How to hire a patient access representative

How to hire a patient access representative, step by step

Here's a step-by-step patient access representative hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a patient access representative job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new patient access representative
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a patient access representative do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the patient access representative you need to hire. Certain patient access representative roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect patient access representative also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   This list presents patient access representative salaries for various positions.

   Type of Patient Access Representative	Description	Hourly rate
   Patient Access Representative	Customer service representatives interact with customers to handle complaints, process orders, and provide information about an organization’s products and services.	$12-19
   Registration Coordinator	A registration coordinator is in charge of organizing and overseeing the registration procedures in programs and projects. Their duties primarily depend on their industry or place of employment... Show more	$13-25
   Patient Liaison	Patient Liaisons are intermediaries addressing concerns on behalf of patients and families working in tandem with the hospital administrator. They are responsible for gathering data regarding patient care issues and inquiries, assessing patient well-being, suggesting improvements, and interpreting hospital service, policies, and procedures to patients and families... Show more	$11-20

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Patients
   • Customer Service
   • Medical Terminology
   • Patient Care
   • Patient Registration
   • Insurance Verification
   • Insurance Eligibility
   • Physician Orders
   • Insurance Benefits
   • Health Insurance
   • Data Entry
   • CPT
   • Cycle Management
   • HIPAA

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Use EMR software to manage patient records and files; reinforce and uphold patient confidentiality as required by HIPPA and clinic.
   • Conduct intensive screening of all Medicare, Medicaid and manage care patients for provider service eligibility.
   • Educate eligible applicants about Medicaid manage care and how to access benefits in a manage care environment.
   • Run internal reports to ensure ICD 9 and CPT procedure codes are accurate for billing for Medicare and Medicaid patients.
   • Deliver quality customer service and compassion while obtaining demographic and financial data from patients seeking emergency medical services.
   • Operate front desk check-in, preparation of charts, receive payments and balance books at the end of the day.

   More patient access representative duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your patient access representative job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A patient access representative salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a patient access representative in Arkansas may be lower than in Massachusetts, and an entry-level patient access representative usually earns less than a senior-level patient access representative. Additionally, a patient access representative with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average patient access representative salary

   $16.16hourly

   $33,603 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level patient access representative salary

   $27,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 18, 2025

   Average patient access representative salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Massachusetts	$42,057	$20
   2	Vermont	$40,227	$19
   3	Minnesota	$39,142	$19
   4	Washington	$38,875	$19
   5	New York	$37,998	$18
   6	Oregon	$37,648	$18
   7	California	$37,625	$18
   8	North Dakota	$36,996	$18
   9	Wisconsin	$35,239	$17
   10	Illinois	$35,116	$17
   11	Maryland	$34,962	$17
   12	Colorado	$34,493	$17
   13	Pennsylvania	$34,008	$16
   14	Kansas	$33,922	$16
   15	South Dakota	$33,617	$16
   16	Arizona	$33,588	$16
   17	District of Columbia	$33,289	$16
   18	Maine	$32,946	$16
   19	Michigan	$32,831	$16
   20	Ohio	$31,942	$15

   Average patient access representative salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	University of California-Berkeley	$44,137	$21.22
   2	UC Merced	$42,559	$20.46
   3	Saint Xavier University	$42,491	$20.43
   4	Seattle Cancer Care Alliance	$42,130	$20.25
   5	University of California	$41,930	$20.16	55
   6	Oracle	$41,827	$20.11
   7	UC Santa Barbara	$41,000	$19.71
   8	Roswell Park	$40,892	$19.66	4
   9	Mount Auburn Hospital	$40,823	$19.63
   10	The University of Chicago	$40,682	$19.56	39
   11	New York Institute of Technology	$40,514	$19.48	2
   12	Dana-Farber Cancer Institute	$40,422	$19.43	18
   13	Merck	$40,381	$19.41
   14	Brigham and Women's Hospital	$40,270	$19.36	79
   15	Lawrence General Hospital	$40,035	$19.25	6
   16	Univ Of Colorado-Colorado Spgs	$39,636	$19.06
   17	Tufts Medical Center	$39,419	$18.95
   18	University of Colorado Boulder	$39,365	$18.93
   19	The University of Vermont Health Network	$39,350	$18.92	2
   20	Beacon Hill Staffing Group	$39,041	$18.77

4. Writing a patient access representative job description

   A good patient access representative job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a patient access representative job description:

   Patient access representative job description example

   **This Patient Access Rep is a FT/ days position with possible shift rotation at Northwest Medical Center ED. Fast paced environment, multi-tasking, attention to detail necessary. Emphasis on excellent customer service and strong collection skills. Patient access performs a variety of tasks throughout the shift.**
   
   Registers patients and processes related paperwork. Interviews patients, prepares standard registration forms, and performs other admission or transfer related tasks. Performs clerical and secretarial work as needed. Relies on limited experience and judgment to plan and accomplish goals. Performs a variety of tasks. Typically reports to a supervisor and/or manager. High school diploma or equivalent. Requires 0-2 years of experience in the field or in a related area. Familiar with standard concepts, practices, and procedures within a particular field.
   
   _Northwest Medical Center is comprised of a 300-bed hospital, three urgent care facilities, a freestanding emergency center and a large physician group, offering you a variety of settings in which to work. Every location is dedicated to providing safe, quality patient care, but more than that is the commitment to employees. It strives to provide a culture of teamwork, respect and appreciation for all staff, whether they care for patients directly or work in a support role. With employee appreciation celebrations throughout the year, opportunities for growth and the satisfaction that you are part of a hospital leading the way with accessible, convenient healthcare in Tucson, Northwest is a great place to work. NMC is accredited by The Joint Commission and is an equal opportunity employer: race, gender, disability and Veteran status, and VEVRAA Federal Contractor - priority referral Protected Veterans requested._
   **Qualifications**
   
   **Education**
   
   **Required**
   
   + High School or better
   
   Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
   
   The contractor will not discharge or in any other manner discriminate against employees or applicants because they have inquired about, discussed, or disclosed their own pay or the pay of another employee or applicant. However, employees who have access to the compensation information of other employees or applicants as a part of their essential job functions cannot disclose the pay of other employees or applicants to individuals who do not otherwise have access to compensation information, unless the disclosure is (a) in response to a formal complaint or charge, (b) in furtherance of an investigation, proceeding, hearing, or action, including an investigation conducted by the employer, or (c) consistent with the contractor's legal duty to furnish information. 41 CFR 60-1.35(c)

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find patient access representatives for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any patient access representatives they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level patient access representatives with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your patient access representative job on Zippia to find and recruit patient access representative candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with patient access representative candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   You should also ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match the ideal candidate profile you developed earlier. Candidates good enough for the next step can complete the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new patient access representative

   Once you've decided on a perfect patient access representative candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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