Director of Admissions

Job Description

Job Summary 

The Director, Admissions is responsible for overseeing the daily operations and strategic direction of the hospital's admissions and patient access functions. This role ensures the accuracy and efficiency of patient registration, insurance verification, and financial clearance processes while maintaining compliance with regulatory and audit requirements. The Director works collaboratively with clinical, financial, and administrative leaders to ensure a seamless patient experience and effective revenue cycle performance. The Director provides leadership, supports the shared services center, and drives improvements in access, collections, and overall department effectiveness. 

Essential Functions

• Oversees all functions related to patient registration, scheduling, insurance verification, pre-admission, and financial clearance for the facility.
• Collaborates with the Shared Services Center (SSC) to support revenue cycle performance, monitor metrics, and address operational barriers.
• Ensures compliance with policies and regulatory requirements related to Medicaid eligibility, insurance verification, prior authorizations, medical necessity, patient estimates, and point-of-service collections.
• Reviews and monitors reports to ensure timely and accurate completion of key tasks, including discharges, front-end collections, audits, and unbilled accounts.
• Provides regular reporting and performance updates to facility leadership, including the CFO, and assists in identifying areas for operational improvement.
• Supports hospital CFO in reviewing financial clearance exceptions, approvals for patients unable to meet payment expectations, and process escalation.
• Implements best practices across admissions workflows to improve accuracy, efficiency, and patient experience.
• Ensures staff are trained on audit, compliance, and quality registration practices, with an emphasis on correct financial class assignment and reducing front-end denials.
• Coordinates with other hospital departments to align operations and ensure effective communication of admission-related information.
• Develops, coaches, and evaluates admissions staff to support performance goals, employee engagement, and department growth.
• Leads or supports process improvement initiatives to enhance departmental performance and support organizational objectives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.
• Complies with all policies and standards.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Supervision and Staff Management
  • Provides leadership, mentorship and professional development opportunities for departmental staff.
  • Schedules employees to ensure effective use of resources. Consults with leadership on any potential staffing issues.
  • Conducts performance evaluations, sets goals and provides feedback to staff on their performance and development.
• Strategic Planning and Financial Oversight
  • Collaborates with hospital leadership to set the strategic direction for the department, including budgeting, resource allocation and long-term planning.
  • Monitors expenditures, ensuring cost-effective delivery of services.
  • Evaluates and implements new technologies to enhance operational efficiency.
  • Develops and implements departmental policies and procedures and protocols to optimize quality and overall efficiencies.
• Quality Assurance and Regulatory Compliance
  • Ensures compliance with all relevant regulatory bodies. May oversee the accreditation process with relevant agencies ensuring that services meet or exceed industry standards.
  • Participates in audits, inspections and accreditation processes as applicable.
  • Follows established quality control practices to ensure accuracy, consistency and safety.
• Collaboration and Communication
  • Works closely with leadership teams to coordinate and improve service delivery.
  • Stays up-to-date with industry advancements, new technologies, and regulatory changes.
• Staff Responsibilities
  • May work in a staff role, when required. Ensures that duties and responsibilities are fulfilled while meeting all competencies established for that job.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Healthcare Administration, Business Administration, or a related field required
• A combination of education and significant relevant experience in admissions or patient access may be considered in lieu of a degree
• 7-9 years of experience in admissions, patient access, or healthcare revenue cycle operations required
• 4-6 years of leadership or management experience in a healthcare setting required

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong understanding of patient access processes, revenue cycle operations, and healthcare financial regulations.
• Ability to interpret data, prepare performance reports, and make recommendations for improvement.
• Demonstrated leadership ability with experience coaching, mentoring, and developing teams.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to interact with staff, physicians, patients, and executive leadership.
• Proficiency in electronic health record systems, registration platforms, and reporting tools.
• Strong problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making skills.
• Working knowledge of regulatory and payer requirements, including Medicaid, Medicare, and commercial insurance plans.

Licenses and Certifications

• CHAM - Certified Healthcare Access Manager preferred

INDNC