Req #:	176272
Department:	UW MEDICAL CENTER - MONTLAKE - ADMITTING DEPT.
Job Location:	UW Medical Center - Montlake
Posting Date:	01/21/2020
Closing Info:	Open Until Filled
Salary:	$2,832.00 to $3,935.00 per month
Union Position:	Yes
Shift:	Evening Shift
Notes:	The shift for this position is Monday through Thursday from 12:30pm to 11:00pm

Join our award-winning team at University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC). Among the top medical centers in the United States, and ranked as the number 1 hospital in Washington State, as rated by U.S. News & World Report 2019-2020 "America's Best Hospitals", UWMC prides itself on compassionate patient care as well as its pioneering medical advances. UWMC is operated by the University of Washington (UW) and serves as a training site for UW’s School of Medicine.

The University of Washington is proud to be one of the nation’s premier educational and research institutions. Our people are the most important asset in our pursuit of achieving excellence in education, research, and community service. Our staff not only enjoys outstanding benefits and professional growth opportunities, but also an environment noted for diversity, community involvement, intellectual excitement, artistic pursuits, and natural beauty. As an employee, you will enjoy generous benefits and work/life programs. For a complete description of our benefits for this position, please click here..

UWMC's ADMITTING DEPARTMENT has an outstanding opportunity for a PATIENT SERVICES SPECIALIST 1-TRAINEE OR PSS 2 (Full-Time, Evening Shift). The Patient Service Specialist (PSS) has primary responsibility for facilitating patient admission, transfers, and discharges; and clerical duties in support of the unit.

PSS job duties include:
• Answer, screen, and field telephone questions.
• Facilitate patient admissions, transfers, and discharges.
• Maintain awareness of others and greet patients, family, visitors, and staff in a manner that conveys a positive reception.
• Demonstrate proficiency in the use of communication devices on the unit (telephone, fax, email, etc.). Identify department when answering the telephone, speak in a confident, friendly manner that conveys a positive reception.
• Direct calls to appropriate staff in a timely manner.
• Receive, record, and distribute accurate patient information and diagnostic results to appropriate staff.
• Assemble patient chart for admission, transfer, or discharge.
• Maintain medical records in a usable format, collate departmental records, add new forms to records, and flag/alert healthcare team members to missing forms, consent signatures, and other requirements.
• Obtain from and return records to Patient Data Services.
• Process requisitions for patient procedures, tests, or exams.
• Communicate other departments’ readiness for patient procedures, tests or exams, and facilitate appropriate transportation and paperwork.
• Coordinate transportation to and from other facilities for special procedures, tests, or exams.
• Facilitate prompt and smooth discharge of the patient by sending prescriptions to pharmacy, arranging follow-up appointments, putting together the medical record information for the receiving facility, and communicating all of this to the assigned nurse and charge nurse.
• Access computer systems in order to obtain patient data and to perform clerical functions.
• Demonstrate ability to recognize priority information and duties, respond appropriately and maintain patient safety and smooth unit operations.
• Effectively commands medical terminology and pharmacology.
• Complete annual review requirements (fire/safety, infection control, and other as appropriate).
• Support and proactively participate in teamwork efforts.
• Other duties as assigned.

Standards of Daily Practice:
• Participate in the development/testing/implementation of new organizational systems for the unit or department.
• Identified by others as exceptional in coordinating/prioritizing, delegating and multi-task orientation; performance reflects extra care and attention.
• Follow up on projects, orders, and/or requisitions to ensure completion.
• Act as a resource for staff.
• Acknowledged by other staff to be a role model in courteous communication (in-person, telephone, etc.) with healthcare team members, visitors, patients, and family.
• Acknowledged by staff as an expert in unit and Medical Center services and how to access them.

Safety and response to emergencies:
• Participate in interdepartmental efforts to facilitate a safe environment.
• Understand and follow hospital and departmental protocol for emergencies and disasters.
• Take immediate action to address environmental, equipment, or engineering issues that present a potential safety risk.
• Function within safety, infection-control, emergency, and equipment guidelines.

Advocacy and humanistic care:
• Demonstrate dignity and respect for the values, lifestyles, age, spiritual needs, and/or cultural diversity of other staff members, patients, family, and visitors.
• Act as an advocate for patients and families through such activities as assisting them with locating appropriate staff to address their concerns and safeguard patient’s privacy and confidentiality.
• Patients always take precedence over tasks. Ask patient at end of contact if there is anything else the patient needs.
• Provide additional service for those who have been inconvenienced or who may need special assistance. Contact Patient Relations office when appropriate.
• Report when illegal/unethical/unprofessional practice of another member of the health-care team occurs.
• Demonstrate awareness of age-specific competencies when interacting with patients and family. REQUIREMENTS: Patient Services Specialists are hired as either PSS 1-Trainee or PSS 2, depending on experience and qualifications. The requirements are: 
• PATIENT SERVICES SPECIALISTS 1-TRAINEE REQUIREMENTS: High School graduation or equivalent AND one year of experience in a health care setting OR two years of general office experience OR equivalent education/experience. 
• PATIENT SERVICES SPECIALISTS 2 REQUIREMENTS: High School graduation or equivalent AND one year of experience in a health care setting OR three years of general office or customer services experience OR equivalent education/experience.