Training Specialist, Patient Access Services

Under the direction of the Director and Executive Director of Patient Access Services, the Training Specialist is responsible for design and in-person and virtual instructor-led delivery of the Prior Authorization and Denials team and soft skills (i.e., BWH New Employee Orientation, Service Excellence, Appreciating Differences) educational courses for frontline staff, and to ensure the advancement of strategic initiatives, achievement of organizational goals and objectives and orientation and training of new hire employees.  The Training Specialist will be high-functioning and well-respected team member of the Mass General Brigham (MGB) healthcare system and is often in high demand to develop technical training content throughout Patient Access Services.  The Training Specialist will be have experience in the Epic revenue cycle applications applicable for both the Prior Authorization Team and the Denials team. 

This position develops and delivers training for Prior Authorization and Denials team staff, participates in training development initiatives, assesses department training needs as well as developing and monitoring quality and quantity performance measures for these two teams.  The Training Specialist uses various teaching strategies to effectively support a diverse group with different learning styles, educational backgrounds and experience levels.  The Training Specialist leads small training projects and participates on project teams providing training SME and instructional design expertise consultation.  The Training Specialist is responsible for adhering to the department mission of quality standards and service excellence principles as well as supporting the organization by providing business expertise, training, documentation, and business solution recommendations.  Service standards/goals are measured, including but not limited to: training delivery and design, meeting facilitation, written and verbal communication, quality, MGB Brigham and Faulkner revenue cycle knowledge, and adherence to established policies and procedures including protected health information. 

Training - Relevant activities include, but are not limited to the following:

         Deliver quality instructor-led and virtual instructor-led training courses to -

         Authorization DSU, Inpatient, Elective, Urgent, Endoscopy, Pain and Infusion employees.

         Denial Analysts in the Denials and Appeals Team

         Develops and maintains training materials and associated communication to staff using various modalities including quick start guides, tip sheets, user guides, videos, micro-bytes, or eLearnings to be used cross-functionally throughout the organization.  Responsible for documenting change management and controls including online knowledge management Intranet site.

         Design and develop for new content and enhancement of curriculum and materials based on organizational needs for the Authorization team and the Denials & Appeals team.

         Responds to manager needs or makes recommendations to managers, for training and/or orienting staff and core billing and scheduling/check-in functions as needed.

         Identify areas within the organization for potential training initiatives; develop training programs as requested.  Evaluate effectiveness of training programs.  Monitor and report on individual and group training events and provide leadership with reports of findings.

         Serve as subject matter expert for operational and technical workflows (Denials, Appeals, and Prior Authorization).  This includes design, development, delivery and revision of current training programs.  Select appropriate instructional methods such as individual or group instruction, eLearning, self-study, presentation or communication.  

         Collaborate with MGB Digital Health eCare Training instructional designers for ongoing updates\enhancements to Epic MGB enterprise training materials and development and maintenance of tip sheets to support end user needs and training refresher, best practice reminders, as needed.

         Participate in execution of system testing activities relevant to training and ensure end user readiness for system enhancements for monthly releases and quarterly upgrades.

         Provide ongoing technical support to operational departments, teams and end-users including leading Host a Trainer sessions, providing at-the-elbow support for go-lives and to reinforce best practices. Provide technical support to troubleshoot system questions/issues prior to further escalation to application teams. 

         Lead and/or support training-related projects and process improvement initiatives.  Attends and participates in multi-disciplinary project teams across the organization including Central Billing Office, Revenue Operations, and Physician Practices, and present at meetings as needed as Epic training subject matter expert. 

         Advises managers on progress/status of staff development and works collaboratively with managers to deliver training and performance-related feedback to staff members.

         Support and coach employees on participation in internal and external training and educational sessions.

         Perform other duties as assigned.

Quality Assurance:

         Develop metrics and tools to monitor, trend, and report performance measures and quality results for the Authorization team and Denials team and other areas of Patient Access Services as needed.

         Monitor quality results and develops improvement initiatives in response to indicators to poor performance, including focus groups, etc. 

         Manage communications with internal and external customers as it relates to quality assurance measures which would include Revenue Operations, the Central Billing Office, Utilization Management.

         Present analysis, findings and recommendations to Patient Access Services Prior Authorization and Denials Management team on periodic basis as well as escalation of significant indicators of poor performance, as needed.

Skills & Competencies Required:

         Strong training delivery, presentation, and facilitation skills with strong understanding of adult learning principles.

         Demonstrate proficiency facilitating learning in Epic applications and Payor Portals in order to train on  Authorization  and Denials team members

         Strong interpersonal skills and ability to interact with people from all organizational levels as well as a diverse audience maintaining service excellence principles.

         Strong verbal/written communication skills with ability to effectively communicate with all levels of staff within the organization in a professional and timely manner.

         Ability to work independently on assigned tasks, i.e., plan, organize, problem solve and meet established deadlines.

         Ability to multi-task and work well with several customers/individuals/teams/projects simultaneously.

         Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.

         Exceptional attention to detail and strong follow-through on all training/project tasks is essential.

         Adheres to all quality, compliance and security principles and established policies and procedures.

         Flexibility and agility to respond to evolving training needs of the organization, i.e., COVID-19.

         Demonstrates overall knowledge of the revenue cycle including associated MGB/MGH/MGPO departments and a more comprehensive understanding based on specific projects/training.

Working Conditions: 

         The Prior Authorization team is located at Assembly Row in Somerville.  After 90 days of training the Prior Authorization team will be in a hybrid position which is up to 3 days from home.  

         The Denials and Appeals team members are hybrid with the 2 days in the office.  There are only two employees and this training is done via Microsoft Teams and in person at 75 Francis Street Boston MA. 

         Training rooms are located at Assembly Row, as well as MGB Brigham and Women's Hospital

         The hours are generally Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM but may vary according to the demands on this exempt salaried position.

         The work environment is very busy and dynamic, staff needs to be able to work in an office environment that is not quiet.

         Staff is very collaborative and work together to solve issues.

         The employee may be asked to travel to any MGB facilities to attend off-site meetings and\or deliver trainings.  This includes travel to new client sites and all MGB  training rooms as needed.

Required:

         Bachelor's degree and 3-5 years' experience delivering operational/technical training or functioning as an Epic super user OR High School Diploma and 5-7 years of years' experience delivering operational/technical training or functioning as an Epic super user.

         Familiarity with training and training documentation.

         Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Preferred:

         Healthcare experience preferred.

         Epic experience a plus.

         Training and curriculum development and/or instructional design experience a plus.

         Experience delivering virtual instructor-led training is favorable.

         Comfort level using Zoom and/or Teams platforms ideal.

         eLearning development skills (Articulate or Captivate) a plus.