courses
Required Courses
| BIOL 115 | Human Structure & Function/Lab | 4 |
| BOTE 171 | Medical Terminology | 3 |
| HIT 107 | Customer Service Strategies in Health Care Setting | 3 |
| HIT 176 | Introduction to Health Information Management | 4 |
| HIT 178 | Electronic Health Records | 3 |
| HIT 182 | Medical Language Applications | 4 |
| HIT 270 | Medical Office Simulation I | 2 |
| HIT 274 | Patient Access Certification | 2 |
| HIT 277 | Medical Office Procedures | 3 |
| HIT 282 | Medical Billing & Insurance | 3 |
| HIT 290 | Patient Access Internship | 2 |
Total Credit Hours: 33