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Specialist makes patient's first impression pleasant

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By Ken Mosier, Health Care Today Updated 10:05 AM Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Lisa Manning

Title: Patient Access Specialist

Affiliation: Atrium Medical Center

Education: Diploma, Middletown High School

Lisa Manning says she is a people person, and that makes her just right for her job as Patient Access Specialist for Atrium Medical Center.

Manning registers outpatients for various tests at the hospital.

“This is the first contact they have with the hospital when they come here. That first impression that people get. That sits with them for a long time,” she said.

She added that a supervisor told her that anyone could be trained to work on the computer, but people skills was a trait that could not be trained.

“(She said,) ‘You either have it or you don’t.’ She said I would be the perfect person because I always smile.

“I love people, and I love what I do,” she added.

Manning said that it normally takes five to seven minutes to register a patient.

“Everybody is here because something is the matter,” she said. “Just that little bit of time I have with people, I try to make light conversation just to make their day better and cheery.”

She explained that a patient first goes to the front desk — where another patient access specialist is working.

“I bring them in here and introduce myself. Then if they have an order from a doctor like an MRI or chest X-ray or lab work, I will bring the order back here and put the information into the computer.” She added that she also enters insurance information and collects co-pays.

Sometimes she has to explain to the patient what they are having done.

“They are sometimes unsure what they are doing. So we try to make it more comfortable for them. I will call Patient Flow to see what they are having done and let them know how long the procedure will take.”

She began her career as a nursing student at Miami University-Middletown, but withdrew from school to take care of her children.

When her youngest child entered first grade, she applied to the hospital.

She said her job requires a high school diploma and completion of a course on medical terminology, which is offered at the hospital.

Five registrars are on duty on an average day in Outpatient Services.

Manning also said she works one week a month registering patients at an off-site lab and sometimes works the front desk.

She hopes to re-enroll in nurse training with the goal of getting a bachelor’s degree in nursing.

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