Melissa Smith
Dana Point,CA
Summary
Dedicated Patient Access professional with a proven track record of streamlining processes to enhance patient satisfaction. Expertise in managing complex healthcare environments, implementing efficient procedures, and fostering a collaborative team atmosphere. Skilled in staff training and problem-solving, ensuring optimal patient flow and exceptional service delivery. Committed to maintaining high standards of care while continuously improving operational efficiency.
Overview
15
15
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Patient Access Manager
Providence St. Joseph Hospital of Orange
08.2024 - Current
- Managed a team of 53, including 2 supervisors, enhancing productivity and reducing turnover by 40%
- Facilitated over 100 performance evaluations and coached managers on effective corrective actions, enhancing overall team performance.
- Managed admissions processes for 5 key entry points, boosting patient experience scores by 30%
- Managed denial processes, achieving a 3.58% eligibility denial rate, significantly below the industry average.
- Utilized a multidisciplinary approach to successfully resolve 10+ complex challenges, enhancing team collaboration and efficiency.
- Developed and maintained departmental budgets
- Developed comprehensive training programs designed to enhance employee knowledge base related to patient access services.
- Facilitated cross-departmental communication, improving patient flow efficiency and enhancing satisfaction ratings
- Streamlined staffing schedules within budget, resulting in an increase in operational efficiency while upholding quality standards.
- Collaborated on process mapping for BOT creation, reducing high dollar hospital admission claims denials by 40%.
- Designed a comprehensive disaster response plan, improving emergency department registration efficiency in disaster readiness
- Lead pilot of patient access optimization project for patient self registration, resulting in 15% less registrations requiring a representative
- Created and lead pilot of new staffing model designed to increase POS collections, resulting in a 60% increase in ER collections
PRE SERVICE SUPERVISOR
Providence Health System Office
12.2022 - 06.2024
- Led a remote Pre Service team to successfully clear 100,000+ elective cases monthly, optimizing financial processes for 14 California hospitals.
- Designed daily staff schedules for a team of 20
- Facilitated lean model workflow development for cross-functional teams, enhancing efficiency by and reducing project timelines.
- Facilitated employee support during organizational change, enhancing team morale through targeted initiatives by maintaining continuous 1:1 support with 20 employees.
- Streamlined daily clearance of claims on bill holds across 14 hospitals, boosting timely claims bill out by $2.5 million per week
- Conducted EPIC EHR training sessions with staff from 14 hospitals within health system to improve referral authorization entry
- Delivered weekly and monthly reports on POS collections and call center KPIs, enhancing executive decision-making with actionable insights.
PATIENT ACCESS SUPERVISOR
Providence Centralia Hospital
07.2021 - 08.2022
- Supervised a team of 16 Patient Access staff across ER, outpatient, and PBX areas, improving employee satisfaction by 85%
- Created efficient staff schedules for a team of 16, optimizing shift coverage and reducing overtime
- Directed departmental operations, ensuring 100% compliance with industry regulations and enhancing operational efficiency.
- Co-Lead a team of 20 Union represented employees at sister hospital resulting in a 10% decrease in grievances filed
- Streamlined the cleanup of 1500+ accounts in work queues, improving claims filing efficiency through accurate chart audits and appropriate escalation
- Facilitated training for new staff, improving onboarding efficiency and reducing turnover in first 90 day
- Conducted root cause analysis that reduced claims denials and improving overall approval rates.
- Coached and mentored a team of 16 staff members, enhancing performance through targeted development programs and effective disciplinary support.
- Revamped staffing model by implementing a phone tree, decreasing operator reliance by 65% and enhancing response efficiency.
PATIENT PLACEMENT SPECIALIST
Providence Health System, SoCal Regional Transfer Center
01.2021 - 07.2021
- Enhanced patient bed placement and transfers across 5 hospitals, resulting in a decrease in wait times and improved patient satisfaction.
- Coordinated over 100 patient transfers weekly to ensure continuity of care within their preferred provider network.
- Facilitated the weekly processing of over 100 bed requests, improving ER-to-facility admissions
- Executed insurance verification for 100+ managed care cases, securing timely authorizations for patient transfers.
LEAD UNIT SECRETARY
Providence Mission Hospital Laguna Beach
01.2017 - 12.2020
- Facilitated seamless transfers for over 700 patients annually to ensure optimal care and maintain preferred network alignment.
- Processed over 100 bed requests weekly, ensuring efficient admissions from the ER to in-house facilities.
- Facilitated collaboration among ER physicians, hospitalists, and nurses to enhance patient care, achieving an increase in patient satisfaction.
- Elevated patient satisfaction scores to over 70% through regular patient rounding and effective service recovery initiatives.
- Performed chart auditing for regulatory compliance purposes, resulting in 99% department compliance rate
- Managed timekeeping and scheduling for 40+ staff, ensuring consistent coverage and reducing scheduling conflicts.
- Facilitated the successful hiring of 25+ patient care technicians, improving the ratio of technicians to RN's
- Trained employees using interactive modules, enhancing department efficiency.
PATIENT REGISTRATION/ ADMITTING LEAD EMERGENCY SERVICES
Providence St. Joseph Health Revenue Cycle Services
09.2010 - 01.2017
- Streamlined data collection by interviewing 300+ patients weekly, enhancing demographic and emergency contact information accuracy.
- Successfully verified insurance coverage for 800+ claims monthly
- Successfully collected 95% of copayments and deductibles, enhancing revenue flow by $150k annually.
- Drafted and analyzed daily end of shift reports, enhancing team efficiency through streamlined communication.
- Spearheaded training for 10+ new employees, reducing onboarding time and elevating employee engagement.
- Resolved complex emergency situations 100% of the time independently, ensuring swift patient care and proper escalation when necessary.
- Led Quality Assurance initiatives that improved registration accuracy by 25%, significantly reducing claims and billing errors.
Education
High School Diploma -
Halstrom Futures High School
Mission Viejo, CA01.1995
Skills
- Insurance Verification
- EPIC EHR
- Microsoft Office
- Medical Terminology
- Patient Satisfaction
- Service Recovery
- Kronos Timekeeping
- Root Cause Analysis
- Department Productivity
- Denial Reduction
- HR processes
- HIPAA compliance
- Insurance verification
- Effective problem solving
- Team management Admissions processes
- Health Insurance Knowledge
- Customer Service
- Problem Solving
- Electronic Health Records (EHR)
- Patient Registration
- Conflict Resolution
- Communication Skills
- Team Collaboration
- Reporting and Analytics
- Understanding of Healthcare Regulations
- Quality Assurance
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Patient Account Management
- Referrals and Authorizations
- ICD 10 / CPT Codes
Affiliations
HFMA
Certification
- BLS FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AHA, November 2025
- CERTIFIED REVENUE CYCLE REPRESENTATIVE HFMA, Expected graduation March 2026
Timeline
Patient Access Manager
Providence St. Joseph Hospital of Orange
08.2024 - Current
PRE SERVICE SUPERVISOR
Providence Health System Office
12.2022 - 06.2024
PATIENT ACCESS SUPERVISOR
Providence Centralia Hospital
07.2021 - 08.2022
PATIENT PLACEMENT SPECIALIST
Providence Health System, SoCal Regional Transfer Center
01.2021 - 07.2021
LEAD UNIT SECRETARY
Providence Mission Hospital Laguna Beach
01.2017 - 12.2020
PATIENT REGISTRATION/ ADMITTING LEAD EMERGENCY SERVICES
Providence St. Joseph Health Revenue Cycle Services
09.2010 - 01.2017
High School Diploma -
Halstrom Futures High School