Palliative Care Patient Services Specialist

Overview

As a patient-focused organization, University of Utah Health exists to enhance the health and well-being of people through patient care, research and education. Success in this mission requires a culture of collaboration, excellence, leadership, and respect. University of Utah Health seeks staff that are committed to the values of compassion, collaboration, innovation, responsibility, integrity, quality and trust that are integral to our mission. EO/AA

This position serves as the liaison between patients and clinical staff throughout their appointment journey. Responsibilities include handling more complex patient inquiries, scheduling multiple appointments, and compiling results from various providers and prior tests as needed. The role involves interacting with patients before, during, and after their appointment, assisting with prior authorization and referral processes, and routinely collecting payments per the defined process. The specialist receives moderate guidance, allowing for some independent judgment in managing patient scheduling and coordination.

Corporate Overview: The University of Utah is a Level 1 Trauma Center and is nationally ranked and recognized for our academic research, quality standards and overall patient experience. Our five hospitals and eleven clinics provide excellence in our comprehensive services, medical advancement, and overall patient outcomes.

Responsibilities

Essential Functions

• Schedules and coordinates appointments, including surgical procedures, pre/post-op care, imaging (MRI, CT scans, etc.), and care across departments and specialties.
• Manages waitlists, opens appointment slots, and adjusts appointment capacity to enhance scheduling across multiple locations and clinics.
• Confirms appointments and provides pre-procedure instructions to patients.
• Tracks, requests, and validates patient records from outside organizations to ensure completeness and timeliness before appointments.
• Serves as the primary liaison between patients, physicians, and clinical staff during appointments, addressing inquiries and facilitating communication.
• Processes payments, reconciles daily financials, and may manage single-case or gap agreements with insurers.
• Acts as a coordinator for surgical cases, managing OR block time, scheduling pre/post-op appointments, and arranging multidisciplinary care.
• Completes outreach for new patient visits, transfer-of-care scheduling.

Knowledge / Skills / Abilities

• Advanced knowledge of scheduling, registration, and referrals processes in Epic.

• Advanced understanding of insurance verification, benefits, authorizations, and appeals processes.

• Familiarity with specialty case coordination and multidisciplinary care.

• Strong coordination and organizational skills.

• Proficient in Microsoft Suite. (Word, Excell, Outlook)

• Excellent communication and liaison skills.

• Ability to manage EPIC work queues and administrative workflows.

• Ability to manage multiple appointments and optimize scheduling across locations.

• Ability to provide detailed instructions and support to patients.

• Ability to facilitate effective communication between patients, physicians, and clinical staff.

Qualifications

Required

• Two (2) years of relevant experience in healthcare coordination or administrative role, or the equivalency.

Qualifications (Preferred)

Working Conditions and Physical Demands

Employee must be able to meet the following requirements with or without an accommodation.

• This position involves light work that may exert up to 20 pounds and may consistently require light work involving lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, or otherwise moving objects. This position involves standing for extended periods of time and is not exposed to adverse environmental conditions.

Physical Requirements

Carrying, Climbing, Color Determination, Crawling, Far Vision, Lifting, Listening, Manual Dexterity, Near Vision, Pulling and/or Pushing, Reaching, Sitting, Speaking, Standing, Stooping and Crouching, Tasting or Smelling, Walking